Haylee + Ben

How did you meet?

Like any modern love story, Ben and I met through social media in 2016. Truthfully, I had been eyeing him off for a little while but was too nervous to make the first move. I was so excited when I finally received a message from Ben! Our conversation flowed so naturally and Ben eventually asked me over for dinner. At first I was hesitant to accept Ben’s offer but with some encouragement from best friend and bridesmaid I agreed to the date. Ben cooked me a beautiful dinner and we sat and talked for hours. Everything felt so easy and comfortable between us!

When did you know they were the one?

I think I knew very early on that Ben was the one. I introduced him parents very soon after we first met and as my Dad would say Ben just never left after that!

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

Ben is so incredibly patient, he is intelligent and so easy going. He is the perfect balance to my personality and I love that about him!

Who proposed and how?

In October 2021, Ben had planned a romantic dinner at home to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Ben had spent the week prior to this organising our backyard, including hanging fairy lights above our outdoor fire, something I thought little of at the time. On the evening of our engagement, Ben surprised me with a new dress and earrings and he cooked the same meal for us that he cooked on our very first date. After dinner, we went outside to have some drinks by our outdoor fire. It had cooled off and Ben went inside to get us a blanket. On his way back with the blanket he called Murray (our groodle, puppy) to follow him outside. Murray came out to me with a proposal around his neck saying, ‘will you marry my dad?’ There were a lot of tears from me, and somewhere in between all of the tears, I of course said yes. It was a very us proposal, with the inclusion of Murray and it being in our home.

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

I think I always knew Harry was the one! That dreamy low back is everything! I had saved photos of Harry from instagram and knew I had to try her on. Ben and I had a trip to the Gold Coast planned and the first thing I did was book a Made with Love Bridal appointment. My sister came with me and Harry was the first dress I tried on. I tried on another 5 dresses but came back to Harry, when I tried her on again my sister and I both cried – she was definitely the one!

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

The best moment for me at our wedding was walking down the aisle with my Dad to meet Ben. Ben’s face was just how I always imagined someone would look at me from the end of the aisle and the photos from this moment are so incredibly special, my face literally radiates the excitement I had to get up there and marry him!

What were your favourite details?

We organised for our Groodle puppy, Murray to come to our wedding venue after the ceremony for some photos. We didn’t tell many of our guests that we had planned to do this and the excitement from our guests and Murray when he arrived was just the most incredible thing to witness. He absolutely stole the show but it added such an ‘us’ element to our day..

What advice would you tell other brides?

Relax! Be present! Get a wedding planner!

Everything will always come together. Find excitement in the fact that you literally get to marry the love of your life and that really is the best feeling in the world! Try to take in every little moment on the day and in the lead up. Find yourself a wedding planner so you can actually enjoy the moments leading up to your day.

Any standout vendors?

All of them! We had the best bunch of wedding vendors and everything came together better than I could have ever envisioned it to be!

Our photographer, Lochie from Lu & Lo! One of the best people ever! He made taking our wedding photos such a fun and easy experience! We literally felt like we were hanging out with a friend for the day. He is absolute magic!

Our Wedding planner, Morgan from The Event Connoisseur! Such a beautiful person! She absolutely transformed our wedding venue in the dreamiest space and took the stress out of planning a wedding. Her attention to detail is what every bride needs when they’re planning a wedding.

Our florist, Deenika from Gyp Darling! She absolutely nailed the floral brief. All of our guests commented on how elegant and stunning our arrangements were!

My MUA, Sophie McDermott and hair stylist, Kara Coulson! Two absolute angels! They absolutely slayed our make up and hair for the day and their calm, precise and effective nature was everything!

Our musician, Jordan Millar from Oberon Lane. An absolute legend! I have always known what song I would walk down the aisle to and he absolutely nailed it. Our dance floor got a little rowdy after the formalities and he was absolutely there for it!