Rachel + Jay
How did you meet?
Jay and I met when we were about 16 years old – we knew each other through mutual friends initially, but eventually started working together in the same little pizza kitchen. After eyeing each other off for a few years, we eventually started dating and we have been together ever since!
How did you know he was the one?
To be honest, from the moment we started dating I knew I would be with Jay forever, and I know he felt the same. I have always been fiercely independent and therefore pretty picky when it came to dating. But I knew straight away that Jay was my person, we were pretty chuffed with each other from day one.
What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?
Jay is so generous – he’s always giving his time to everyone around him, especially me! I love his ability to turn every situation into a happy one – he can always make me laugh. And Jay is a really dedicated, hard worker! He loves any challenge and he won’t rest until he achieves his goal! I admire that determination!
Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?
I had always wanted the MWL Sophia dress – I’d been saving it to my favourites on social media for such a long time (long before I was ever engaged)! It wasn’t until I was about to buy it online that I came across the Frankie and instantly loved everything about it. So I showed it to my sister (who always gives the best advice) and she straight away said “that’s the dress!” I just loved how effortlessly beautiful, elegant and flattering it was!
Who proposed and how?
Jay proposed to me – one weekend he took me away to the Byron Bay hinterlands. We stayed in this gorgeous cabin in the rainforest, and he caught me completely off guard when I was curled up in front of the fireplace in my dressing gown and drinking red wine. I was absolutely speechless!
What was the best moment for you at the wedding?
Gosh, I wouldn’t know how to pick just one moment! It was honestly the happiest and best day of my life. Probably the biggest standouts would be walking down the isle and seeing Jay smiling back at me, and entering our reception where all our family and friends were cheering us on – I’ll never forget that feeling – the whole room looked so beautiful and I could see was everyone’s big smiling faces. It was so great!
What surprised you most at or about your wedding?
I felt like time went slowly, and that still surprises me every time I think about it! Everyone always said to me “it goes so quickly,” “it will be over before you know it,” but this wasn’t the case for us! I felt like the day went at a perfect pace, I got to breathe and take in every moment, I never felt rushed or anxious, and when the last song of the night played it felt like the perfect time to finish.
What advice would you tell other brides?
Do it your own way and enjoy every minute of it! There’s no problem that can’t be solved, so don’t stress about little or big things! It’s going to be the best day of your life because everyone who loves you is there to celebrate YOU! It’s the best feeling in the world so just enjoy it!
What was the one thing you did differently for your wedding?
I’m not sure if it’s all that different, but we had our musician also as our MC – he was SO incredible at his job, and it meant that all our guests got to relax and enjoy the day. I really liked that about our wedding.
Details.
MWL Design:
Frankie
Venue:
Peterson’s Champagne House (Hunter Valley)
MUA:
Empire Artistries (Port Stephens)
Bridesmaids:
Forever New
Flowers:
Little Wren Flowers (Newcastle)
Shoes:
Nine West
Suits:
YD
Rings/jewelry:
Our rings were from Whitaker’s Jewellers in Newcastle, and I wore my great, great grandmothers ruby bracelet that is over 150 years old. It was so special!
Photographer:
Muse Photography (Teresa is incredible!)
