A swipe to the right, a bad coffee and a thousand questions paved the way for Hannah and Nathan's perfect love story.

Tell us all about your love story?

Hannah says: Our love began in 2014 when Tinder was all the rage and we both swiped right on each other. Nathan was my one and only tinder date. Either I'm a good date or Nathan is a good catch. I remember Nathan’s pick up line being “we both swiped right, so we must have good taste.” We met for coffee at The Hideout Café and Nathan asked 101 questions in rapid-fire secession but, something clicked and we arranged to meet again a few days later.  

Tell us what you liked about one another on your first date and why it lead to a second date?

Hannah recalls: “Nathan was funny and I could tell he was amazingly loyal and had strong family values.”

Nathan remembers his first encounter with Hannah like this: “I have never met anyone as happy and bubbly as Hannah. She was genuine, relaxed and positive. Some could say that I knew immediately it was love at first sight."

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How many years have you been together for so far?

We have been together or seven years before we tied the knot.

Tell us a few of the standout memories you have of your time together so far?

Through the years we have had done some amazing things together such buying a house, swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, hot air ballooning, moving cities, travelling to New Zealand, Singapore, England and Scotland. We cannot wait to do more of this in the future.

Tell us about the proposal?

Nathan asked me to be his wife while we were on a hiking trip in May last year. He had originally planned on proposing on a holiday were were meant to take in Tasmania and had asked permission from my father and brother prior to popping the question; however, despite his best intentions, the global pandemic disrupted his plan when our holiday to Tassie was cancelled. Instead we went hiking at Bateau Bay. Nathan had packed his camera and disguised the hiking trip as an opportunity to take photos. I admit, I was a little suspicious about this, as it was not the time of day when Nathan would normally take photos. At one point during our hike Nathan took off and left me trailing behind. He looked back to see if I was watching him, and I immediately sensed that something was not quite right as it seemed out of character. Once I caught up to him, he got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife and, of course I said “yes”. Once Nathan got over his nerves, he joked that I had finally reached "100 girlfriend points" and I that if I ever reached this number then he would propose.  

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Tell us about your wedding?

We had a morning wedding with about 40 of our closest friends and family. I would describe it as intimate, romantic and beautiful.

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How did you choose your venue?

We knew we wanted a destination wedding as I had already attended many weddings in venues near to where I had grown up. As soon as we looked at the photos of Stones of the Yarra Valley we instantly fell in love with it. I am so glad we choose to have a destination wedding.

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What was the most important element for you to have on your wedding day?

We wanted to be surrounded by love, by each other and by our nearest and dearest friends. We also wanted good quality food matched with good quality wedding suppliers.

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How did you choose what to wear?

I wanted to be comfortable. I actually tried on 63 wedding dresses and the 61st was the one I settled on. It all came down to feeling free and authentic to who I am.

Nathan choose to wear something that matched our colour scheme.

How did you choose your suppliers?

We wanted to simplify our lives, so we choose our suppliers by recommendation, mainly from our venue but also by some others too. We were so happy with all of them. The photos speak for themselves. Our photographer Oli (of Briars Atlas) such an absolute stand out and Stones of the Yarra Valley was an incredible venue.

We literally had no stress throughout the planning process. It was seamless and my suggestions to others would be to take recommendations on board and follow word of mouth options to help make your planning process simple.

What advice would you give to future couples?

Do not compromise on quality suppliers. They literally made our wedding day incredible. I would also recommend starting with a realistic budget and do not start your married life together in debt.

Is there anything you would change about your wedding day?

Not a thing, it was simply perfect!

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How much did you budget for your wedding?

Our entire budget, which included our honeymoon was $25,000. We ended up spending $27,000. But, we were really happy with this outcome as we didn't miss out on a thing, we had the greatest suppliers and the best day ever.

VENDORS:

Photographer:@briarsatlas

Videographer: @briarsatlas on Super 8

Venue: Stones of the Yarra Valley @stonesoftheyarravalley

Celebrant: Charis White @melbournecelebrant_chariswhite

Wedding dress: @gildedrosebride

Suits: @gentlemensoutfitters

Flowers: @theprovidoreatmeletos

String Quartet @amatistringsmelbourne

Live band @justme_plusone

Cake: @missladybirdcakes

Stationery: @bettertogetherstationary

Jewellery:

Petsitter: @yarravalleypetresort

Hair: @taniaaliagahair

Make-up: @joannablairschoolofmakeup

Rings: @simoncurwoodjewellery

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