Celebrating our forever with you

It was 2014, at a party where Rachel knew a "Ben" would be there - though he was no different to anyone else she was meeting for the first time that night. He went to the same university as a mutual friend, which meant their paths had been close enough to cross for awhile. They just never had. Until that night. They got to talking, and while a party is hardly the place to really get to know someone, it was enough. Enough to swap numbers, make plans to hang out again, and see where things went. As it turned out, things went rather well. They didn't rush into anything. Initially, they were just friends - the kind of friendship that builds slowly and quietly into something neither of you quite expects. Their first adventure together was a trip to Sydney and the Gold Cost - the kind of trip, as it turns out, that has a way of changing things.

The early years of their relationship had a texture that only the two of them would truly recognise. Long tram rides spent dodging ticket inspectors, a big bowl of noodles at Noodle World shared between the two of them with a can of Coke each, afternoons shooting pool at the Queensberry Hotel, and late nights doing assignments side by side. They were young, wide-eyed, and growing up together. They've since traded tram dodging for passport stamps - Indonesia, Malaysia, the U.S., Vietnam, and Japan among the adventures they've shared. Closer to home, life looks a lot like hiking trails and road trips, footy games, and gymming together. They love discovering new cafes and restaurants together, though Ben's eyes tend to go straight to one thing - whether there's a cheeseburger on the menu. Eggs aren't his thing, so a cheeseburger isn't just a bonus - it's a prerequisite. In 2022, they took the next big step and moved in together. What followed was nearly two years of house hunting until they were almost ready to give up. Then, in early 2023, a little puppy named Ellie arrived - a long-awaited addition to their family. What came as a surprise was the house, which followed not long after, just when they'd nearly given up hope of finding it.

Ask Rachel how long she waited for the proposal, and she'll tell you - at length. But there was always a plan. Ellie came first, then their first home, and the wedding was always earmarked for 2026. It was important to do it the way they wanted. Their first morning in Bali began on a quiet beach in Nusa Dua - just the two of them, the sound of small waves easing onto the shore, and a sunrise. Ben got down on one knee. She never saw it coming - which, after more than a decade together, is a kind of magic all of its own. They spent the rest of the trip exactly as a newly engaged couple should - celebrating, soaking it all in, and enjoying every moment of what they'd just begun. And when they looked back on it, both of them felt the same thing: the timing, the place, the way it all unfolded - it couldn't have been any other way. On 5 December 2026, surrounded by people who have shaped and loved them, they will say their vows and be married at St Mary Star of the Sea. And from there, they will start the part of the story they've been working towards all along.