Sam works in funds management and I run sleepwear company Jasmine and Will. Sam grew up in Hobart and I in a small country town, Bundaberg.
As young adults, we both pursued finance careers overseas but we never crossed paths. After both returning home to Australia, we met by chance online.
It was clear from the beginning that we shared the same family values, a love of the ocean, and had similar careers and lived similar ex-pat lives, albeit in different countries. The chemistry was immediate. I knew Sam was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with when we met for a post-work sunset swim, only a few days after meeting. Sam says he knew when he opened the car door on our first date!
About a year later, we were engaged. Sam proposed (after asking my Dad) on a weekend away at Raes in Byron Bay. This was followed by lots of phone calls, champagne and oysters (another thing we both love!). It was such a wonderful feeling to know I’d found my best friend and partner for life.
We had planned a wedding in Tuscany for July 2020 but Covid had other plans. We spoke to family and with their blessing (and borders closed to our parents and most siblings) we eloped to Palm Beach, Sydney, a location very dear to us. As it was just the two of us and my brother and his wife as witnesses, I decided that my original and rather large wedding gown wouldn’t be practical so I reached out to Jess at J Andreatta who created a mini dress and floor-length veil, inspired by my Mum’s wedding dress with a Guns N’ Roses vibe.
We married in a Bahamas-style beach house with the ocean in the background and the palm trees softly swaying as we said “I do”. It was 40 degrees! Everything (including us) was melting! But it resulted in a wonderfully balmy summer evening that we enjoyed outdoors. Despite our cancelled wedding plans, this couldn’t have been more ”us”.
After the ceremony, we jumped into my vintage Mercedes and drove to dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, Bert’s. The night finished back at the house with a “first dance” to Islands In the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, champagne and leftover wedding cake.
ceremony location Palm Beach, private home / photographer Alice Mahran / bride’s dress & veil Custom J Andreatta / black tie suit Custom P Johnson / hair & makeup Mia Hawkswell @miamakeup / earrings Alessandra Rich / fragrance Privee Sakura by Dior / shoes Gianvito Rossi / reception venue Bert’s, Newport / ring Van Cleef & Arpels / flora House of Ivory / cake Lush Empire
