Tell me about your The Beginning!

“Jade and I met as kids growing up in Church. It wasn’t really until after high school where I kind of realised maybe Jade could be more than friends. We started spending more time together and got closer as friends and then I was looking to get out of the friend-zone! Thank God she was on the same page! Our first date was to Korean BBQ, a place we love going to almost 6 years after our first date. We had to be secretive at first because she wasn’t allowed to date yet but we were pretty dedicated and made it work.”

When and where did you get engaged?

“I had been planning to propose to Jade for a while. It wasn’t until 3 months out where I found the courage to reach out to her closest friends to help me. The plan went well. Jade always said she wanted the proposal to be a surprise. Her friends and I had planned that they would take her for a day of pampering. To get her nails done and go out to dinner with her friends. The location was Palm Beach. Her friends wanted to go look at the view across the road from their restaurant. And there I was, ready to walk her down to the where I had set up a picnic matt, candles, roses and a MARRY ME sign! Thank God she said yes! Would’ve been a weird hour drive home hahaha.”

Why did you choose to have your wedding in Wollongong?

“The ceremony has a beautiful view of the ocean and we both love the ocean and the beach so we thought it was perfect.”

What are you most looking forward to on the day?

“To finally being married and starting our life together. But the party is also what I can’t wait for!”

Top Tips?

“Be chill and go with the flow! Things are definitely gonna go sideways at points and you won’t always get what you envisioned but the most important thing is you’re marrying your person and celebrating it. Everything else can be flowy. D.I.Y. Saves you money. Lots of it. Looootttss of it. Use the people around you! You don’t need to do it all alone. Communicate with everyone involved so everyone’s on the same page.”

Testimonial

“Hayley was our wedding photographer and she was AMAZING! Before the wedding she communicated with us so clearly about timing and what we wanted from our photos. On the day she was professional and brought the good vibes. She was all about us and what we wanted. Hayley was organised and made us all feel so comfortable in front of the camera and knew what shots she wanted to get and how to direct us so she could get them. Honestly if we had a second wedding, I’d be calling her again!! She was so polite and everyone raved on about how lovely she was. AND THE PREVIEW PHOTOS! Wow. She sent us so many preview shots 2 days after the wedding and we couldn’t believe it was us in the photos. She captured all of the special and fun moments from the day so beautifully. I can’t wait for the full gallery. Thank you thank you thank you Hayley!” – Jade & Nathan