Courtney + Michael

How did you meet?

Three years ago, Michael and I became a bumble success story as we met for Friday night after work drinks. After contemplating bailing on the date following a busy day at work, Michael text to say he had arrived early and had secured us a table at a local gin bar. Not wanting to stand him up, I mustered the energy to meet the man of my dreams.
Our one drink turned into an 8-hour city cycle pub crawl and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

When did you know they were the one?

5 months into our relationship we decided to take the plunge and hire a camper van to road trip through the Canadian Rockies together….The best way to see if you’re meant to be.
The trip was incredible with memories that will last a lifetime. More importantly, we breezed through some travelling challenges as a couple, including a major van breakdown and an interrogation by American Border Patrol. We knew our relationship was so solid that as soon as we returned home, we moved in together. From then on, I knew Michael was the one I wanted to share every adventure with.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

I love Michael’s drive and confidence within himself., he truely values life and strives fill it with with laughter, silliness, and fun.
Michael also has an incredible sense of family and loyalty which I respect and admire,. He is so warm, loving and patient with our little fur baby Coco the Cavoodle in a way which makes me very excited to grow our family together, And lastly, He is unashamedly himself, something he has taught me to value. He isn’t afraid to be weird and silly.
We love Disney duet or a choreographed funny dance, its nice to have somebody by your side who can let their hair down.

Who proposed and how?

Michael proposed to me after pulling off an epic surprise, the effort he went to made me feel incredibly special.
After multiple attempts to try and go home to Victoria during the Covid Lockdowns I was feeling a little deflated but trying to remain positive knowing all our families would be together soon. Michael told me to pack a bag as we were going to visit his parents in Brisbane. That day, I stumbled across an envelope that would kick off one of the best weekends of my life. Inside, was a “Flight Voucher:” that had been laminated and stated just a departure time.

Michael and his parents remained elusive and said we better do as the clue says and make our way to the airport. From there, my amazing race style weekend kicked off with laminated clues appearing in all sorts of places from luggage collection, to under my pillow. We found ourselves in Cairns staying directly behind the house I used to live in during my time working in North Qld.
Each riddle was something significant within our relationship, full of in jokes and cute memories.

After receiving all 7 clues, Michael disappeared. It was then up to me to put the answers together and find Michael upon the top of the “Red Arrow” hike in Cairns. After sweating my way to the top of the hike, I found Michael at the top of the lookout on one knee, Tripod, and all. We then streamed the amazing news to our families who were also over the moon.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

Between border lockdowns, my mum was fortunate enough to visit us from Victoria for Mother’s Day last year. As a surprise, I was able to take her with me for my first dress try ons at the Made with Love boutique on the Gold Coast. We met Rosie there who made the experience all the more incredible sharing a champagne with my overwhelmed mum who wasn’t sure she would be a part of the planning process due to covid lockdowns. The first dress I had ever tried on was the RIVER, and I instantly fell in love with the way the dress made me feel. RIVER was a dream to swish around in and I felt an instant confidence the moment I put her on. After trying on a few more dresses, I remember Rosie saying “Let’s put RIVER back on, your face just lit up in that one” and I couldn’t have agreed more

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

After a tough few years of being away from family, the best moment of the wedding was seeing all of our family and friends in the one room celebrating our love. It was something we were unsure if we would be able to have, but our timing was incredibly fortunate and is something we definitely do not take for granted. Seeing my beloved Victorians enjoying the Queensland sunshine, hugging and dancing was something very special to me. Also, seeing Michael at the end of the aisle was magical, I was so excited that I kissed him as soon as I got to the end, this made everyone laugh with our celebrant in stitches saying we had a few things to get through first.

What were your favourite details?

It was amazing to see all of our little details come together. We wanted everyone to have a relaxed time so we organised Frozen Mojito’s and Margarita’s for our guests to enjoy on the deck whilst listening to a Jazz trio. Our musicians then turned into a 5 piece band for our reception, including a sax. The vibe was incredible and everyone danced the night away.

We also included our little fur baby Coco the Cavoodle and Michael’s family golden retriever, Puka in our ceremony. They really turned it on for the photo shoot and we couldn’t imagine our day without them.

What advice would you tell other brides?

I think it important to try and keep the process at a low stress level and find excitement and fun in the planning process. Remember why you are there in the first place, as it is easy to get swept up in the pressures of planning a wedding, try not to compare yourself to others and make choices that represent who you are. Remember the purpose of why you are there – to celebrate your love with those closest to you.

Any standout vendors?

Our photographers – The Lane Creators are exceptionally talented creatives and even better humans! The worked tirelessly throughout the day and captured so many beautiful moments. It felt like we were spending the day with some friends, as they made us so comfortable and at ease.

Similarly, our celebrant Ben Black was also amazing. He has such a charismatic ease about him which our guests couldn’t stop raving about, He was able to deliver a relaxed, heartfelt and funny ceremony, and even keep Michael’s emotions in check just before our ceremony started. Michael said Ben was his sounding board and that he owed him big time.