Rosie + Jake by Beck Rocchi - Together Journal

I was genuinely excited to see him every single day, got butterflies in my stomach from a text or call from him, and found myself more relaxed and happier doing the most mundane tasks.

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

It’s probably easiest to describe yourself by your ‘perfect day’, and we are both very similar in that regard!

Friends, family, food, sport and art are our biggest passions and are where most of our time (and definitely our money) goes. Our perfect day would be an early wake up and walk around the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, a coffee and an almond croissant. Gym after the walk and then a long lunch at somewhere like the Carlton Wine Room, Alberts or Neighbourhood Wine with a big group of friends or family. Going to watch the footy that night and then potentially out for a drink afterwards would be getting pretty close to the perfect day for both of us and sums us up and what we love.

Outside of that, we are both accountants at PwC and have worked there since we finished school over a decade ago. We have made great mates throughout our time there, and some of these legends joined us for our wedding in Noosa.

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

We met at work maybe 8 – 9 years ago but had only really spoken in group situations or a quick nod when walking down the hallway.

We *officially* met six years ago at after work drinks and hit it off instantly. I was with a bunch of my work friends, and he was with his work crew, and we started talking and the chemistry was instant. We didn’t realise how much we had in common, and he clearly wanted the conversation to continue as he left his friends to join me & my friends for a group dinner (boozy dumplings), and then we went out to a bar nearby.

Jake on Rosie: I thought Rosie was a hot, bubbly and funny woman with a smart alec whit and a gorgeous naughty, little smile.

Rosie on Jake: Before I *officially* met Jake, I had this impression he was an arty boy. He wore some unusual outfits around the office (lots of printed shirts, leather jackets, even some fur and jewellery), and I had heard he was into art & paintings – so I kind of wrote him off as a sensitive type. I’m not super creative, so I thought we wouldn’t be a match!

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

Jake: There is a clear point where I vividly remember knowing it was love. We had a work sports day and Rosie rolled her ankle and was in a lot of pain. I had to piggy back her up a lot of stairs to help her get to the drinks from the soccer court and I realised although it was really cringe in front of everyone, I didn’t care and would have done anything for her as I would now.

Rosie: Jake is probably the best speaker in the entire country. He can make anyone feel special just from talking to them, and gives them time, patience and warmth. He is also a great storyteller, and I still cry from laughter from listening to him say the same story for the 10th time.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but from the night he said ‘I love you’, I realised that I had been in love with him for a while and didn’t realise it. I was genuinely excited to see him every single day, got butterflies in my stomach from a text or call from him, and found myself more relaxed and happier doing the most mundane tasks.

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

Jake: We were going to Europe very shortly, and I was trying to get Rosie to come for an afternoon walk on Wednesday and had booked a dinner at Entrecote that night. Rosie told me that she didn’t feel like it and wanted to go to the gym instead, so I had to cancel the dinner and retry a couple of days later! We were doing our favourite morning route through the botanical gardens and got to Fern Gully, which is one of our favourite spots in the gardens. It feels like you are a million miles away from the city. As we crossed the little bridge over the stream, I stopped and pretended to tie my shoes but instead bent down and asked the love of my life if she would like to spend the rest of her life with the Maltese Falcon!!! She was over the moon, and we went off to Europe for a trial honeymoon the next day!

Rosie: We were due to go on a 2-month euro trip in July 2022. I had been hinting at an engagement for a few months and had shown him my dream ring, but Jake had told me it was off the cards financially with our house reno until early 2023. A few girlfriends thought a euro engagement was a lock, but we shared finance, so I couldn’t see any big outlays.

The day before we left for Europe, we went for a walk around The Botanical Gardens. This had been our daily ritual & lifeline during COVID-19, and something we still do every weekend today. As we walked down our favourite part of the walk (the rainforest section), he pulled me aside and got down on one knee. I went into shock. A lot of people know when their partner is going to propose – this caught me completely off-guard.

After some tears, cuddles & kisses, I said yes. It was honestly the best feeling I’ve ever had, and we got to follow it up with a 2-month euro trip as a newly engaged couple and just enjoy the love bubble, which was incredible.

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

Slim Aarons x Mediterranean. We were by the beach, so we wanted to keep relaxed, colourful and fresh – lots of blue and lemons. We also are foodies, so we loved the fact that Sails allowed guests to pick their own entree, main and dessert. The food was a massive hit!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

The house!! We stayed at this AMAZING house with our bridal party over the weekend’s festivities. It was the coolest and best house I’ve ever stayed in. The house backed onto the Noosa National Park, and we woke up to Kangaroos outside our window every morning. It was also such a vibe to have all our friends and their partners together with us, and we had the loveliest rehearsal dinner there the night before. We were also meant to take our photos at the beach, but given the rain, we did them all at the house and they turned out better for it!

This is the house we stayed at in Little Cove, Noosa Heads.

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

Despite October being the driest month in Noosa, there was rain forecast in the afternoon. We had to make a decision a few hours before the ceremony on whether we needed to change to an undercover location. We decided to go ahead with our outdoor ceremony on the beach and got SO lucky that the clouds party for the entire ceremony! As soon as we left for photos, it started pouring and basically stayed that way for the rest of the evening. It made for the most beautiful photos however!

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

Rosie: I was heavily inspired by Caroline Bessette-Kennedy’s wedding dress and wanted a slinky gown that was easy to dance in. The Katherine Tash dress ticked all my boxes and more. Jake’s mum gave me a diamond from her late aunt, which I repurposed into a diamond necklace. My beautiful cousin, Bella Clark, made the necklace as well as Jake’s ring. It was very special to wear a piece of jewellery that represented both our families.