Stephanie & Brad's Romantic Outback I Do's in Darwin

When in doubt about how to pull off the perfect day, look no further than Stephanie & Brad’s romantic outback I Do’s in Darwin (captured by Kelly Judd) for inspiration on how to make our day unique, loved up, and all about the important things. For Steph & Brad, it was to get married in a breathtaking location and have their parents by their side, followed by a reception a few months later for their friends and family. Stephanie recalls their love story and perfect wedding day…

Brad and I met in high school in 2008. Being high school sweethearts has definitely had its challenges but we have been nothing but strong for each other and shown just how much we truly love each other and man, have we had some incredible adventures over the years together. Brad left school in 2010 to pursue a career in mechanics which then made things hard to see each other. We would talk every day and when free he would take me on dinner dates some weekends. Things then got harder when I finished year 12 and left town to study dental nursing but we kept on fighting for each other and weren’t letting anything stop us from being together. In 2016 we decided to move in together and we couldn’t have been happier until Brad had a terrible accident on the Murray River involving a jet ski leaving him unable to care for himself, in and out of hospital life. I was young and in love, so I became his carer with help from our parents. Times were very tough for both of us. As the years went on, our bond was just too strong to break, and even through the bad times we had so many good times together.

The proposal would have to be one of the best days ever. It was over the Christmas holidays and we were wanting to get out and sightsee and do something adventurous as we love to explore new places and make many memories together. So one night Brad and I were thinking about where we could go for a day trip, and he had come up with taking me to Craig’s Hut – a place I had not seen yet. I had just got a new camera for Christmas and Brad had said I would be able to test out the camera and would get some great photos. I thought this would be a great idea and thought it would be fun to take my sister and partner along but Brad had said no just us. I didn’t think much of it as I was a little angry I couldn’t bring along my sister. We got up early, packed a picnic lunch, and hit the road, and when we arrived we set up a picnic, sat under a nice shady tree and it was so beautiful. Then we headed over to the hut to check it out. As I was taking some photos and looking out at the view I turned around to find Brad on one knee! I was shocked and excited! He then asked me to marry him, and of course, I said yes and jumped into his arms! At this point, others were walking up to the hut and had witnessed the proposal, and they offered to take some photos for us. It was a perfect day.

My dress was chosen from Bendigo Bridal Collection with the help of Bron, an incredible lady who helped every step of the way. My experience was amazing – fun, laughter and great advice. I would highly recommend her to any bride. I chose this dress because it was different from any style I had worn before and I felt beautiful in it. And I could not smiling when I walked out in it.

Brad chose his suit from Identity Menswear in Shepparton with two requirements – that he would like a vest and to be able to wear his cowboy boots. He went for a dark grey/navy blue mix – in some lights it was navy in others it was grey.

We were married in Darwin at Top End Safari Camp– stinking hot weather but with so much natural beauty in an outback sunset location. We didn’t have a song to walk down the aisle to – we just had the wildlife in the background.

The ceremony was very simple with no readings, and our celebrant Joshua Pucci spoke beautifully. We didn’t have a large wedding, just our parents watching on as we got married. It was perfect for Brad and me. The ceremonial kiss to seal the deal was pretty amazing, however, I don’t think there was any other moment quite like seeing Brad standing waiting for me at the end of the “aisle”.

We met some amazing people that work at the camp who told us a little about them and their lives. We honestly just had a blast with our parents as not only did we get married at the safari camp, we also had a unique glamping experience! The next morning we joined in on a tour where we immersed ourselves in nature. We experienced a helicopter scenic flight over the spectacular floodplains of the Litchfield region, followed by a thrilling airboat ride spotting wild crocodiles. We met some of Matt Wright’s monster rescue crocodiles where we witnessed a live feeding demonstration and even got up close to get a photo. We also enjoyed a relaxing river cruise on the sweets lagoon where we ate fresh barramundi for lunch. This tour was a bucket list experience that ticked all the boxes and will be bragging about for years.

One of our favourite parts of the day was getting flown by Matt Wright himself to the beautiful Sandy Creek waterfall for our photoshoot which was incredible. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that we will never forget.

Our favourite photo from the day was of Brad and me on top of the waterfall! Our photographer Kelly was full of energy and fun, and definitely knew what she was doing and got the job done. We had some amazing shots and also included a small set of boots in our photoshoot to share with friends and family that we were having a baby!

For my flowers, I really wanted something native to go with the beautiful atmosphere of our destination with a little colour to go with the sunset, like dark red and terracotta. Belinda from Creative Two was our wedding planner, and she did the flowers and set up of ceremony and dinner table, and also organised the boy’ buttonhole flowers. She definitely went above and beyond to help make the day perfect. It was a beautiful setting for Brad and I to say “I Do.”

We didn’t have the first dance on our wedding day but we did have a celebration with friends and family at the Woolshed at Emerald Bank Kialla and we did the first dance to Shania Twain classic “You’re Still The One” as this song feels like it’s all about us. It was perfect and we both love her music.

Our advice for couples planning their day would be to do what you want! We planned the whole event and it was everything and more than we could have imagined!