Strali + David by In The Mood for Love - Together Journal

The mood for the wedding was minimal and timeless.

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

David – I am 28 years old and work as a doctor aspiring to complete specialist training in Orthopaedic Surgery. Outside of this, I thoroughly enjoy exercise and sports of all varieties, particularly basketball and golf. I love my fishing, often paddling on my Kayak at Seacliff to catch squid or going for a snorkel and diving for Blue Swimmer crabs in the warm summer months.

Strali—I am 29 years old, and I work as a high school maths and science teacher. I love taking our beagle, Beau, on walks and adventures. I love spending time at the beach with David—snorkelling and paddle boarding. I love travelling! I have travelled to 28 countries, 21 of them with David. We love travelling to countries where we can undertake outdoor activities such as beach hopping, snorkelling, hiking, trying delicious food, and getting drunk.

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

David: We are high school sweethearts. I (David) remember seeing Strali on the first day of year 8 from down the corridor as our home groups were next door to each other. I thought she was quite cute but didn’t expect anything more at the time. We shared a few classes here and there, but I was quite shy, and we communicated most of our time through MSN Messenger online. Our relationship gradually blossomed from about year 10 onwards and stayed strong as we grew up together through our teenage years and early twenties.

Strali: We met in highschool. We had classes next to each other and with each other. There would be glances here and there; however, we were both too shy to speak to each other until David hit me up on MSN. Eventually, we got to know each other, David would walk me to my classes, we would meet during class for quick walks and catch-ups and have been together since then. I thought David was a nerdy guy; however always showed commitment to getting to know me, spent time with me and was genuinely a nice and caring person, which really attracted me!

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

David: I find this a difficult question to answer. We started dating during high school, so we have essentially grown up together, and it was hard to imagine a life without her.

Strali: As mentioned, David and I built a special bond since highschool. We would stay up to talk to each other way past our bedtimes, he was always there for me when I needed and I would notice that David would go the extra mile to spend time with me, care for myself and also care for my family. This made me see that this was someone I wanted to build a future with.

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

David – We were going on a summer European holiday with my parents with a number of great destinations for a proposal. Now, this engagement was a long time coming, but given that Strali is an avid French enthusiast, having studied French for many years, I decided to propose to her at the start of the trip in a very stereotypical way in front of the Eiffel Tower. We were staying nearby, so on a Sunday morning, we got up early and went for a walk. Then, we found an empty park in front of the tower. I gave her a little photo album with some photos of our many adventures with the very important question.

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

Strali: The mood for the wedding was minimal and timeless. I had always wanted a garden ceremony with lots of greenery as I believe it complements our love for the outdoors and acts as a perfect natural canvas for photos. Carrick Hill was an ideal place with this, with many hidden gems and areas for photos in their lovely garden. To continue the minimal and timeless look, we went with white roses for the bouquets and boutonnieres, as well as white florals with touches of leafy greenery for our ceremony and reception flowers. I avoided colour as I wanted to achieve the classic black-and-white look for weddings and knew I would regret adding any sort of colour. On top of that, we had the bridesmaids in floor-length ivory dresses and the groomsmen in classic black suits with a black bow tie. This made the whole bridal party look classy and elegant!

Tea Ceremony

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

David: Whatever made Strali happy, I was happy to splurge on it and trusted her decision-making.

Strali: We were happy to splurge on florals to ensure we achieved that timeless look with white flowers and a hint of greenery, as well as a gelato cart (Canela Cartels)! We definitely did not regret this; the guests loved it, and it was a nice interactive touch to the ceremony.

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

David: The most stressful part wasn’t actually to do with us but with my mum, who didn’t want her nails done professionally but then changed her mind at the last second. So my brother, who was supposed to pick up the bridal party, had to rush to take her to get it done.

Strali: It was bloody hot on the day, with temperatures in the high 30s. We were all struggling to take photos, and I felt so bad for the boys in suits taking photos in the heat! We love to look back and laugh at my dad’s extensive speech about migrating to Australia, our mums dancing away on the dancefloor, our vows, and one of our guests passing out during the reception!

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

David: My outfit was designed by Cornelliani, an Italian brand and tailor-made by Joseph Uzumcu, a local tailor in Adelaide. I had left it quite late, about two months prior to the wedding day. I went with the classic black tuxedo with a shawl lapel, black bowtie and black buttons for the shirt. The shoes were from Christian Louboutin, the cufflinks were from Cartier, the IWC Portofino watch was from Cartier, and some family jewellery was borrowed from my dad.

Strali: I knew I wanted a strapless dress with a tight bodice and to be puffy on the bottom! Kyha was a perfect brand as they designed many timeless dresses. I knew I wanted to go with them and did not try on other designers. Luckily, The Bride Lab in Adelaide had a trunk show for Kyha dresses and is the only SA store to stock them (or else I would have had to go interstate). I had my first dress fitting in with them, and when I wore my wedding dress, I booked it immediately. It was risky as I did not venture out to try on other dresses or designers, but when I wore it, I knew it was the one and bought it immediately, so I bought my wedding dress at my first and only wedding dress shop/try-on.