18 Years of Love: Belinda & Julie’s Journey Together

Two lesbians in wedding suits at their Brisbane elopement

We met back in 2004 at the same AFL footy club. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it was deeper than that. It was like our souls were meant to connect. After spending time together, we finally hooked up, and Julie took me home to her parent’s place. It was awkward, but we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Looking back over our 18 years together, choosing just one favorite memory is difficult. The birth of our children stands out as a truly joyous time. At one point, we thought it would be impossible to start a family, but we were blessed with the gift of children, and it’s been our favorite memory.

Every relationship faces challenges, and ours is no different. After six years, we had to decide whether we wanted to continue our relationship or not. Giving each other time and space to figure out what we truly wanted helped us appreciate each other more deeply. It made us realize that we wanted to be with each other and we’re happy to have a happy ending.

Belinda is beautiful inside and out. She has a kind heart and will do anything for her family and loved ones. Her favorite thing about me is that I can still make her laugh and smile after 18 years. She appreciates that I’ve always been there for our family and that she gets to come home to me every day. Oh, and I have a super cute smile.

Our proposal was simple yet meaningful. Belinda asked, and I said yes on November 22, 2004. It wasn’t a romantic proposal, but it was genuine and came from the heart.

Our wedding day was perfect. We kept the ceremony simple, with artificial flowers arranged by Belinda herself and candles for added ambiance. It was an intimate elopement with just nine of us in attendance. We had a sit-down dinner and live duo for entertainment, all at the same venue and same room so the young ones could run around freely.

Our style was honestly made up along the way, but it all just worked out. We had considered wearing dresses to make our families happy, but then we realized it was our wedding day and we should do it our way. So we wore suits because that’s who we are. We even went to Mecca at the shops in the morning to get our make-up done, and a friend came to our room to do our hair.

We took group photos before the ceremony and couple photos after. Our youngest daughter had a meltdown just 15 minutes before the ceremony, but a quick bottle calmed her down and she was good to go. Our celebrant sang “At Last” by Etta James as we walked down the aisle, and she was also part of the live duo “Martini 2”. It was truly a day to remember, and we’re grateful to have each other as we continue on this journey together.