Towards the end of university, I began picturing my life in the ‘real world’, and I couldn’t see myself in it without her by my side.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
NR: We are both lawyers, and I am currently living in the UK, completing a master’s. I enjoy all things movies, especially from the 90s.
TP: I love spending time with my fairly big family and playing board games with them. We also love long walks around the inner west in Sydney – there is always so much to do and so many new cafes to try. We are both vegan and share a passion for doing our part for the planet. We got married on 18 August, went on our honeymoon (to France and Italy) 2 weeks later, and I dropped Nick off at Oxford University, where he is doing his masters, so the first year of marriage will be an interesting one since we are living in different countries! Our wedding was very much the start of a new chapter for us, both in getting married and also the start of our long distance relationship after being together for 8 years and living together in Sydney for 3 of those years.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
NR: I first remember meeting Tay when we were assigned to the same group in our first year at university. My first impression of Tay was that she had an infectious energy and warmth that I was drawn to; I felt that I could talk to her for hours.
TP: After that first class where we met, we were having such a good conversation that I followed Nick to the library – I didn’t want that conversation to stop. We were talking about his plans for the future and all the extracurricular activities he was involved in at university. I was so inspired by his focus, drive, and passion for everything he was doing and wanted to achieve. So much so that when I got home from university that day, I told my Mum all about this amazing friend I had made that day. What I didn’t realise is that this friend would turn into my best friend, my husband and continue to inspire me every day since then.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
NR: Towards the end of university, I began picturing my life in the ‘real world’, and I couldn’t see myself in it without her by my side.
TP: When we moved into our first home together, I got to see how Nick brightened up even the most mundane days.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
NR: We had discussed getting married several months prior, and we discussed a mutual exchange, but I really wanted to do a proposal. Knowing that there was going to be a proposal, Tay was somewhat confident that I would not be able to surprise her. So began a game of four-dimensional chess while I prepared a series of misdirection and double bluffs. First, I had arranged with Maddy (one of Tay’s younger sisters) to invite us over for a fun day of babysitting her younger cousins by going to an escape room and watching Black Adam. I pause here to say that Tay knows that I love escape rooms, so would never knowingly pass up an opportunity to go to one. Next, I planted the seed weeks earlier that I was working on this big project that had a strict deadline on Monday with the potential that it could require me to work over the weekend. The final step was me riding the train with Tay, halfway to meet her sister, but then suddenly having to take a work call which required me to do something urgently. I then spent the morning preparing our apartment, buying the groceries and cooking a three-course dinner. Tay entered the apartment to a rose pedal laid floor surrounded by candles and me (with a cheeky smile, knowing that I had surprised her).
TP: He really got me on this one, I was so sure he would NEVER be able to surprise me. It was perfect – a beautiful dinner in our first home together.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
NR: We wanted something intimate, shared with the closest people in our lives, symbolic and vegan. The date was special because it was the day we first met eight years earlier. We picked the State Library because our first conversation was in the university library, where we talked for hours and was a perfect expression of shared love for learning and our journey through university together. Our wedding party was only 16 people, and so it was fun, and everyone knew each other quite well. Our reception was at Alpha which has a great vegan menu.
TP: We wanted something that was true to us – when it comes to styling and even architecture, we love heritage features with a modern twist. The modern style of Alpha was a beautiful contrast against the warmth and heritage features of the Shakespeare Room of the State Library. Having our wedding in the city and drinks at the Wilmot Bar of the Margot Kimpton gave us a beautiful New York elopement-style wedding with the warmth and character of the past. We think it’s a beautiful reflection of us – proud of our past 8 years but energetic and excited for the unknown of the future that lies ahead, and always wanting to grow and develop together, even if we don’t know exactly where the path ahead might take us.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
NR: Damien, our photographer, the moments he captured were incredible.
TP: Absolutely Damien. We actually planned our date around Damien’s availability, and it just worked out perfectly that it fell on the date we met 8 years ago. Whenever we take photos together (which we don’t do very often!), we say, ‘This is one for the kids and grandkids’. We wanted the photos of our wedding to show our future kids and grandkids the beauty and depth of the love we shared with each other and those closest to us, even when we might not be around anymore. Damien’s gift of capturing this warmth in his photos is a gift, and we are honoured to have had him as our photographer.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
NR: At the end of the wedding, we ended up at karaoke!
TP: Since we weren’t having a traditional wedding, we hadn’t really planned a cake cutting or a first dance. Our friend suggested we go to karaoke after dinner, and almost all of our family and friends came along – it was the perfect way to end the night and meant we could share a ‘first karaoke song’.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
NR: I got a custom suit from Institchu.
TP: I tried on a few wedding dresses, but nothing was quite right. I had saved this same dress on pinterest a few times and then realised that it was the same dress in all the pictures I was saving! It was perfect and balanced the modern twist with elegant and traditional features (just like the rest of our wedding).
CEREMONY Shakespeare Room, State Library New South Wales RECEPTION Alpha Restaurant, @alpha.restaurant PHOTOGRAPHER Damien Milan, @damienmilan_photographer CELEBRANT Ally Cooper, @allycoopercelebrancy HIRE Simply Seated FLORA The Flower Room, @theflowerroom CATERING Alpha Restaurant, @alpha.restaurant SUIT InStitchu, @institchu BRIDAL DRESS Orseund Iris, @orseund_iris GROOM’S RING The Gentleman’s Smith, @thegentlemanssmith BRIDE’S RINGS Natalie Marie Jewellery, @nataliemariejewellery SHOES Betts, @bettsshoes ACCESSORIES Earnshaw, @earnshaw1805 MAKEUP Brides by Annie, @bridesbyannie HAIR Courtney Hurst Hairstyling, @courthursthairstyling
