Stephanie + Tim by Oli Sansom - Together Journal

We had our wedding ceremony in Paris, France—an elopement of sorts with our parents…

We had our wedding ceremony in Paris, France—an elopement of sorts with our parents—at Musée de la Vie Romantique (Museum of Romantic Life). We promise we chose the venue for its lovely garden, not the name! It’s where we exchanged our vows and rings and said, ‘I Do’.

Upon our return home to Melbourne, we had a small ceremony with immediate family at The Melbourne Supper Club. This was the ‘formalities,’ where we had I Do Drive Thru perform our ceremony and make it all legal.

We had a (happily ever after) after party with all our family and friends at South of Johnston in Collingwood—a delicious affair with French cocktails, canapés, and lots of dancing!

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

We are Tim and Steph, two creatives from Melbourne, Australia. We share an adventurous spirit and love nothing more than travelling, whether it’s within Australia or overseas. We have a passion for food, coffee, design and music and often plan trips around these – searching for the hidden gems in every destination we visit.

At home we share our lives with Lotti, our long and loveable wire haired dachshund who loves a road-trip as much as we do. Steph plays alto saxophone and performs in an 18-piece big band which is as fun (and loud) as you’d imagine. Tim’s shoe collection (solely Onitsuka Tigers) is at least 3 times bigger than Steph’s, and he has socks in every colour and pattern to match his shoe choice.‌

We’ve recently launched a passion project together, called ‘mosey’ – digital guides for lesser-known neighbourhoods around the world that are best explored on foot. It’s been a labour of love creating the first suite of guides over the last twelve months, but we’ve had so much fun working together to create something that we’re really proud of and excited to have out in the world!

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

We met at work (a design studio in Melbourne) eleven years ago. We had an immediate connection, but it wasn’t until we had both left that workplace that we started dating.

Steph’s first impressions of Tim: At 6”4, with blonde hair and blue eyes, I definitely noticed Tim on my first day at the studio! But it was when I really got to know him – his kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity for others, brilliant mind and love for his family – that I realised that he was someone pretty damn special.

Tim’s first impressions of Steph: Steph came into a whirlwind studio environment. She caught my attention with her presence and energy – she was a captivating calm eye in that storm. Tall and beautiful with her lovely hair and long legs! She made a real impression with her deep listening and empathy.

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

Steph: Without wanting to sound a bit woo-woo, I had a strong feeling in my gut (or maybe my heart?) during the few months we worked together, and the more I got to know him, I knew that Tim was someone significant in my life. Embarrassingly, I pursued him quite tenaciously until he finally said yes to having a drink with me!

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

In 2021, in between Melbourne’s lockdowns, we miraculously made it to the Northern Territory for a two-week road trip. Our first time in a camper van, we journeyed through Kakadu, south to Watarrka National Park and Kings Canyon, onto Kata Tjuta and our final stop at Uluru.

It was on our final day there, whilst standing beside the Mutitjulu Waterhole at Uluru that Tim proposed. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and native birds and shaded by the impressive height of Uluru. It might have been the wonderment of the setting or the shock of the proposal (which she had no idea about!), but Steph was so taken by surprise that she forgot to say yes (until prompted)!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

We had joked many times over the years that if we were to get married, we should do it in Paris (one of our favourite places). So when it came to actually planning our wedding, we decided to make it happen! Whilst the idea of getting married in Paris was somewhat extravagant (particularly as the world was only just starting to return to ‘normal), we knew that it would make our special day that much more special. So we organised a week in Paris, with our parents, to celebrate our wedding. We had a magnificent seven days of activities, sightseeing, meals and memories together.

And if we’re allowed a cheeky second thing…

We wanted to make sure our wedding, and our week in Paris with our parents, was properly documented (after all, Paris!). Steph is quite camera-shy and was very nervous about the idea of being photographed. She had been a big fan of Oli Sansom’s (Briars Atlas) work for a long while, particularly his film photography, so immediately thought of asking him if he’d come to Paris. We’ll be forever grateful that he did!

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

We were in France for two months, and the only day that it rained during our entire trip was on our wedding day. We’d chosen our wedding venue because of its beautiful garden, where we had planned on having our ceremony and lunch amongst the flowers. We’d planned a surprise tour after lunch in vintage Citroën 2CV convertibles. And of course, we’d planned to take photos in the streets of Paris! Because of the rain, we had to make some very last-minute adjustments – thankfully, everyone was extremely accommodating. They say rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress…

Steph never saw herself wearing a classic white wedding dress and was overwhelmed at the prospect of visiting all the bridal stores to find the right dress. She had often driven past Suzanne Harward’s store in Collingwood (and had seen some of her dresses online) so thought she’d try there first. The lovely assistant was so patient while she tried on dresses of extremely varying styles and colours, working out what worked (and what didn’t). Then she found it.

Classic wedding shoes were also out of the question (Steph doesn’t like to wear heels as she’s 5”10). There was a French shoe brand that she’d loved for a long while (Carel) and fortuitously they had their iconic Mary Jane’s in a low heel in silver – the perfect match for her dress.

Tim’s outfit was probably more unique than the dress! His linen shirt was custom-made by Proper Cloth in New York. His jacket was purchased from Vault – a vintage clothing boutique, by the National Trust, in Melbourne’s iconic Block Arcade.

And the real hero of the outfit was a bow-tie he had made (as a surprise) using the same fabric as Steph’s dress. It was hand-made by teenager Bryce Hagen of ‘Get Knotted Bow Ties,’ in rural New South Wales. Tim unveiled the bow-tie to Steph on the morning of their ceremony – making her cry and needing to get her make-up touched up!