Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
There is a surf break in Fiji called Cloudbreak. Cloudbreak is one stop on the World Surf League Tour every year. Blake and his family have been going to Fiji every year since he was born and he grew up surfing on the beaches of Sydney, so it was a natural progression that as he got older, he would start surfing some of Fiji’s famous surf spots while there every summer. He quickly fell in love with Cloudbreak and the amazing waves it produced, it is now his favorite place to surf. I grew up surfing and surf the smaller waves back home but the reefs at Cloudbreak are not for me! But, the waves are amazing to watch. I adore watching him do what he loves most in this world in his favorite place in the world and sitting on a boat in the middle of Fijian waters in the sun isn’t too hard for me either. Cloudbreak is located, I’m going to say, in the middle of nowhere. You cannot see land wherever you look, the only thing you can see is Cloudbreak Tower. This tower is for the World Surf League when they compete for the judges. It’s a two-story wooden tower on stilts, facing the gorgeous, powerful waves of Cloudbreak. When there are no competitions, it’s abandoned. From the first time I saw photos of Cloudbreak, I was so interested in it and wanted to see the tower in the middle of the ocean on beautiful Fijian reefs.
We asked the Fijians last year and the main answer was, “You can’t get up onto it”. So, I was very disappointed, to say the least. This year we were back in Fiji and ready for another perfect holiday. Blake was so excited to hit the waves as soon as he could. We landed Sunday and Blake had a surf booked for Monday morning. He surfed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and told me he was just going to have a few days to get back into it before wanting me to come Thursday with him. Thursday morning came. We were picked up, dropped a friend he surfs with at another break called Resturants at Tavarua Island, then Blake asked our boat driver to take us to Cloudbreak. Cloudbreak was having one of its biggest days of the year with waves as big as a three-story house. As we approached I could see that we were heading straight towards the tower, which is usually not the way you approach Cloudbreak. Blake leaned over and said, “Get ready to jump out”. I was immediately excited knowing I was about to check off a bucket list item, especially on a day where the waves were insanely big. However, having such big waves meant getting off the boat was an adventure in itself. Our boat was only small and usually, by the time a wave had reached the tower, it’s barely a small whitewash and does not disturb the boat, not on this day though! The whitewash was large and strong and smashed the boat every time we tried to get near the tower. Blake was at the front of the boat and each time we neared the tower it was his job to hold onto anything he could so I could jump off. I was scared but also excited by the thought we would hopefully be up on the tower soon with a view of a lifetime. It took about 10 minutes before I was able to jump onto it and then it was Blake’s turn to quickly launch himself onto the platform which he did successfully and just like that, I was on Cloudbreak Tower!
We had to climb up the salty, wooden ladders to finally reach the most beautiful view of the ocean as far as the eye could see. We walked around, I took a million photos and videos as I was in awe of my surroundings. My favorite time of day, I had sunrise on one side over the ocean and beaming waves crashing down on the other side. Looking directly down you had the most gorgeous view of the reef as the waves crashed over it. We stood watching the waves stand tall before crashing down. There was only one lone soul surfing and from what we had heard later in the day from people, it was Julian Wilson who is a professional surfer. It was just magical standing there, watching the sun rise behind us and feeling the waves hitting the tower each time they came by. Blake asked me whether I preferred looking at the Sunrise or the waves so I walked over the other side of the tower to watch the sunrise and decide what I loved more. As I turned back around to face him, he was holding a little white box and as he was lowering himself onto one knee, he said, “I’ve got something to ask you”. I’m sure my smile was priceless. Just like that with the sun rising, waves dancing and salt in the air, the love of my life asked me to marry him. I leaned down to grab his cheeks and kiss him over and over while in between each kiss, screaming, “Of course! Yes yes yes!” He told me to grab the ring before he dropped it into the ocean beneath us which if you knew our luck, would happen to us! I softly grabbed my stunning new ring, the symbol that I had found my soul mate. The ring was made by one of my best friends Mum who is a jewelry designer, Margie Perego Designs. I had spoken to her and Blake with what I wanted about a year before and I did not even know the ring had started to be made, let alone completed. It was up to them to make my dreams come true and boy did they exceed my expectations. Having my perfect ring tops off the most romantic, unique, and intimate (which was very important to me) proposal. I am not a romantic, I would have hated flowers and champagne and people everywhere. We both live for the ocean! Fiji is where we will be having our wedding, which gives me even more love for the country. For the human I love most in this world, to ask to spend the rest of his life with me, is the most special words a girl can hear!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
I am an event stylist and planner, so my favorite part is knowing everything I’m planning now, is for me! All my research and ideas for other brides, I can finally use for my own wedding. It’s a very exciting thing!
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
As I mentioned, I work with events. As much as I was hoping I could have done everything by myself, having a wedding in a different country that does not have a lot of access to event companies, meant I had to hire a planner from there. She helps me stay sane! You just have to remember it’s your day, all your visions can come to life, and that excites me.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
Having an intimate destination wedding means there is a lot of information that needs to be shared. As gorgeous as our invitations are, I did not want to send piece after piece along with the invite. I love the idea of having everything in one place, where our guests can be interactive with our website and get all of their questions answered!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Utilise every option Joy gives you. Helping your guests feel as comfortable as they can with the questions, means you do not need to be hounded by question after question from guests later on. Everything they need will be in one place. No matter who you are, or what your style is, you can make your website your own!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
I will forever have this website to look back on. Joy makes planning our wedding so easy and magical! I’m getting married for the enjoyment of having my love with me forever, not just for a wedding. Our wedding is just the beginning!
