Steph + Dave by Ali Bailey - Together Journal

I remember seeing her and thinking, “Wow, she is so beautiful”. We ended up spending time together during the shifts we shared, talking about video games and movies we liked.

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

DB: I am a software engineer, born and raised in Melbourne. I love spending time with our three pets, playing video games with my friends, and binging a good Netflix series.

ST: I was worn in Canada but moved over to Melbourne when I was little. I love all things fashion and art as well as trying out new food places with Dave. We definitely have a full house with three fur babies ( 2 cats and a dog).

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

DB: I met Steph when we were both working at Kmart. I remember seeing her and thinking “Wow, she is so beautiful”. We ended up spending time together during the shifts we shared, talking about video games and movies we liked. Steph came across as one of the most welcoming and friendly people I had ever met, and I just relished the time we spent together.

ST: I met Dave working at Kmart, and remember seeing him sitting outside the store before his shift reading a book and thinking how mysterious he looked. I worked up the courage to talk to him which was easy thankfully since we worked in the departments next to each other.

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

DB: I don’t think there’s a singular event that made me come to this realisation. It kind of organically happened; it got to a point where I simply couldn’t imagine my life without her. I had completely opened myself to Steph, and she accepted me for who and what I was.

ST: I think the moment I really realised Dave was the person I wanted to spend forever with was when I was very sick in the hospital. At the time Dave was taking his year 12 exams. He showed up every day before and after his exams so I wasn’t lonely and studied in the hospital room with me. Even during such a busy time for him, he managed to make me feel so much better about being sick. I knew then that I wanted to be with him through thick and thin and sickness and health.

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

DB: Proposal day was a busy one. This was on New Year’s Eve, and I had some plans for dinner and a walk on the beach afterward. In the morning I was having chest pain and so Steph took me to the hospital. After some checks, I was cleared to go home, and she was adamant that we take the rest of the day to rest. I managed to convince her with the lure of some good food at a great restaurant. On the way back from dinner, we arrived at the beach during sunset. We walked and talked for a bit, and kind of just took in the falling sun. One moment while Steph was turned, I got down on one knee and proposed in the sand, with the backdrop of the sunset. She obviously said yes and we had a very generous onlooker who we were able to ask for pictures. So the day kind of went from one extreme to the other, one I will never forget.

ST: Dave had made plans for us to go out for dinner on NYE which was unusual because we normally just chilled at home. In the morning Dave was having chest pains so we spent most of the say in the emergency room (he was fine thankfully!), but I thought it was best if we skipped dinner so he could rest. I remember him telling me how important our going to dinner was and thinking it was a bit suss. We needed up going to a gorgeous Italian restaurant and to the beach afterward where Dave got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

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

ST: We knew we wanted a small day as both Dave and I are pretty shy, to really focus on the two of us and not worry about impressing anyone else. I remember telling Jade our amazing wedding planner I wanted the day to feel romantic, whimsical, and intimate which I think we really nailed that

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

ST: Definitely photography, we knew photos were the one thing we could keep after the day, and since it was just us and my sister we wanted gorgeous photos to share with our family and friends.

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

DB: During our post-ceremony photoshoot, our photographer led us down an empty back road that backed onto a farm property. It was during this that we met an unusual wedding guest, a goat! This one-horned goat was very interested in what we were doing and gratefully accepted some attention from us. As we walked back to our estate, he bleated his farewell.

ST: Leading up to our day the weather was super wet, thankfully for our day the sunshine came out but it also meant lots of mosquitos. I wore the most gorgeous dress and they thought so as well as they made my way into the first layer of tulle on my dress. Somehow I made it out with no mosquito bites!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and whether is there a story.

DB: I always knew I wanted a classic suit that would stand the test of time and that I wouldn’t cringe at years later

ST: I had a vision for how I wanted my dress to look and was really struggling to find it at dress stores. Our wedding planner recommended Holly Butler and I’m so glad she did. Holly understood exactly what I wanted and brought my vision to life. All of Holly’s creations are so magical I would happily play dress up with her any day. My real-life fairy godmother!