I decided to have a night out at Mooseheads as a final goodbye to Canberra before moving to Queensland. I was on my way out in the early hours of the morning when I saw Jared across the room, I thought instantly there was something special about him and I needed to talk to him. Apparently, he felt the same way as soon as he saw me, but thought I was too good for him and tried to set me up with his best mate. He was cheeky, sweet, funny and a bit odd - everything I could dream of. Despite his friend being a great guy, I was smitten with the cheekiness of Jared but thought he wasn't interested because he was wing manning so hard. I decided it wasn't meant to be and called in a night. On the way home I receive a message from him with a picture of his cat saying, "Don't leave Canberra, be my Mrs". The rest is history.
As for the proposal, we had decided to do a holiday to Europe for 4 weeks, as despite being together for 8 years we had not been on a trip abroad together before. We had been travelling for a few weeks when we reached Innsbruck in Austria, where we planned a walk up to the "Top of Innsbruck". In the morning Jared packed the backpack, which usually he would carry. For some reason, I decided to carry it and noticed a big lump that was in my back. I rifled through the bag and pulled out the pair of socks saying to him "We don't need these". Little did I know Jared had stuffed the ring into them and I had just foiled his smooth plan. As we were leaving the hotel room, Jared said he forgot his sunnies and ran back into to the room to grab the ring. Having nowhere to hide the ring that wouldn't be obvious, he had to hide the box in his undies. He walked through Innsbruck like this until we got to the very top of the mountain. At the top, he led us to a quiet, secluded spot with a panoramic view of the Austrian Alps. We sat together on a rock, soaking in the moment. As we talked about my Nanna, Jared shared that before she passed, he had asked her for permission to marry me. I was already in tears when he looked at me and said, “Well, will you marry me?”
How did you two meet? What was your first impression of each other? Tell me about the proposal—how did it happen?
What was your vision for the wedding day? How did you choose your venue and vendors?
Did you have a theme or specific style in mind?
Our vision was simple: an intimate, moody celebration filled with meaning. All we truly wanted was good food, flowing drinks and the people we love most gathered in one space. One of the most special parts of planning our wedding was that many of our vendors were already part of our lives; friends, neighbours, and creatives we’d admired long before we got engaged. It made the whole experience feel incredibly personal and meaningful.
Take Emma, our photographer. We grew up in the same small town, and I’ve followed her stunning work for years. I always knew she’d be the perfect person to capture our day, as not only is she a fun person to be around, but I knew she would be able to tell our story through photos perfectly.
Then there's, Teegan Townsend, our celebrant. I first met Teegan at my best friend Abby’s wedding, before she had even become a celebrant, and I instantly loved her vibe. When I think about our wedding, one of the first things that comes to mind is how perfectly Teegan matched our energy from the very beginning. I knew from day dot that she was going to be one of the best parts of our day, and she truly was.
Tara Florence Artistry, our makeup artist, has done makeup for my sister and me on countless occasions, so I knew she would know exactly what I wanted - to look like the signature version of myself (red lips and eyeliner), just a more elevated version.
Then there’s Patrick from Hollow Bones Studio, who brought our stationery and signage to life. He’s designed graphics for many of the bands we love, including Jared’s old band, so we knew he’d understand our vibe perfectly.
We also had the joy of discovering some incredible vendors through Instagram. After hours of scrolling, I found Aida from Alchemy Foliage, and from our very first conversation, I knew she was the one. Her enthusiasm about my design brief made me feel confident she would deliver the wedding look of my dreams!
For hair, I was lucky to have Kate Lily Hairdressing recommended by Tara, Teegan, and my sister. With that kind of endorsement, I knew she was the one. Having this mix of familiar faces and new creative souls made our wedding feel like a true reflection of us.
Every detail was infused with care, personality, and a whole lot of love.
For our theme, we embraced a gothic, black metal, but still soft aesthetic that truly reflected who we are. Think deep red roses and maroon textural florals, dramatic candlelight, and elegant Old English script setting the tone. To make it more intimate, we wanted a small boutique setting with moody lighting and wanted to make sure our guests had beautiful meals - Ovolo Hotel suited this to a tee!
One of the most unforgettable moments of the day came during Jared’s speech. He completely surprised me with a gift that left me speechless: a video message from my late Nanna, recorded before she passed away. In the video, she wished us a lifetime of happiness in marriage. Knowing Jared had planned this so far in advance, and that she was still part of our day in such a heartfelt way, made it incredibly emotional. Him knowing that this would be such an important message for me made me have that much more love for my person.
The ceremony itself was everything we could have hoped for and more, intimate, a bit of humour and lots of love. It was hands down my favourite part of the day. Even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. Seeing each other for the first time after all the anticipation, knowing we were about to marry our best friend - we couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces. I was so excited to hug Jared after not seeing him the entire night before, I completely forgot my dad was waiting to walk me down the aisle - oops! Another moment that melted my heart was having our dogs be part of the day. They greeted me in my room while I was getting ready and walked down the aisle with us. Looking around during the ceremony and seeing Muffin sitting on my mum’s lap and seeing her watching us get married made my eyes well up. We wanted our wedding to feel deeply personal, and one of the most meaningful touches was saving seats at the ceremony for our loved ones who had passed and couldn’t be there. We placed photos of Jared’s dad and my Nan on chairs with a single red rose, giving them the best seats in the house to watch us tie the knot. They meant the world to us, and it was so important that they were part of our day in spirit.
Another favourite personal detail was our custom stubby coolers, featuring Jared and my names in a classic black metal-style logo. Designed by our friend Cal, they were the perfect reflection of us and made for a fun, memorable gift for our guests. Of course, not everything went exactly to plan—Jared had the flu and lost his voice, for one—but despite the little hiccups, it was still our perfect day. Every moment, every detail, felt like us.
What was your favorite moment of the day? How did you feel when you saw each other for the first time? Were there any special traditions or personal touches you included? Did anything unexpected or funny happen?
What song did you choose for your first dance?
What inspired your dress/suit choices? What were your favorite decor elements? How did you decide on your color palette?
For my dress I wanted something simple and elegant, that didn't make me feel like I was playing dress up. I went to Mrs Fray, and Amy was the most helpful person I could have imagined. It was the second dress I tried on and it was perfect. It was simple, elegant and paid homage to my Grandmother's wedding dress in a way. I was in love. With Jared's suit, he wanted to choose for himself and surprise me too. He wanted a classic black suit that was well tailored. He picked a perfect Hugo Black suit - so handsome! Not surprisingly, I knew that I would be wearing red lipstick on the day and based it around that and our love for black gothic items. I based the palette around this, knowing I wanted it to look classic and clean at the same time as moody. My favourite elements were the florals and the candles by Alchemy Foliage, as well as the beautiful black place cards with Old English text that Patrick created.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other couples planning their wedding? If you could relive one moment of the day, what would it be?
Plan it all to your heart's content beforehand, but once the day comes, let it go. Be in the moment, laugh at the things that don't go to plan, and sneak away with your partner for a breather (best decision we ever made)!! The day is a blur, it goes faster than you think, so don't spend the time thinking about the small stuff, just enjoy it in all its imperfectly perfect moments with the people you love. The only thing I would change? I wish we'd spent the morning together, just to calm my nerves and start the day with my best friend. If I could relive one moment of the day, it would be the moment I come around the corner to walk down the aisle and seeing Jared's smile at the end. In that moment, it felt like it was just us in the room, all I could notice was my best friend and we were finally here together for the biggest moment of our lives. I relive it all the time, it is perfect.
