Nicola + Josh

How did you meet?

I met Josh, my husband when we were 18 at a mutual friends birthday. I thought he was annoying at first but slowly he charmed me into seeing his kind, loving and empathic nature and I fell madly in love with him.

When did you know they were the one?

We have spent a lot of our 7 year relationship apart due to his defence job. Times could be tough and we had to learn how to prioritise one another when apart and together, learning to love each other despite the distance. His loyalty and love for me never faulted, I have never once, and still have not doubted his loyalty, despite those around him failing to be loyal to their partners back home. Each time I saw him, I could tell his love had grown even stronger despite not seeing him for months. I cant remember an exact moment, but I can remember each moment I would be back in his arms, it felt safe and like home. That feeling could never be explained in any other way, except a pure, selfless love. I would look at him and think is this real? Can someone be so kind, fun and selfless? The way he would interact with his friends and love on his family was pure and special. Life would be exciting and different to a conventional relationship and I knew it would be forever. Besides no one wants to be bored right? Its good to explore and adventure with the love of your life.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

His kindness, cheekiness and ability to make me laugh.

Who proposed and how?

He proposed. We were on Moreton Island, QLD with friends. He had pre-planned with his friends to have them scattered down the beach with a little box full of questions about us. My best friend took me down the beach to each little box and I had to answer each question before moving on. I eventually met him down the beach near a shipwreck and he got down on one knee and proposed. I said yes. But I mocked him for the choose of shirt he was wearing and made him change for photo’s. We then walked back down the beach, just us. Where we were met by our friends with champagne and we celebrated with them the rest of the afternoon.

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

I had been following MWL for a while on Instagram and loved each dress. I went with my mum and sister to the Sydney studio. I had no expectation as to what I wanted, which made it so easy! We tried on a few dresses and my mum suggested the Scottie V2, I didn’t think I would like it at first but that could be because mum suggested it and who wants to listen to your mum about fashion advice?

When I walked out in the Scottie, my sister and mum were shocked and love everything about it. The looks they had on their faces said it all. I being the indecisive person I am took a little longer to absolutely love it, but once I went back to the photo’s and how I felt in the dress, I knew it was perfect!
I loved the back at first, it was beautifully cut. I loved the pattern, it reminded me of a 1920’s art deco era. I also loved the bust and how it pulled my waist in whilst contouring my natural curves. My sister said to me I can see you walking around chatting with everyone, dancing and smiling all night in this dress, its perfection. It was the perfect dress to dance, run around the blue mountains, climb a fence and look stunning in at the same time.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

There was too many great moments. One memorable thing that I loved, is sitting at the bridal table with your new husband surrounded by your closest friends in the bridal party and then looking down the tables/room in front of you. Just observing all the amazing people in your life, all there to celebrate you and your love. It is truly the only time in life when this will happen, it was truly unique and so special. It made me feel so loved and blessed.

What were your favourite details?

We had the airstream social caravan bar serving cocktails with canapés after the reception, it was absolutely perfect. Sitting out in the sun, a brisk breeze of the blue mountains air and the blue mountain cascades in the background with the grape vines of Dryridge Estate. Surrounded by all your favourite people, laughing dancing and enjoying every moment.

As a bridal party we snuck away from some photo’s on the mountains, which we had to climb a fence for. We had a sneaky champagne tower, which was amazing and made the day extra special.

The dance floor though was something else. 160 people dancing their feet off for 2 hours was spectacular. A conga line to the Vengaboys ‘we like to party’ and a big mosh to a mixture of old and new songs, was an absolute blast! The food was amazing! We had Hangree catering service (we tried to use all local businesses post covid to help them out) for our food and they were amazing. handmade gnocchi, with slow cooked lamb and multiple salads and potatoes on share plates were just something else. I had so many compliments about all the effort and finer details of all the services that each vendor brought. It made the day so easy and everyone very happy.

What advice would you tell other brides?

I would suggest making the day flow and don’t get upset if things don’t go exactly to plan. Have a moment away from everyone with your new husband, kiss and laugh about how bizarre and overwhelming it feels to be married. It really helps having everything in one place on the day, it makes everything so smooth. One thing I wish I did was to make a list of all the people/groups you want photo’s with and have someone organise them. This is something that was quite chaotic.

Any standout vendors?

Airstream Social- were so helpful, sourcing all the cocktail materials and helping on the day to make sure everything went smoothly
Hangree Catering- food was absolutely amazing. Homemade and delicious. No one was hungry.
Euphoria Hair- So friendly and quick. knew exactly what we wanted without even a hair trial.
The Flower cottage- the flowers were stunning and was so helpful.
Til Death Do Us Party- made us feel so loved without being in your face. Felt comfortable and natural for every photo.