Nothing is sweeter than a good old high school love story, which is why we loved reading about how this week’s White lily bride met her now-husband Luke. After glancing over to one another during their daily year twelve form class, Dee-Jay couldn’t help but feel the sparks. Yet, it wasn’t until the couple graduated, that Luke finally took a leap of faith and asked Dee-Jay out on a date. Eight years have gone by since and here we are!
A Proposal Under the Lucky Tree
“We were holidaying in Thailand with some friends. It was our four-year anniversary and instead of having a lovely romantic dinner with just us two, Luke organised dinner with our friends. They let me pick the place to eat, so I ultimately picked one along the beach to have a beautiful view and after dinner, we can walk along the beach. There was one moment when fireworks went off by strangers and I thought that Luke would purpose but once they finished & nothing happened I pushed the thought away and strolled on. Luke said, “let’s get a photo under the lucky tree?” Getting our friends to take photos, they were all in on this. there was nothing special about this tree at all yet once we got under it, Luke kicked a glass bottle. Once he picked it up, I saw there was a little paper scroll inside… As soon as I was reading ‘will you marry me?’ Luke was on one knee in the sand asking me to marry him! I said Yes under some tears when he opened the box the wrong way and the ring fell out. We were glad to find it and have a laugh… four years on and we are FINALLY MARRIED.“
Contemporary Simplistic Country
What would a country wedding be without a few too many drinks, a good old boogie, and your favourite crowd? “We aimed for an ultimate party but yet it was our wedding. Relaxed, casual, stress-free, and a whole lot of fun - it was all of that and more. We ate pizza, we drank too much, and danced too hard!“ Dee-Jay and Luke’s wedding day wasn’t only exactly what they imagined, but it was also as stress-free as possible: “Why stress about all the little details of table settings and styling when that doesn’t really matter. Everyone is there to celebrate two people coming together.... whatever happens is meant to be. The less stress you have the more fun you have on your day!" Walking down the aisle with her daughter, Dee-Jay couldn’t have been happier with how her special day turned out.
How Covid Changed Dee-Jay’s Wedding for the Better
Who could have known that a global pandemic would change a wedding for the better? Despite the frustration and inconveniences of the unknown, Dee-Jay was able to create a wedding that was even more magical, than previously planned: “Covid has been pleasing for us as we went from a winter wedding to a summer/autumn wedding. It gave me more time to get into the dress, as I ended up falling pregnant three months after I bought my dress. Instead of a grazing table, we had grazing boxes for each couple which was an absolute hit with our guests…” On top of that, Dee-Jay and Luke were able to source vendors, that they didn’t even know about, pre-covid. With businesses upping their Instagram game during the pandemic, Dee-Jay found an array of great vendors online.
Dee-Jay’s Dream Wedding Dress
Although Dee-Jay bought her dream Pronovias dress two years prior to her wedding, our White Lily bride loved it just as much as she did when she first tried it on: "After two years I still loved my dress. It was completely different from what I thought I was going to wear... my dress made me feel soooo beautiful on the day. I loved the bottom of my dress how the tulle made it feel so dreamy and then went into the most beautiful big train..."
What made your White Lily Couture experience special for you?
“All the staff members are truly amazing and they cater from all different styles to small/big sizes which I love... I had Lisa for my consult and she was absolutely amazing - cannot fault her. You could tell she really cared about you and how you felt in the dress you had on…You could tell she was listening. I was lucky to buy my dress on the first visit and it was only by chance of seeing it on another bride. Once I tried the same dress on I absolutely fell in love, even Lisa told me this is the dress/style she would have dressed me in if I asked at the beginning of the appointment.”
Life as Mr. and Mrs.
After over eight years of dating, and four years of planning, Dee-Jay and Luke finally became husband and wife. It is no surprise that the couple was over the moon to finally share the same last name and move onto the next chapter of their lives: “… I don’t know what it is but I love that I get to be a Mrs ‘Ash’ as well as calling my partner husband. . Nothing has really changed as getting married was sealing what we have created over the last 8 years… Planning a wedding has taught me to let go a lot which has helped with married life... love, have fun, and create new memories.”
Being married means coming together as one.
Florist: Missy la Belle
Cake: Cakeable Vanessa
Hair: Hair by Dannilebsanft
Makeup: Makeup by Madi Caldicott
Bridesmaid dresses: his and hers
Suits: shirts: RM Williams