After a romantic, personal proposal that happened one afternoon spontaneously, Gabby and Lila chose to have an engagement shoot that was just as personal; at their own home, together with their cat.
Tell us a little about yourselves.
L: I am a makeup artist and painter. I love getting my hands on any creative project I can. When I’m not doing some crazy art projects, you will find me in Ballet class or walking around our amazing natural parklands. I am so excited marriage equality passed and can’t wait to start doing makeup at LGBTQIA+ weddings!
G: I am a personal trainer, and I love doing anything active. If I’m not teaching people how to do kickboxing, I am training myself! When I am not training, I usually listen to some good tunes and discover new vegan places to eat.
And, how did you meet?
L: We have been together for over six years. We actually met through Gabby’s cousin. They were coming up to Sydney to go out, and I was their tour guide! Needless to say, I had to get to know Gabby more after that night.
How was the proposal?
G: It was a very spontaneous decision. We were lying in our bedroom one afternoon about to go out to dinner, and everything at that moment felt so calm, peaceful and just right. So I proposed then and there without a ring in the hopes that Lila would say yes. There were tears shed and a brief moment of terror when I had a blank and missed when she said yes!
L: I must say I am glad she proposed somewhere that was our own private area. I think I would have been mortified if she had gotten down on one knee at a restaurant or in public. I loved the fact that it was just at home with our Kitten, nice and simple.
Gabby, you didn’t with a ring. But we spy some gorgeous matching rings, did you shop together?
G: I was too scared to propose with a ring. Lila is very picky about these things! So we went ring shopping together. We have a favorite jeweler in the city called Parade jewelers, and we went shopping the day after the proposal. We ended up getting matching rings and we couldn’t be happier with them.
What does your engagement mean to you both?
L: I don’t think Gabby, or I realized how much the postal vote for marriage equality affected us. For a long time, we thought perhaps we just won’t be able to get married and had come to terms with that. Knowing that things have changed, we realized what had been missing, the next step we could take, and how much we wanted to take it together. We want to show our loved ones how much they mean to us and how much we mean to each other by getting married. It will be awesome being able to call each other wife without having to worry it isn’t legal or accepted and know that it is just normal.
How is wedding planning coming along?
G & L: Slowly but steady! We have started to sort out dresses (the most important thing to sort out!) and venues. We are trying to make the wedding as eco-friendly as possible, so it’s about finding the right vendors that sit with our values and making our day memorable.
Finding those vendors is definitely driven by our values; being vegan ourselves has had a significant impact on venues. We would like it to be all vegan and sustainable, but also we are trying to think outside of the box. Instead of flowers that are only lasting the day, we would prefer greenery, no bouquets for us.
Boho is definitely our feel, and I must say Pinterest is our best friend for inspiration and DIY projects! Anything crafty we can do ourselves, we will! We are going very eclectic, so a lot of the pieces we will be able to create ourselves or repurpose. If we can leave a small footprint on the place we are using and the materials we consume. We will be very happy.
When will the sustainable wedding happen?
G & L: At this stage, we are looking at 2019 but are unsure if it will be the start of the year or the end. Either way, it will be a warm summer wedding. And being a small wedding (forty people) we are looking at getting married at the same spot we have the reception, somewhere local, and sustainable.
Photography by Scarlet & Sage
