Meg + Adrian by Matt Ashton Photography - Together Journal

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

A tinder success story, we met in 2013 not long after I moved from Brisvegas (Brisbane, QLD) to the big smoke in Sydney. We lead very different lives professionally, Adrian’s a criminal prosecutor and I’m a reality television editor, which certainly makes for some light and shade when we tell work stories over a glass of red at the end of the day!

When it comes to recreational entertainment Adrian’s a die-hard NRL fan and I’m more of the cult tv show fanatic, so it was an especially wonderful moment when watching Schitt’s Creek that we found our wedding song! Noah Reid’s cover of Simply the Best which we used for the aisle moment, then the NRL Tina Turner version after being announced as husband and wife.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details:

I’ve always thought it was a bit of nonsense when couples say that their wedding day was the best day of their lives, but oh boy, did I have to eat my words. Our wedding was, no contest, the greatest, most incredible day of our lives (most amazingly, Adrian even admitted it was greater than the Dragons win in the 2010 NRL grand final! – I cannot understate what a big deal that concession is)

Like many covid affected couples, it was certainly an experience planning a wedding in a pandemic. When covid-19 breached Australia’s borders, we realised pretty early on that our October 10th wedding for 200 friends at Meg’s family home in Brisbane wasn’t going to happen. We postponed for December, but with that still looking perilous, we decided to ‘pandemic-proof our nuptials’, and make a couple of teeny tiny changes to the guest list.. and cut it from 200 down to just 20. With snap border closures, flying into Brisbane was also far from a guarantee, so we hit up airbnb for and soon found the stunning EagleParkView in Gerringong on the NSW South Coast. It was the perfect location for our day, as we always wanted that intimate feeling of a private residence, and the almost 360 degree uninterrupted outlook made us feel like we were the only people in the world.

Our vibe has always been on the natural/minimalist side, our florist described it as ‘elegant boho’ which I think it spot on the money. We didn’t end up getting a stylist as originally planned, instead, our mums raided their cabinets for our late grandparent’s cutlery, crockery and glassware, and set it all up themselves which was an incredibly special touch that we only could have achieved at such an intimate event.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:

The absolute best part of the entire day wasn’t a thing we planned or item we bought, but it was the overwhelming love I felt pouring out of Adrian. It was pure and unapologetically real, and that memory will stay with me forever.

There were a few pieces I was gifted which was so so special, my engagement ring was my great grandmothers, it’s over 90 years old which is beyond incredible. Adrian and his late nana gifted me the sapphire pendant which we had custom designed is a piece I will treasure and can’t wait to pass down as an heirloom. And wearing my mother in law’s veil from her own wedding was an unexpected and wonderful touch. Dad bringing his MG convertible down from Brisbane was such an incredible addition to the day, and driving up the hill to the venue and seeing everyone waving as we arrived was an amazing way to kick off the celebrations. An absolute highlight was my mum and dad surprising everyone with a performance of our wedding song ‘Simply the Best’ on the ukulele, which ended with guests standing on chairs and my brother thumping the table so hard he got a fork stuck in his palm.

Enjoying the bridal photos was something we did not see coming! We are in no way a photogenic couple and only have the obligatory couple shots at other people’s weddings, but our photographer Matt and videographer Tim were the best possible hype men you could ask for. They seamlessly stage managed us without us even realising it, it felt crazy natural to make out in the middle of the field (not a normal thing you do with two blokes watching!) and that is a credit to them.

As a couple that love a big shindig and hectic d-floor, it was never a consideration to have such a small guest list, but Holly & Will from Top Shelf Live brought the noise big time and meant the dance

floor went off. We could never have anticipated how complete we felt after the most perfect day with the people that we have grown up with and will grow old with.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:

We wouldn’t feel comfortable giving out advice, we’re still figuring it out as we go along and everyone has their own thing going on.. But what we have promised to each other is to appreciate the little things, acknowledge how grateful we are for our little lives, and to realise that there will be times that are difficult and taxing. That we need to allow room for mistakes to be made and that love isn’t a guarantee as time goes on. There’s a quote that says “No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance. No one stays in love by chance, it is by work. And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice.” And we will choose to love each other, every day.