With the rich rusty tones of Autumn and a stunning country venue, the scene was set for a day of magic for Dee and Rob. The pair, it appears were always going to get married – inseparable since their first date in Surry Hills on April 3rd 2017. “As I saw Rob for the first time he spun around balancing a black wooden umbrella on his index finger” remembers Dee. “He grinned as our eyes met and at that moment we both knew the other was someone special.

Within an hour, Rob had proposed (yes seriously but he swears he was just joking!). For the date, Rob took me to a tango lesson and then for Thai food.”

The proposal, equally as “right” says Dee. “In June 2020, after the lockdowns started to relax in NSW, Rob organised a holiday for us in Byron Bay on the north coast of NSW. We booked the most wonderful accommodation with the most luxurious finishes and an unbelievable host. In the days leading up, we went hiking, ate amazing locally sourced foods and relaxed by the beach and in the rainforest. Rob keeps a journal that he writes in French and on the day of the proposal I woke to him having made breakfast and a fun little game where he took all of the journal entries from the beginning of our relationship and asked me to translate them to English. So many of the entries were about how excited he was to have met me and how he was enamoured with me and the way that we are together.

We spent the rest of the day in each other’s company, making each other laugh and relaxing in our surroundings. As we made dinner that evening, Rob suggested we write songs to sing to each other, I copied the All of  You by Jon Legend and Rob wrote his to Valerie by Amy Winehouse. After my beautifully composed rendition, Rob sang his song to me and slipped in the line “Denise, Marry me” as he got down on one knee and opened a ring box he had concealed. I was so shocked and excited that I tackled him to the ground and we embraced before I immediately and emphatically screamed Yes, Yes, Yes!”

Bringing in family and friends from the USA and Ghana, and a whole host of fun, DIY details, laughter and joy-filled moments, their day, captured by Captured By Kate is going to hit you right in the feels!

Rob went for classic black tie, says Dee. “The groom chose his suit from Politix in line with his preference to bring big energy to the wedding and to really stand out. He always imagined rocking something extraordinary and when he tried the suit on in store, he knew that it was perfect. The addition of a bow tie was always necessary and helped tie into the style of clothing worn by his groomsmen.

We had custom-made, personalised cuff links worn by all of the groomsmen. His Daniel Wellington analogue, leather banded watch was an engagement present from me which I used to propose to him on a trip through Cairns. His loafers from Dune London were chosen to represent the carefree style that he embodies but he spent most of the reception without shoes! Rob knew that his tailored pants wouldn’t last through a night of dancing so he actually had a pair of dancing pants that he changed into for the reception as well!”

“Our daughter being part of the wedding ceremony was extremely important to us and we were so glad that she was so happy to be a part of our special day. She was one of our flower girls and also stood with us while we made our speeches and it was amazing to see her being loved by all of our favourite people.”

Dee chose a beautiful lace gown by designer Madi Lane. She shares “We had been engaged for almost a year and a half and had put off wedding planning because covid made everything too difficult to even consider. In December 2021, Rob and I realised that there was no use waiting any longer because unpredictability and uncertainness were now a part of our reality and covid had controlled and limited our lives enough. We decided that we wanted to be married and that we didn’t want to wait too long so decided to plan our wedding for the following Autumn.

Consequently, I planned my wedding in 6 months and my greatest concern was whether I’d have enough time to find a dress I loved. Over a weekend in December, I booked in about 4-6 appointments to try on wedding dresses and at each one, I found a dress that I liked and could see myself in but not one I loved. It wasn’t until I entered Luv Bridal and tried on the Adalyn that I was blown away. It was the perfect combination of elegance, and sex appeal with a sprinkle of princesss’ness. I loved the exposed boning and the sparkles all over the tulle. I knew I had to have it and better yet, it only took a couple of months to be made. My wedding was beyond perfect and I felt on top of the world and that was in part because of Adalyn and the confidence she gave me.”

The couple chose beautiful Bargo venue Kalinya Estate for their wedding. “The minute we toured the gardens and the rooms we just knew that it was the perfect location to bring our closest friends and family together in celebration of love. We had our ceremony outside in the gardens which perfectly matched our rustic boho vibe because it was autumn and the leaves of the trees were brown and had littered the lawn nearby. The stairs outside the main house and the walkway made the perfect aisle and helped to create a romantic and intimate atmosphere.

All of our vendors were incredible. We had the most amazing experience with Mandy from Kalinya Estate who brought constant good vibes, answered every question with endless patience and took it as her personal mission to ensure that our wedding was a success. Without Mandy being a constant source of assurance, our day would have been so much more difficult.”

Dee wanted every special parent in her life to take part in walking her down the aisle “I am from a blended family and so have two sets of parents whom I love and wanted to include in the ceremony. As such, I asked my biological dad and my stepmother to walk me down the initial portion of the aisle and then to hand me over to my mother and stepfather who would then walk me down the aisle to my groom whilst they walked behind us. It was a beautiful moment that I hoped represented all of my parents’ contributions to my upbringing.

I walked down the aisle to “I only want to be with you” by Samm Henshaw and the groom danced down the aisle to “I believe in a thing called love” by The Darkness. My husband’s dance down the aisle with his groomsmen and their entry into the reception hall was an absolute treat. The vibes that they all had went above and beyond for a group of men who were at first reluctant to dance at all.”

The couple held their ceremony outdoors, with Timothy Biasetto presiding.  “The ceremony was a beautiful, intimate and fun part of the wedding. We wanted it to feel important and meaningful but also fun and light because that’s who we were. We didn’t have any specific readings but selected a number of texts and passages that we liked the sound of. Our Pastor then worked them into the ceremony where it made sense. We loved the vows that we made to each other. They were so personalised and specific to our personalities and had so many inside references and jokes.”

“It was amazing to be surrounded by a group of incredible people who thought only of helping to make our wedding day super special. We were even able to have some family members come to the wedding from the USA and Ghana and that made the wedding all the more special.”

Dee put together all the floral arrangements herself – with a little help! “As we all know, weddings can be incredibly expensive so we decided that florals were one area in which we could manage on our own. I decided to go with Australian natives for the bridal bouquet because they captured the colours and energy of the wedding theme. One of my amazing bridesmaids put together my bouquet in under an hour on the wedding day, such a superstar! For the bridesmaids and the groomsmen, I ordered and assembled silk flowers from an online retailer and put them together using green/rust/white chiffon ribbon.”

Dee did so much of the wedding details herself. From the wedding stationery to the favours, to the flowers, place cards and of course all the reception decor. “Our advice would be generic in this sense but to all people planning a wedding, be patient and kind with each other and just follow your style. No one will remember the tiny details from the day because everyone is just so happy to be there celebrating with you all.

Is it any wonder that this reception was going to kick off with a bang? “We danced into the reception and had an impromptu dance to “El Preso” by Fruko Y sus Tesos. We then decided to use the first dance as an opportunity to get everyone we loved up and into a dance circle. That was done to Coisa Linda’s “Tiago Iorc”.”

“We promised each other that we’d make sure we took at least one moment during the day to take it all in so the craziness of the celebration didn’t pass by. During the reception, our close friend played the guitar and sang Elvis Presley’s ‘I can’t help falling in love’ for our guests and us. It was a surreal moment and I recall us both looking at each other, swaying on the dance floor and embracing in shock that we were married and were bound together forever. It was a beautiful moment and one that I recall to this day.”

A jam packed dance floor was a must for these two, and Dom Diaz was up for the challenge! Remembers Dee “Our musician Dom Diaz was an absolute must for our wedding day. The first time we saw him perform was in a local Sydney bar and despite the lack of space in said bar, we had no choice but to get up and dance. We saw him perform several times throughout our relationship and we knew he had to be a part of our wedding. It was an absolute dream to have him play at our wedding. He was so easygoing and completely embraced learning a tonne of songs at such short notice because his focus was giving us our ideal day.”

Congratulations to you both Rob & Dee! What a magic day and a magic story to share. Thank you both and thank you to Captured By Kate for sharing today’s beautiful wedding day.