Give us the proposal details! When? Where? How?
We were living in Australia at the time. Nath traveled a lot for work and I would often fly to meet him at the different locations for a weekend away and to see as much of the country as possible while there. This time, he was going to Airlie Beach. I was flying up on that Friday morning but he said I was going to have to fly into Hamilton Island, as there weren’t flights to Airlie Beach. I didn’t even think about it and just went along with it! I turned up at the airport in Hamilton, greeted by Nath. We swiftly got whisked into a car and I was told my luggage was taken care of. That’s when I was suspicious, this was five-star service! In the car, Nath said we were actually staying on the Island for the weekend and it was an early birthday present for me…ah right, the penny dropped, birthday time! We spent the day exploring the beautiful island and chilling by the pool. We were staying at Qualia, which is absolutely stunning, he had really pushed the boat out! That evening we went for a drink in the hotel bar before heading to dinner in the marina (well, that’s what I thought). Nath wanted to pop into our chalet just before heading to dinner. He called me inside, I thought he had lost the keys or something typical! As I opened the door, the whole place was covered in flowers, petals, and candles. Dinner was set up out on the deck, overlooking the ocean. As I walked out to look at it, I turned around to see him down on one knee! My heart stopped and I gasped.
This part gets a bit fuzzy, but he said some beautiful things and pulled open the box to reveal the perfect ring. (He had designed it- very impressed!) I spent the rest of the evening in shock and waking up family in the UK to tell them the good news. The time difference was not something on my mind at this point. It’s safe to say, he nailed it! We were planning on staying in Hamilton until Sunday, however, on Saturday afternoon we had a call from Virgin saying our flights were canceled due to a storm that was coming in. This didn’t worry us, we were on cloud nine! But, we didn’t expect what was coming…Cyclone Debbie! A category 5, with 263kph wind speeds, and a lot of rain. We were on lockdown for 48 hours from Monday which meant we couldn’t go outside, fortunately, Qualia stocked our chalets with plenty of food and water to keep us going. Over this time we lost power, water, and internet. We finally got a flight on Wednesday evening just as the army was coming to deliver water as the island had run out! The flight was possibly the scariest flight of my life due to the weather but we made it back to Brisbane in one piece! It’s definitely not a proposal anyone could forget!
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
Planning the best party with my best friend.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
I work in events, so I’m used to it, fortunately.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
We love that Joy has everything in one place for our guests!
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Stay organized and think through questions that people will ask you, this will ensure you cover all different elements about your big day!
At Joy we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you?
Joy is being with my friends and family.
