Lizzie + Sam by Beck Rocchi - Together Journal

Then, finally, we actually went out for a coffee, which turned into many beach trips, and then it just kind of fell into place.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Lizzie – We both grew up on Brisbane’s bayside, about 5 minutes from each other, but never met! I work in an art gallery in the collections team, and Sam is a chemical engineer who recently moved into project management at a custom boat building company. We live in Brisbane with our very energetic kelpie-cross Olive and are slowly renovating a 1970s house.

Sam – Most weekends I’m out bike riding or surfing, Lizzie is sailing (or studying!) or we’re at home working on the house and garden together. We both love going to the beach, finding breakfast spots, and catching up with friends and family.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Sam – Liz and I met 7 years ago while we were both still at uni. At the time, I was couch surfing between a few places in Brisbane as my parents had moved to a farm in the Scenic Rim. As chance would have it, on one of those nights, I was at my mate’s place. It turned out that he and Liz both went to preschool together, and their families have been close ever since. Luckily for me Liz’s family had come over that night for dinner, and that was the first night we met. My first impression of Liz was her amazingly endless aura of calmness, sense of self and style.

Lizzie – after that first dinner, there were a few other (slightly orchestrated) encounters – Sam picked up a fridge from our house, and then he came as a plus one to my 21st party. Then, finally, we actually went out for a coffee, which turned into many beach trips, and then it just kind of fell into place.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

We both realised pretty early on that something was there. We didn’t really talk about it or even have a conversation about being “official” – we both fit into each other’s lives and families so easily that it just kind of happened. Our values and interests align, and we complement each other perfectly.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Lizzie – Sam proposed New Year’s Eve while we were staying at the beach with my family, Sam’s sisters, and some friends. I already knew what was happening – he wouldn’t let me go near his bag all weekend, and he was very determined to go for a walk that morning! There was no down on one knee or big speeches; he just turned around while we were at the top of a sand dune watching the sunrise; he said, ‘I have a question for you’ and showed me the ring! I said yes, of course, and then we continued our beach walk, throwing sticks for our dog. The best part was having the whole day ahead to celebrate with all our family and friends.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

Sam – for us, getting married and having a wedding was always about celebrating with everyone else. Liz and I are not big fans of being the centre of attention, so we knew many of the wedding traditions weren’t for us – no vows, first dance, or entrances. We basically wanted a big dinner party with lots of colour, food and dancing. Pasta Mama fits this vision perfectly, and we’ll always be grateful she agreed to cater and bring her amazing tablecloths! Using the local hall also meant we had the freedom to bring in our own vendors and take a few days before to set up, and it added to this big celebratory but casual feeling.

Lizzie – for me, the best part about the wedding was how everyone was involved. Our families and close friends all stayed at the Bangalow Guesthouses in the week leading up, my sister made the wedding cake, Sam’s mum and sister grew flowers, my friends did my hair and makeup and we all got ready together on the day. The whole day was relaxed, we cut the cake straight after the ceremony and friends and family shared it around with eskies of champagne and beers, and then everyone walked up to the hall for dinner.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Live music! We booked in a five piece band from Baker Boys and it was absolutely worth it, the dance floor was full all night and the stage in the local hall with its red velvet curtains was the perfect setting!

We also wanted to make sure there was lots of food to be shared around – once we had Pasta Mama locked in we knew we didn’t have to worry about that, and we completely trusted her with the menu and service.

And lastly, photos! We had a crazy initial idea that we didn’t need a professional photographer because we didn’t want the extra attention, and we would have regretted this so much. Beck was amazing and fit our colourful, relaxed vibe perfectly!

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Sam – Unknown to us, Liz’s family had driven down to Bangalow the week before the wedding with the old family 1965 VW Beetle. It was hidden in town all week, as the plan was that it was going to be driven to the ceremony location the morning of the wedding as a surprise and it would then be used to drive us to the reception. Unfortunately, when the morning came around, Liz’s Dad had misplaced the bug keys. What followed was hours of searching around town, our accommodation, and eventually involving the police and a locksmith to unlock the car. Long story short, the bug did make it on time. The real irony of it all, though, is that Liz herself had picked up the keys the day before as she had found them lying around in our accommodation’s communal kitchen. She’d put them in our room for safekeeping so they didn’t get lost, thinking they’d just been accidentally brought down to Bangalow!

Lizzie – there was torrential rain for four days straight before the wedding and right up until 10 minutes before guests arrived (for the outdoor ceremony). We were very familiar with about six different weather apps by the morning of the wedding! I remember while getting my makeup done, every time I heard thunder my friends would try to convince me that it was a truck driving past. Miraculously, the sun came out just as the first guests started walking in, and it held out until they literally walked into the reception hall, and then it started pouring again!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

Lizzie – I was very set on not having a “traditional” wedding dress and had been searching online for colourful dresses, suits, sequins, everything! I went to Honeymoon Studios to try on her beautiful silk suits but was convinced at the end to try on this dress. I knew straight away it was perfect – I felt so comfortable in it and slightly in awe of the beautiful tulle and flower overlay. I’m planning on taking it back to Honeymoon Studios to dye it a different colour so I can keep wearing it!

I actually spent more time trying to find a pair of shoes – I still hadn’t decided by the time I had my dress on, so went with both and did a quick swap halfway through the night.

Sam – nothing much to tell for me! I wore a simple black suit with black bowtie from MJ Bale, which I was really happy with.