The Romance
We met at 16 during a high school deb - not that either of us remember that all too well. We danced together and posed side by side in the group photo, but after that we went our seperate ways and had seperate relationships for many years until we spontaneously started talking online. I didn't reply for quite a while but Brandon persisted and eventually we were talking all day every day. I was living about an hour away from our shared hometown at the time, but after officially beginning our relationship on NYE of 2016, a series of events meant I quickly moved back to Shepparton. We moved in together fairly quickly, and I don't think we've spent more than a couple of days apart since then.
The Proposal
Our relationship has certainly been incredibly easy since the beginning, once we learnt we both had extremely similar values and goals we wanted to work toward together. , I hate surprises and am always the super organised planner, and for a while I had been nagging Brandon that there's no way he could plan anything without my help. He took this as a challenge and told me he has organised something for the two of us in a couple of months time. Throughout those months I drove him crazy trying to get details, to which he responded by giving me a series of completely fake clues. I was told to pack a whole bunch of random items - to the point where I was almost dreading this trip and what he could possibly have planned.
So when I eventually walked into a beautiful secluded cabin at Woodlands Rainforest retreat in Narbethong, Victoria, with a bag full of swimmers, hiking shoes and other random crap - I was shocked to discover this was actually my proposal. He pulled off the most romantic proposal - I don't mind surprises now.
The Planning
As anyone who planned a wedding throughout 2020 would already know, COVID provided a completely unique challenge for brides to be. It was an extremely stressful year, I remember waking up every morning and my mood for the day would be determined by whether the daily numbers had gone up or not. It definitely made the whole planning process a whole lot more stressful than it would ordinarily be, as we continued to book vendors for early 2021, all the while having no idea if that day would come to fruition or not. Luckily it did and we are so thankful for that.
The Wedding Day
I organised a local AirBNB for myself and the bridesmaids, and the boys stayed at one of the Groomsmen' houses and got ready there. I had a hard morning filled with anxiety and couldn't stomach any of the platters we had organised!
We decided on a first look which ended up being the best part of our day. Seeing each other instantly eliminated all that anxiety, and it was really the only private moment we had for the entire day which was so special and needed. By the time we got to the ceremony, while I was still incredibly nervous, we felt a lot better since we had already spent an hour together taking photos and getting comfortable.
The Ceremony
Our ceremony was held in a gorgeous white grecian inspired arbour on the grounds of the Olivehouse in Kialla which is an olive orchard. With such a naturally beautiful venue we went simple with the decorations and draped some chiffon over the arbour. Since it was a super hot day (almost 40 degrees), it was lovely to have our guests seated in the shade of the olive grove behind the arbour.
I walked down the aisle to a cover of 'From this Moment.' During signing we played various songs including our "lucky" song, California. During a lot of special moments in our lives this song happened to be playing so we knew to include it in our wedding somehow. After we were officially announced, we walked back down to 'It will be (An everlasting love)' - I love this song and it reminds me of all my favourite 90's rom coms.
The Reception
Our reception was held at the same venue. After the ceremony guests enjoyed cocktail hour in the olive grove and on the balcony of the beautiful mansion on site.
Since our wedding was probably the first outing for a lot of people in a long time, our main focus was making sure everyone had a really fun time. Our DJ and MC was awesome and we had a packed dance-floor all night - it was amazing to dance and celebrate with all our loved ones after such a crazy year.
The Honeymoon
As Victoria's COVID situation was still slightly rocky, we decided to stay within the state and head back to Woodlands where we got engaged. It felt surreal to be back there again as a married couple. The owners treated us so nicely on our return, that place will certainly be a special place we will continue to return to over the years.
Wedding Advice
Do your best to block out the negativity, it will come. Your wedding is about you and your partner, nobody else. Make sure everything you're planning for your day is being planned because it's truly what you want, not what others expect!
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