Q. How did you guys first meet and fall in love?

A. We were first introduced by our friend Leo, who just knew that we would hit it off. But neither of us were really looking for a relationship at the time. Justin was living, working and studying in Newcastle at the time. He had just gotten out of a previous serious relationship a year prior and he was going through full time university studies to become a Pharmacist while working and DJing on the side. Laura had her life at what felt like the other end of the world. Working full time in Sydney as a visual merchandiser (which is 2.5 hours south of Newcastle for those of us not in Australia). She was also competing in her states representative Ice Hockey team and traveling interstate to compete. So traveling to Newcastle was out of the question for a while. But once we started to hang out, we soon became inseparable. We connected through our similar humor, similar work ethic and passions to progress our careers!(But it was still a full year before we made it official! We found it really valuable to connect as friends first and build a strong foundation of communication.)

Q. How did you know you wanted to marry each other and who wanted to tie the knot first?

A. It was something both of us just felt we knew would happen. We have been together for 7 years, but we really wanted to live together for a few years first before we made official plans.

Q. Why did you choose HIDDENSPACE, how did you hear about us, and what made you decide on this specific ring?

A. Laura had given Justin some ideas around brands and rings with the only request that it would feel unique, and be stackable as a set with the wedding band. Laura is a bit of a sentimental sap haha. It was really important to Laura that Justin picked the ring that he loved for her. (He nailed it by the way.) Justin heard about HIDDENSPACE by their Instagram account, looking through all of the different “unconventional” designs and loving the idea of alternative stones as the centerpiece, rather than the “conventional” diamond. From there, Justin navigated through the HIDDENSPACE website, flicking back and forth between a few designs before settling on his favorite one, the Keira Ring (and matching wedding band, of course).

Q. Tell us about the details of the proposal & the wedding. How did you feel? How did it go?

A. This was the best part! Justin had planned an entire surprise weekend away for Laura’s birthday on the 31st of March. We drove 4.5 hours down the coast of Australia to Jervis Bay. Well, we actually missed our turn off by 40 minutes without realizing so the travel time was more like 5.5 hours.Missing our turn off nearly caused us to miss our AirBnb check in time. (Oops!)But we made it there just in time to check in and head to our dinner reservation at The Gunyah restaurant in Paperbark Camp. A treetop venue with incredible food so we highly recommend going there if you have the chance. The next day was the day Justin had prepared to propose! He was so nervous as the weather did not look like it would be on his side with rain expecting to ruin the occasion. We woke up to a downpour and it continued as we drove to our hiking destination. We decided to purchase umbrellas and weather the storm, and once we had sourced some wet weather gear, the rain had reduced to a sprinkle anyway.Justin had researched places to propose and decided that Gosangs Tunnel would be the ideal location. We started our trek towards Gosangs Tunnel near Mermaids Inlet on the northern edge of Beecroft Peninsula. Laura wasn’t allowed to know where we we’re going, but due to the lack of signage, this wasn’t much of an issue. We started our walk with our backpacks and camera in hand and soon encountered some puddles which were, at first, easy to circumvent, but they soon grew bigger, and bigger until they became the length and width of the whole walking track. So we decided to walk without shoes. A few wrong turns and a bit of backtracking later we made it to Gosangs Tunnel. Only to be faced with a large sign that said, “Warning! Gosangs Tunnel closed to the public. Enter at your own risk.” But we had come too far by this point. So, don’t tell anyone, but we hopped the small wire fence and climbed through anyway. There, we were met with a beautiful cliff face and large ocean views. The rain had largely dissipated by this point and we started to take photos and drone shots. (Hiking and photography are two of Laura’s favorite pastimes so this was a clever way of disguising that Justin wanted to record a proposal!) Justin set up the shot, dropped to one knee, and popped the question, to which Laura said, “Of course!”

“Scenic walks, a dolphin cruise, vast landscapes & multiple moments of fine dining.”

Q. Describe your romantic night or the most romantic day you guys have ever shared.

A. The proposal weekend was pretty close. Filled with scenic walks, a dolphin cruise, vast landscapes & multiple moments of fine dining.

“If there is a subject that makes you feel uncomfortable or nervous, [...] schedule a regular time to talk about it. Also, make time to keep dating each other.”

Q. Any advice to couples or newlyweds? Anything else you’d like to share with the world?

A. We have always felt that the key to success in our relationship is communication. We are open, honest, and discuss everything with each other. If there is a subject that makes you feel uncomfortable or nervous, we would recommend that you schedule a regular time to talk about it. We make time to discuss big uncomfortable subjects like money and budgets. The world is in a bit of a tough time when it comes to finances and if you don’t feel comfortable enough to talk to your partner about it, it will leave you feeling incredibly alone. And also, make time to keep dating each other. We both work from home, so it can be easy to fall into a routine of working and living with each other and becoming what feels like roommates. We make the time to schedule regular dates and dinners to avoid getting stuck in that routine.