Nerida + Hamish by Kirsten Cunningham - Together Journal

Nerida – Hamish works in infrastructure – planning roads and trains and the like – and I’m a clinical psychologist. We have a shared passion for going on adventures, but we’re equally happy being social and active or just curled up on the couch with a great glass of red, a cheese platter and a great movie! We also have a shared love for anything Nicolas Cage because his movies are so terrible that they are amazing.

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

Hamish – Nerida and I met in year 10 at a party in regional New South Wales. We didn’t talk but both remember thinking the other was a “cute, quiet chubby kid”. Fast-forward to 2014 and we met again aged 25 at a hostel in Budapest and connected the dots – realising we had met once before. We got on really well, developed some close shared friendships and stayed in touch. I lived in Sydney and Nerida in Melbourne, but we made an effort to stay in touch and would go as far as to call ourselves best friends even before Nerida moved to Sydney for her masters degree in 2018 and the relationship took a romantic turn.

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

Nerida – I fell in love with Hamish because he is the kindest person I have ever met. He is so clever but never uses his intelligence to make fun of other people or tries to be the smartest guy in the room, even though he definitely is. He is so generous with his time and energy. He is the most non-judgemental person I have ever met and he makes everyone feel at ease around him. He is completely and utterly his own person and never tries to be anyone except exactly who he is. Hamish feels like home.

Hamish – Nerida is a kind, caring person who has a genuine interest in other people’s worries. She has a strong sense of right and wrong, and always holds people to be the best versions of themselves. And she is always there to lend advice or support when you need it. After surviving numerous lockdowns together, we haven’t been the slightest bit sick of each other, so that was the point where everything clicked – Just one of the benefits of marrying your best friend I guess!

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

Hamish – I took Nerida out for a delicious long lunch at Zin House at Lowe Winery in Mudgee during a well-deserved holiday, followed by a walk through the garden. We got engaged on the swing there! Nerida cried a lot. And she still maintains that I got nervous and started by saying “I think you’re a great chick”! (haha) It was exactly one year to the day after we got engaged when we get married at Lowe.

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

Nerida – We wanted a really fun, happy day that started with a meaningful ceremony and ended with a big party. I wanted vibrant colours that would complement the beautiful country rustic wedding venue.

We always spoke about the three most important things at the wedding to be 1) beautiful venue 2)amazing food and drinks 3) a band that everyone will get up and boogie to.

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

Nerida – Hamish wanted something a little different to the usual wedding suits so he picked a salmon linen suit and his groomsmen wore beige linen. I wanted something that was a little fun and unique that complemented my figure and Amy at Love Marie Bridal was able to help me find the perfect dress. It was important to me that my bridesmaids (and bridesman!) felt comfortable so they picked their own dresses including style and colour. My bridesman chose to wear the same suit as the groomsmen with a pocket full of flowers to match our bouquets. Our amazing florist then tied it all together with the flowers and décor. We were both so happy with the end result.