Natasha + Callum by Shoot Me Jimmy - Together Journal

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

We are both very different people, but have a lot that brings us together. We both love to spend time together at home, watching a movie. I have a Honours degree in Psychology and work in mental health, and Callum is working on his business degree while working full time in business development.

Sometimes, for a laugh, I’ll tell him the economy isn’t real and we end up debating for hours. I have always been the more emotional one, and Callum has been my steady source of reassurance in times of stress or anxiety. Music is a passion of both of ours and something that initially brought us together. We love live music, either big alternative festivals or the occasional WA Symphony Orchestra performance.

We love to travel, both together and independently – between us we’ve been to over 18 countries and hope to see more of the world together as husband and wife. We spend most of our time renovating our new home together, and spending time with each of our families.

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

Natasha – We first met in high school, but didn’t think too highly of each other. Callum had just moved to WA from Victoria, and I had moved from QLD 2 years prior – by some twist of fate we ended up in the same class. I thought Callum was annoying and arrogant, and he probably felt the same. It took about 2 years for our friendship groups to merge a bit and to really get to know each other. From then on, the rest is history. We talked more, found out we had a lot in common and actually enjoyed each other’s company. I found myself laughing and smiling more each day. I learned that annoying trait was more just enthusiasm, passion, and a desire to help everyone; he learned that I was undyingly loyal and caring – things we still love about each other to this day. We bonded over listening to emo songs on my iPod classic in the back of class, and eventually got together in Year 12 – and have been together ever since!

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

Natasha – I’m a firm believer that love is made up from those tiny, imperceptible moments. I can’t pinpoint one particular moment. There are small moments every day that reaffirm why we love each other and our life together, and we make the choice everyday to keep that love alive.

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

Natasha – We always talked about our lives and future as if we would always be together- there was never really a doubt or question. We’d talked briefly about getting married but not in much detail and always as a ‘far in the future’ thing. Around January 2019 Callum started conversations with his Mother and Grandmother about proposing with a family heirloom ring. Planning how to do it was difficult because he wanted it to be spontaneous and special but I would be suspicious if he planned anything.

Callum had the ring for a few months, trying to find the right time. I had just returned from a solo trip to Europe. We had gone out for drinks with friends that night. We got home around midnight and before we walked into our apartment building, Callum said it was nice outside and if I wanted to go for a walk down to our favourite duck pond nearby. He ran upstairs to ‘check on the cat’ and we then walked down to the duck pond. I genuinely thought he was about to break up with me, because a proposal was so unexpected at that point! We walked around the pond, the Spice Girls was playing from the pub nearby. It was dark, and suddenly he was on one knee saying ‘I know we’re going to spend our lives together, so let’s do this’. When we got back inside was the first time I actually properly saw the ring, and he explained it was his grandmothers’ ring and he had worked with her, his mum and sister to organise this – which made me cry even more. It was all very ‘Callum’ – spontaneous, private, non-theatrical, genuine, heartfelt.

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

Natasha – I planned and styled the whole day, and had so much fun doing it. I love finding the bits and pieces to execute a vision.

It was important to me that our wedding reflected us as a couple. Neither of us are white wedding people. I envisioned the day as moody, ethereal, and romantic in almost a brooding way – I wanted the day to reflect our personalities and love for each other. I described our colour palette as ‘pastel goth’ to our florist, and she created that with black, deep red and purples, with pastel pink and lilac accents.

We were looking for a heritage building feel for the venue, and found it in Guildhall Event Space. The gorgeous building and moody decor made the decision so easy. I wanted the ceremony to feel like a dark secret garden – moody colours, black accents, flowing flowers and ethereal vibes. This carried over to the reception with more flowers and lots of ambient candlelight. Our favourite feature was the velvet loveseat, covered in flowers and a neon sign that captured the day perfectly – Til Death.

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

Natasha – I had a quite a clear idea of the style of dress and overall outfit I was looking for but initially struggled to find anywhere in Perth with what I had in mind. I wanted something romantic, whimsy, elegant, not overly floral or detailed, and definitely with sleeves.

I saw an Alena Leena dress on my Instagram page and it caught my eye immediately. Their designs were very whimsical, ethereal and just a little bit different. After some digging, I found out NOA Bridal was holding an Alena Leena trunk show that week, and it was the only place they were stocked in WA! I managed to score the last available appointment, called in sick at work and brought my mum and sister along. I told Liz at NOA that I wanted to look like I could run dramatically down the stairs of an old castle…and somehow she took that vision and found my perfect dress! I knew the Peony gown was the one as soon as we put the sleeves on. The dress felt so magical and the statement sleeves were exactly what I was looking for – I didn’t try anything else on after that!

The lovely ladies at Ilka were able to make some customisations to the sleeves that made the dress even more perfect. I felt so beautiful all day, and danced the night away in that gown.

I knew I wanted a statement headpiece, and looked around for a long time. The piece I wore was made custom by Kezani Jewellery. It was based off an existing design and we added extra pearls to match my dress, and chose a pearl-scattered veil to bring it all together. I was 50/50 on a veil until I tried everything on together, and then I couldn’t say no.

Callum had a very strong sense of style as a groom and had a very clear vision in mind, he didn’t want just a plain black or white tux. He spoke early on about wanting a velvet tuxedo jacket, which I was all for. After deciding on the overall colour scheme for the wedding, he decided on either a purple or deep red colour. He went with his groomsmen to Institchu, where they had their suits all custom-made. He eventually landed on a deep purple velvet (my favourite colour), with a deep paisley pattern on the inside of the jacket. I didn’t attend any of his fittings, so I was looking forward to our first look to see him all glammed up. He looked incredibly handsome, especially together with his groomsmen in custom all black suits (definitely not a white wedding!).

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Natasha – Photo and video! Having both photos and video of the day was a great decision, each give us different memories and emotions to look back on. They are the few things you get to take away from the day (apart from a new spouse!) so investing in a great photographer and videographer is so worth it. Apart from their gorgeous work, photographers and videographers know so many great vendors and give such invaluable advice about timing, photo locations and so on. Having both Jimmy (our photographer) and Chris (our videographer) there on the day was the best decision.

I also added to our floral budget a few times, but don’t tell Callum…

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

Natasha – I didn’t notice at all, but Callum completely improvised his vows. He had written them down, but his hands were shaking too much to read the card! Just as he spontaneously asked me to marry him, his vows were just as spontaneous and genuine. I didn’t know any different, and it just meant everything he said came from the heart and in the moment.

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