Natasha and Jesse’s journey from military coursemates to soulmates led them to a romantic outback elopement that was as unique as their love story. With the breathtaking landscapes of Broome at sunset as their backdrop, they created an intimate day full of meaningful moments and stunning scenery. This elopement was a true reflection of their love—bold, adventurous, and deeply connected to the wild beauty of Australia’s outback.

They’re both from a military background and met while they were on a 6-month course together. “We had a very tight-knit course group, so we got to know each other fairly well over those six months. As the course neared its end however, we were getting ready to go our separate ways (I was posted to Townsville, and Jesse was posted to Brisbane at the time). Jesse, being the cheeky bugger that he is, asked if he could put some stuff in my car to be dropped in Brisbane on my drive past – to which I said, “Of course!”. Not long after starting the drive, however I got a text message asking if I would go on a date with him… well, I couldn’t really say no, what with his stuff in my car!” She explained. “That date turned into a three-year long-distance relationship which, after six years together turned into marriage… Jesse reckons he planned it all along.”

After their first year living together, Jesse already had an engagement ring ready and just needed the perfect opportunity to arise. That opportunity soon showed itself during an arm wrestle where Jesse won a free three-night stay at a 5-star resort in Noosa, QLD. “When we got there, Jesse kept pestering me to get my nails done recalling a conversation we had once where I said that if he was ever going to ask the important question, he better make sure my nails were good to go. The only problem though is that I don’t often get my nails done. After I kept saying no he finally managed to convince me by saying that HE wanted to get a pedicure and that as a nice couple thing to do, I should get my nails done too… well this did the trick,” Natasha shared. “Back up to the room he goes to do some rehearsals in the mirror, getting into the outfit for the night to practice his proposal. He quickly decides, however, that proposing without the ring box doesn’t look as good, but there is nowhere to fit the ring box on him where it won’t stand out. So! he rushes out to one of the public toilets by the beach and hides the ring box there (the man may be a little wild, but thankfully kept the ring on him!) before rushing back to the hotel, where I am none the wiser. Later, we have a super lovely dinner that evening, and says we should go for a stroll along the beach to enjoy the weather. We pass by a certain public toilet, which Jesse excuses himself to use, then continue our stroll talking about all of our favourite memories together and plans for more. It was then that Jesse’s rehearsals paid off – he asked me to marry him, and of course, I said yes!”

Natasha was doing her hair and makeup the morning of their elopement and began to stress herself out about running later. To this, Jesse just laughed and said, “Late?! Who are we rushing for? No one else is coming!”. Which is the perfect attitude for an intimate elopement. The day was, by design, just them. “We just needed to remind ourselves when we were ‘rushing’ to get ready!”

Jesse wore a pair of green pants that complemented the red sand of the outback and an ivory jacket with a white shirt from MJ Bale. “These things were decided on a bit over a week out from the wedding, and picked up from the tailor the day before flying out to Broome.”

They both got ready in these little alcoves in the rocks of Gantheaume Point for privacy, where Natasha got changed into her gorgeous dress. When they had decided to elope, she had no idea where or what to start looking at for her outfit. After hours and hours of scrolling through Still White she came across this Zolotas Bridal gown and had that YES moment! “I managed to get the dress six weeks out from our elopement date and thankfully, after some very minor adjustments, the dress was a perfect fit! After that, the rest of the outfit came together from there; I found myself a pair of comfy ivory-coloured Jo Mercer boots, the hat I found in Broome at one of the local stores and the mother-of-pearl necklace was a beautiful surprise gift from Jesse that he bought while I was picking up the hat!”

There was no formal aisle walk, instead Natasha had to rock climb to get over to where Jesse was waiting for their first look. Here they had a beautiful picnic that Jesse put together with the keen eye from Rochelle. While they enjoyed their picnic, they also wrote their vows together.

This is also where both Jesse and Natasha’s favourite photo was captured! “Our standout favourite is of Jesse sabraging open a bottle of champagne with his sabre, whilst I was sitting down next to the picnic lunch. This photo sums up the juxtaposition of our relationship beautifully whilst also incorporating a small nod of appreciation to our proud military backgrounds.”

Having a desert elopement meant that Natasha and Jesse’s need for flowers was lowered – but that didn’t stop them! “We both still wanted to have a few floral touches to signify the importance of the day. We had some decorative floral pieces which we added to our two different settings as well as a my bridal bouquet. Sticking with the theme, the flowers were mainly native Australian species in nice light colours to create some contrast on the beautiful red backdrops that Broome provides,” she explained. “The Broome Florist managed to get our floral arrangements ready despite some havoc from a nearby bushfire causing some delays!”

This duo couldn’t speak more highly of their videographer and photographer – Rochelle and Linden from Love Wilder. “Honestly, they couldn’t have been more fantastic. We locked them in as our photographers before we had even chosen either our wedding date or location. They were both willing to travel to any destination we picked and scout out the best photography spots for us ahead of the big day. We ended up picking Broome (which was potentially the furthest location we could pick while still being in Australia) for its classic Australian vibe; a place neither we nor the Love Wilder pair, had ever been to but were excited to explore.”

What drew Natasha and Jesse to Love Wilder was their passion and commitment not only to their creativity but also to their own relationship. “Rochelle and Linden happened to also be eloping themselves about a month after us. It was a combination of their passion, their excitement for their own pending elopement, and their fire photography/ videography skills which has led us to recommend them to everyone that asks us. They arrived two days before the wedding and recommended we move our ceremony location after they discovered Reddell Beach was much nicer and secluded at dusk – exactly what we wanted.”

Their elopement had two stages: the start was their first look and vow writing picnic, and the second part was their ceremony at Reddel Beach. “This was a great spot that our photographers found for us and we had miles of beach all to ourselves. We shared our vows, then sabraged champagne to celebrate. A beautiful moment, in an intimate setting that we intend to keep for life.”

Rochelle and Linden loved the stunning outback scenery and even suggested to Natasha and Jesse that they return at dawn the next morning for extra photos! “They offered to do this extra few hours of shooting (before the sun was even up) as a complimentary addition to our original photography/videography package. They were so in the moment with us that they just wanted to do whatever they could to capture our elopement, and we are massively grateful for their efforts to truly go above and beyond!”

Some more praise they had for their videographer included: “Linden did a fantastic job of the videography. We were given a short video with no voiceover (to share with our friends/socials), as well as a 10-minute long video capturing the whole elopement, with our exchange of vows narrating over the top (one we shared with close friends and family). Both were amazing in capturing the essence of the day for us and allowed us to share the moment with our friends and family.”

The talent and creativity behind these photos were all thanks to Rochelle’s work – and the images speak for themselves. “They truly are stunning. Not only are they stunning, but she already had the first edit of photos by lunchtime the next day and ALL of the photos and video within a few days. Love Wilder is a choice anyone should highly consider for any moment or event you want truly captured.”

Their photographer and videographer weren’t the only vendors they met with on the day – their celebrant also played a huge role! “Shout out also to our celebrant(s)! We worked in the lead-up with Kelly Morrow, who unfortunately had some bad news a few days before the wedding, but without missing a beat, organised for Mon Valli to oversee the ‘official’ part of the day in her stead. We signed our marriage papers with Mon in the morning over a cup of coffee at the Mangrove Hotel! Rochelle and Linden happily filling in as our witnesses.”

The top five things that made their intimate Australian outback elopement so special were:

“1. The intimate nature of an elopement

2. The relaxed, slow-paced day which allowed us to bask in the moment

3. Jesse bought Tash a special mother-of-pearl necklace the day before, which completed her look for the day. Something that always makes Jesse smile when she wears it to this day

4. The stunning beauty of Broome and its red cliffs and beaches

5. Dragging around all the wedding supplies in a beach cart that Jesse borrowed from the hotel concierge.”

And their first dance, we hear you ask? Well, they had that a week later at someone else’s party!

Please join us in giving a HUGE congratulations to Natasha and Jesse! And thanks to Love Wilder for capturing and creating this unique outback elopement.