Olivia: For us, life is about having as much fun as possible with the people we love.
We have a super-close circle of friends and they’re a huge part of our relationship, which has led to some epic holidays, adventures, festivals and wild experiences so far; our best friends even came on our honeymoon and we celebrated in Berlin and Amsterdam together.
Adam and I met in high school, although at that time we were just friends. We drifted apart after school and didn’t see each other for years until the end of 2011, when a particularly flattering photo of Adam popped up on Facebook. He was at a festival, all tanned and shiny, and I thought, ‘I’ll just reach out and see what he’s up to’. Three or four months later, he finally got back to me and asked if I wanted to catch up for a beer. Now we live together in Melbourne, where I’m a senior copywriter at a creative studio and Adam’s a personal trainer. We love the same stuff and want to do the same things, so we’re pretty much always on the same page.
We’ve grown up a lot in our seven years together. When you’re 25, you don’t know as much about being in a relationship as you think you do, then as time passes, you learn to be better together – more patient, understanding and willing not to sweat the small stuff.
There was no theme or style for our day – we just wanted something warm and intimate with our closest friends and family. Our ceremony kicked off at midday, rolled straight into a long lunch and then into the afternoon with a spot of impromptu dancing towards the end. We left Longsong around 7pm, hopped across the lane to a cocktail bar called New Gold Mountain, which we’d hired for the night, then just sort of cut loose with our parents and closest friends. It was honestly perfect. Seeing Adam burst into tears as I walked towards him at the ceremony was a really special moment for me. Then towards the end of the afternoon, after we each gave a quick speech, I surprised him with a song, ‘Sky and Sand’ by Paul Kalkbrenner, that I’d asked our musician to learn. It’s a super-special song that we both absolutely love, and it ended up turning into an unplanned first dance. For the first 60 seconds, Adam couldn’t tell what song it was, which was pretty awkward! But then the lyrics came in and he teared up again. There’s a beautiful photo of him throwing his head back that captures this moment of realisation.
Being married has given us a feeling of unshakeable safety, knowing that no matter what’s going on, you’re in it together. When we find ourselves in sticky situations, it’s just like, ‘Oh well, as long as we’re together’, and it’s ridiculous how comforting that is.
Photography: Briars Atlas | Bride’s gown: Alex Perry | Groom’s suit: Oscar Hunt | Bride’s shoes: Gucci | Groom’s shoes: Doucal’s | Venue & Catering: Longsong | Planning: Will & Jac | Styling: The mother of the bride | Celebrant: Rachel Reed | Groom’s ring: Uniform Black | Bride’s rings: Empress Diamonds & a diamond and sapphire heirloom | Fragrances: Comme des Garçons Wonderwood & Comme des Garçons 2 | Hair & makeup: Ashleigh Richards | Flora: Glasshaus | Gift registry: The Wedding Nest | Entertainment: Joshua Tavares | Special songs: ‘Surrender’ by Portable featuring Lcio, & ‘Under Your Spell’ by Desire
