‘Black tie but make it NYC town hall. ’
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are Pete and Rosie from Perth, Western Australia, although our relationship began in Melbourne, Victoria, where we lived for four years. Pete works as an estimator in construction, and Rosie works in injury management. We love exploring new countries together, the snowy mountains, the ocean and wine. Currently, we are based in Perth, chipping away at renovation and navigating life as new parents. Earlier this year, we welcomed a beautiful little boy into the world, and we can’t wait to share the things we love in life with him!
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Pete: I would say the first impression was a dichotomy of unapproachable but friendly and engaging.
Rosie: Pete had elected to be the designated driver for the night. As an older sibling, naturally, I was impressed by this display of responsibility. But I also found him to be warm, genuine and sweet. Pete and I met in July 2016. His brother and I worked for the same business, and Pete came along to the work drinks where we exchanged numbers.
The next day, Pete invited me to come along to his friend’s birthday drinks. I politely declined and extended the courtesy of inviting him to a wild board game night I’d already had planned with my best friends and their partners, not thinking he would actually come. Needless to say, I was mortified when Pete texted me to let me know he was on his way with a bottle of wine, and I had to ask my friends if it was okay if the boy I met last night could join us because he was arriving in 15 minutes! As fate would have it, I had a visa for London and already had a one-way ticket out of Perth to Melbourne. A long and organic story short, and a few well-timed work trips later, I didn’t end up moving to London, but Pete moved to Melbourne. The rest is history!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Rosie – Whilst on an extended trip through Europe, we were watching the northern lights whilst drinking hot chocolate in Norway, and we both felt like life together was natural and a fun adventure where we were constantly evolving and bettering ourselves as individuals and as a team. We bonded over simple pleasures like breathing in fresh mountain air, watching the sun rise, and drinking coffee outside on a cold morning. Everything I wanted to do on this trip, no matter how logistically ridiculous, was met with ‘how do we make this happen?’. Although the true realisation came well after the proposal – nothing tests a relationship like spending every waking moment with each other whilst travelling for six months, COVID lockdowns and renovating a house!
Pete – Definitely not renovating the house, Rosie had already locked me down by then! We went on an amazing trip through Indonesia and Europe for six months in 2019. We had a couple of bags, a camera, an assortment of clothes for city life and hiking, and not much else. We spent almost every minute together. Towards the end of our trip, we were in Norway. It was our last night, and we had spent most of our time in Norway hiking and staying in camp huts. We booked a half-decent apartment and went out for an overly expensive dinner. After teaching the waitress how to open a bottle of wine, we walked outside to a light dusting of snow and a clear, starry night. Rosie had been on a quest to see the Northern Lights for the entire trip, on our last night there was a surge in solar activity and we were treated to a show. It was an incredibly memorable experience. Having had such a great trip and seeing Rosie beaming with happiness that night made me realise I wanted to spend my life with her.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Pete: I asked Rosie’s father for permission a few months prior, and he replied, Go for it, Pete! I was back in Perth a month or so later for work and met with Justin Linney to design a boutique engagement ring. A month or so after we were both back in Perth again for an extended weekend, I received a cryptic message from Justin indicating the ring was ready. Rosie had no idea I had done any of this. In my attempt to take off on a solo mission to collect the package, I made up a lame excuse about needing to drop off a hire car in Subi, she demanded that she join in for the trip. Fearing she was onto me, I told her she couldn’t come along, which resulted in a funny look and an accusation that I was being weird.
We ended up at our local beach in the afternoon with a bottle of champagne and some hot chips to watch the sunset. I found a secluded spot and raced through the proposal in what could be better described as a dive into the sand than a drop to the knee. The answer was immediate and met with ecstatic tears. We celebrated back at home with our close friends, more champagne, and a late hotel booking.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
Our wedding was about celebrating the city where we fell in love, Melbourne and each other. The dress code on our invite read ‘black tie but make it NYC town hall’, which perfectly describes the vision for the day. We wanted to highlight the charm of the city and treat our loved ones to an experience.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Food, especially with all our guests making the effort to fly in. We had a private dining room at Society with its own kitchen and dedicated chef. The setting was opulent, the hospitality was incredible, and the course menu was divine.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Not on the day, but our registry office ceremony and dinner evolved from a family affair to one of our favourite moments with our nearest and dearest (15 guests in total). We’re in a stage of life where our friends have started families, and we just didn’t want to burden anyone with the logistics of an interstate trip for the sake of us tying the knot. However, one of my best friends suggested to Pete that she surprise me in Melbourne despite having her own young family, and this was a beautiful gesture that changed everything. We then found out we were pregnant at the start of June, not to mention we were also amidst some heavy decision-making with our home renovation. So we thought, why not just ask our best friends with no obligation to attend? And with virtually a few weeks of notice, everyone moved heaven, earth and their families to make our day as special as it was. Somehow, i.e. with help from the angels at Bow Creative, we pulled off a proper micro wedding in 8 weeks!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Pete was already in possession of a baller tuxedo from Hugo Boss; however, as we mentioned, I was navigating the first trimester, so my original dress and being in peak physical condition were no longer options. I had no idea how pregnancy would look on me, so the priority was finding something that would be forgiving! I horrified my in-laws by buying six dresses online (with full refunds and free returns, of course, but they weren’t aware of this). I discovered Sau Lee and loved the comfort and simplicity of the design and fabrication of the Penelope gown. I already owned a faux fur jacket, which I wore purely for function, but it ended up being the accessory I never knew I needed!
BRIDE Rosie, @rosemoyle GROOM Pete, @sneakee CEREMONY LOCATION Old Treasury Building, @oldtreasurymelb RECEPTION LOCATION Society, @societyrestaurant PHOTOGRAPHER Maegan Brown Moments, @maeganbrownmoments PLANNER Bow Creative, @_bowcreative FLORIST Brother Studio, @brotherstudi000 CELEBRANT Victorian Marriage Registry, @vicmarrirageregistry CATERING Society, @societyrestaurant CAKE Ladybird Cakes, @missladybirdcakes STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Bow Creative, @_bowcreative RINGS Linneys, @linneys_jewellery BRIDE’S DRESS Sau Lee, @saulee BRIDE’S COAT Unreal Fur, @unreal_fur BRIDE’S SHOES Lana Wilkinson, @lanawilkinson BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings – Porter Jewellery, @porterjewellery MAKEUP Angelo K, @angkmakeupartist_2.0 HAIR The Blow Australia, @theblowaustralia BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Soleil Neige – Tom Ford, @tomfordbeauty, @meccabeauty TUXEDO Hugo Boss, @boss GROOM’S SHOES Aquila, @aquila_est1958 GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Mediterranean Neroli – Ermenegildo Zegna, @zegna
