In a time when love often feels scripted, Bec and Ash’s love story is refreshingly genuine. Meeting through a dating app during a global pandemic, their connection blossomed with the walking dates that would change their lives. Ash’s heartfelt proposal, creatively set within a love heart made of socks [thanks to their playful dog Sadie] set the stage for their intimate beach elopement. This ceremony reflected not just their love but the merging of their cultures. Join us as we celebrate their enchanting day, where Joanne Keighery Photography captured every love-infused detail!

As we’re now in the golden age of online dating, it’s no surprise that Bec and Ash met on the ‘apps’ – however their love story isn’t so cut and dry! “Our story is a little more unique in that we faced a pandemic and 5 km restrictions. By luck, we lived within each other’s 5km bubbles. A few walking dates later, and the rest is history…”

Their engagement story is just as sweet and personal as how they met, with Ash surprising Bec with a heartfelt, intimate proposal. “Sadie [a gorgeous yellow Labrador] is obsessed with socks. Asheet decided to surprise me with a ring in the middle of a love heart shaped with socks, to also ensure Sadie was around and stole the socks instead of the ring!”

Something Bec and Ash bonded over is the way they both shy away from attention, so the idea of their intimate beach elopement wasn’t a shock to their friends and family. “Our love of all things oceans made the beach the perfect backdrop. Asheet comes from an Indian background, so we had a larger celebration the weekend before our elopement to celebrate his Indian heritage. We wanted to keep the Henna on my hands and feet to really allowed us to showcase the blending of our cultures,” Bec explained.

The week leading up to their wedding, Asheet’s family invited Bec and her friends to have their Henna done, as seen in the beautiful designs on her hands and feet! “It was really beautiful being introduced to his culture. Especially spending this time with my friends who also got Henna for the occasion.”

Wanting to match the laidback, simple vibes of their beach elopement, Bec knew she would wear something comfortable and inexpensive for the day. After looking high and low, she eventually came across two dresses she loved, one from Sheike and one from Kookai. Not being able to pick between them – she wore both!

Matching the beach theme of the day, Ash wore a sandy-toned suit from M.J. Bale with an ocean-blue pocket square. He finished off the look with a pair of socks decorated with Sadie’s face – how fitting!

Their photographer for this intimate elopement was Joanne Keighery! “Jo was fantastic. She took the time to get to know us and what we wanted out of the day. She had great suggestions for locations and photos. She seamlessly fitted in on the day, particularly in such a small intimate ceremony.”

The top five things that made their beach elopement so special included:

“1. The celebrant was my best friend,

2. The backdrop for the ceremony was the beach – our favourite place,

3. Sharing it with the people who were special to us,

4. We stayed all together, which made it one big party,

5. The ocean dip the morning after to calm any hangover!”

Their ceremony was everything Bec and Ash had dreamed of – personal, intimate and full of love. “The celebrant [Annie Kearney] was one of my best friends. The flowers were made by another one of my best friends. All 20 guests stood together on the balcony overlooking the beach as we shared personal vows detailing our love story, our future and our love for Sadie.”

With so many incredible photos from the day, Bec couldn’t pick one as her favourite! “There were too many good ones to choose from! Jo did an amazing job with our photos and really understood what we were looking for in our day,” shared Bec.

The piece of advice Bec and Asheet want to leave for future married couples is this: “Do it your way. We honestly had the time of our lives. A party that we didn’t want to end.”

Please join us in giving Bec and Ash a huge congratulations on their intimate beach elopement and their beautiful partnership! Thanks to Joanne Keighery for capturing and sharing with us.