Emily + Cameron

When did you know they were the one?

As cringey as it always sounds and as cringey as I always am when I tell people how we met I still have to own it. We met online. To be specific it was on Bumble, the dating app where the girl has to make the first move by sending a message to the dude before they are allowed to interact with you, which is excellent because it cuts out a lot of unsolicited nasties. It was actually my housemate at the time, Ashleigh – thank God for Ashleigh, who found Cameron. Her and I were sitting on the lounge and had swapped phones during a night at home where we were both bored and thought it’d be fun to find dates for each other. I vividly remember her turning the phone to me and saying “what about Cameron?”. Now Cam is literally the hottest person I have ever seen but damn he just did not choose the right photos for his profile. I scrolled through and was like “eh” and almost gave it a miss, but then came across one of the last photos in his profile and there was something about his smile that I was like “actually sure why not”. Ashleigh swiped right and started my opening line and then I took over. Conversation flowed, he didn’t say anything creepy, and came across totally normal and nice, so when he asked to take me out to lunch like two days later- I said yes. Any excuse for burgers. As always, with Ashleigh on speed dial in case I needed a speedy exit excuse, I walked into Grill’d and scan the room. Cameron stands up and wow. One million times better looking than his photos. Handsome as anything. Absolute ripper smile. And that was me done. Nerves were through the roof because how could I have known he would be SO FAR out of my league. We sat there and chatted for almost three hours and when we finally got up to leave he neatly packed up our plates to make it easier for the wait staff and wiped up the crumbs on the table and immediately I was in love..

When did you know they were the one?

From very early days in in our relationship, I knew Cameron was different to the other boys I had dated. He was so attentive and thoughtful in every aspect of my life, so kind and gentle. He always made such a big effort with my family and friends, and was always there to support me when I needed it. I knew for real that he was the one when we were a few months in to dating- we were both away on work trips and had been apart for over a month. After spending most days together prior to that, a month felt like a long time. Speaking on the phone every day- feeling the emotions that I felt when hearing his voice, and hearing the emotion in his voice- I knew that this was forever.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

For starters, I love how open and kind and friendly he is to everyone that he meets, he is such an easy person to get along with- which is perfect for introvert that I am. We even each other out and he’s made me a better version of myself.

I also love how family oriented he is. So much so that sometimes I think he loves my nephews more than I do. He’s always happy to go to every single one of our family dinners- all overwhelming amounts of them.

Lastly, the fact that we can laugh about the same things, no matter how dark or inappropriate they may be!

Who proposed and how?

Our first date was at the burger joint, Grill’d, on New Year’s Eve 2019. I thought it would be cute to start a tradition and so we went to Grill’d again on New Year’s Eve 2020. When 2021 rolled around and the year was coming to an end I was getting hyped to go back and have our cute little lunch date and reminisce on the first time we met, so I was pestering Cam about what our plans for New Year’s were. He kept palming the questions off. It wasn’t until the 29th of December that he told me he’d planned a little getaway for us for the new year. Like all girls, the thought “omg he’s planned something nice he’s proposing” passed through my head. That thought promptly exited my head- he was so casual, told me there was nothing planned, that we would get there and find something to do. The day came around and he drove me up to the Blue Mountains to this super sweet, secluded lodge right on a cliff edge surrounded by beautiful views. Totally stunning. The first day we just settled in, went out to dinner and relaxed. The next day was December 31, we went out to the Blue Mountains National Park and hiked a beautiful track to one of the waterfalls. We love a good hike. When we got back to the lodge, he said he was going to cook us lunch and I was to wait outside. Not complaining. I took a book and sat outside and waited until he came out with Grill’d bags in hand. I was so confused; we were in the middle of nowhere how did he get our burgers? Turns out he searched high and low for the ingredients to make our exact Grill’d orders taste exactly like they would in store. Even bought the boxes the burgers go into, their tags, and the carry bags to make it feel as authentic as possible. He walked me out to a little lookout area, laid out a picnic blanket on the rock right up on the cliff face and we ate our lunch there. It was very sweet. I kept thinking “shut up, he’s not proposing, shut up he’s just doing something nice to finish off the year”. When we finished, he set up his little tripod stand and we took a photo together (unknowingly to me he had put the phone on record to catch the whole thing)- he turned to me and I saw a glimmer in his eye and I was like “holy crap he’s proposing”. He started his proposal speech and I basically just half blacked out from excitement and nerves, next thing I remember is him being on one knee, opening up the ring box and being absolutely blown away by the ring! More beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Obviously I said yes. It was just the most incredible moment, one that I will cherish forever.

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

I fell in love with Elsie in the Sydney store. I had already been to a few dress stores, tried on plenty of nice dresses but none of them really felt like me. Throughout my ongoing google-ing I came across MWL. Looking through their website I was blown away by the amount of stunning designs they had, but one in particular I just could not get over- Elsie. I made an appointment ASAP and one of my bridesmaids and I made the trip in. The whole experience was amazing, the one on one service, having dresses stocked in my actual size, having the boutique to ourselves- it all just felt so personal. As soon as I put on Elsie I knew it was perfect. I felt beautiful and confident and comfortable

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

As cliché as it sounds, walking to the start of the aisle and seeing Cameron waiting for me at the other end has got to be the best moment. I don’t love having the spotlight on me so I was very nervous in the moments leading up to it, a bit shaky and anxious. But as soon as I saw his face, seeing how happy he looked, I forgot about everything and just wanted to run to meet him

What were your favourite details?

The tulle bows on Elsie! It made my feel like I was wearing a veil even when I didn’t have one on. And of course, my bouquet- it was stunning, didn’t want to put it down!

What advice would you tell other brides?

Find a moment throughout the night to set aside with just your partner. It is such a whirlwind of a day, non stop and exhausting- one of the best parts of my night was when Cam and I went and sat outside away from the crowd and just sat and chatted, taking it all in.

Any standout vendors?

Our photographer, Nick Skinner. He was incredible! Such a genuine nice guy, felt like he was one of our mates. He made getting our photos taken feel so natural and fun and he did such an amazing job.
Also, our florist, Cody from The Posy Garden- the sweetest lady you’ll ever come across. She was so easy to work with, so upbeat, so flexible with my requests. All her creations were above and beyond what I was expecting!