LIZZIE X JOSH

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Meeting in Sydney on a night out with mutual friends, Lizzie had flown in from where she was living in Cairns to be there. It may have been Lizzie’s laugh or Josh’s ability to make Liz laugh, but they both took a shine to each other that night and haven’t really looked back since.

Together for two years and just returning from a trip to England, unbeknown to Liz, Josh had planned to pop the question before the trip but wanted to ask her father’s permission first. (He of course said yes!)

"We enjoy the outdoors and walking around new areas together. Liz had never visited the views from Barrenjoey Lighthouse/Palm Beach, so with little convincing, I dragged her to the top of the hill. Liz who was busy taking photos of the beautiful uninterrupted views, turned around, and I, a large step below presenting a beautiful vintage diamond ring." Josh tells.

What does marriage mean to you?

Josh “Spending the rest of my life with my perfect weirdo.”

Lizzie “Promising to love and support one another, no matter what life throws at us.”

The Venue
It’s crazy how much money venues charge and how much people are willing to spend! Living in Mosman, we knew we wanted something in the Northern Beaches, by the sea, and somewhere where we could put our stamp on the place. We also got a great vibe from meeting Steph, the Events Manager, and she was happy for Liz to organise her own decorations, cake, flowers, etc! The ceremony was on the lawn looking out over the shore and it just took our breath away. We were also given golf buggies to drive around the golf course with our bridal party to take the most amazing photographs with Khara! We were so so lucky!

Favourite Moment
Seeing everyone we loved travel from all over the globe! England, New Zealand, America and all around Australia. It was the perfect day to see people we loved most after so long. Our favourite specific moment was definitely driving up the headlands in golf buggies, with the bridal party and Khara our photographer, to get the most amazing photos! You couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon light. And we laughed so hard!!

Inspiration
Romantic, relaxed and vintage floral. Liz took inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest, gathering DIY décor ideas! Her Grace Loves Lace dress was a dead set choice within weeks of the engagement, after scrolling through Instagram and picking it out straight away! From there, the dress and hair plans helped mould the rest of the ideas.

Classic Moments
After they were announced as husband and wife, they literally danced their way back down the aisle to Hall & Oats "You Make My Dreams Come True". Liz even ran back down the aisle and high-fived everyone!

We also introduced quirky parts to our ceremony - choosing to play a game of rock/paper/scissors to see who would say their vows first, and drawing names out of a hat to decide who would be their witnesses. Lizzie’s sister/MOH organised an amazing and hilarious game of Mr & Mrs game (using shoes to vote) and it had the room in laughter! Father of the bride organised a photo presentation of equal measures of humiliation and cuteness of Liz’ childhood and teenage antics.

Advice
Don’t overthink the small details. At the end of the day it’s not about pleasing anyone but you and your partner! Remind yourselves how far you’ve come as a couple and don’t sweat the small stuff.

The main investment is your photographer! Utilise your friends. They probably have hidden talents that can not only help with your budget but also gives them a chance to give you a beautiful wedding gift and to spend some quality time together before the big day/ceremony ie make up, flowers, cake etc. huge savings!

You don’t need to spend a lavish amount of money to have an incredibly beautiful day. Use a wedding planner to research prices and what works best for your budget. Shop at Kmart and second hand. Use artificial flowers for some centre pieces, and resell what you can. Liz also sold her dress on stillwhite which allowed us to book our dream honeymoon! (Otherwise it would just sit in a box, collecting dust!)