Sarah + Nick by Kristy Visscher - Together Journal

It was a real slow burn, not an ‘aha!’ moment for us, but we both knew there was something pretty special.

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

We’d been together 8 years by the time we got married, and we currently live in London even though both our families are based in Australia. We both work in creative industries and met at our first jobs in advertising. We love travelling, cooking and arguing over who’s the better tennis player (Sarah). We love London for its access to Europe, amazing live music and incredible restaurants, but we do miss our beautiful families and the beach life in Sydney. We’re very lucky to call both places home.

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

We’re a bit of a cliché, having met at work in our first advertising jobs. I actually interviewed Nick and gave him a bit of a grilling. We were friends for a few years before we started dating, and that was an interesting time. It was a real slow burn, not an ‘aha!’ moment for us, but we both knew there was something pretty special.

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

After our first big fight!

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

It happened on a beautiful morning at Manly Dam after feeding some baby swans on our paddleboards. Nick lured me onto dry land with the promise of some baby lizards, which was a bit weird in hindsight, but I didn’t notice at the time. He told me to look over at a rock, and I turned around, and he was on one knee. He had to repeat his opening line, ‘Sarah, you’ve been very patient,’ three times because I didn’t believe it was real. When it properly clocked, I asked him to give me a moment so I could compose myself and concentrate…because I knew it was a moment I never wanted to forget.

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

Elegant, joyful and full of colour. We didn’t bother with a fair few traditions – no bridesmaid or groomsmen, had a gelato cart instead of a cake (with personalised chef hats, of course), no first dance, an evening ceremony so we spent the morning together as a couple, DJ instead of a band and a pool party recovery day. We just kept the traditions we wanted so that, overall, it felt super relaxed and really fun.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Our beautiful photographer, Kristy. We actually had another photographer booked – who was amazing as well – but when we stumbled across Kristy we just knew our vision and style would be so aligned! We got super lucky because our wedding day is actually her birthday, so she normally keeps it free and we couldn’t have been more grateful that she was there. Everyone loved her, and the images speak for themselves…my brother and his partner booked her for their wedding before even confirming their venue!

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

The amount of time it takes to get ready! Nick was literally organising the set up on his own, and it doesn’t matter how organised you are, there are still loads of decisions to be made in the few hours before the ceremony…so that was a bit of stress on top of nerves for him!

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

I was nervous that I might regret not wearing a traditional white dress, but I’m so pleased I went a bit bold! We asked guests to dress in block colours, so I was the only one in a patterned dress, and it looked incredible. My beautiful Aunty Mel paid for my dress, which was so special because she couldn’t be there on the day, as she was too unwell to travel. I felt so myself in that dress; it couldn’t have been more perfect!