A Thoughtful Book Inspired Backyard Wedding

How Did The Love Tale Begin?

Jasmine and Salsabil got married the week of their seven-year anniversary after first meeting on the queer dating app ‘Her.’ It all started with a magical (corny) pick-up line, and after two days of non-stop messaging, their first date was over chili hot chocolate, which they both pretended to like, where neither wanted to leave.

Tell Us About The Proposal.

The proposal wasn’t a surprise, exactly, as Jasmine had designed the rings (moonstone for themself, and Aquamarine for Salsabil, as they’re each other’s birthstones). What was the surprise was when and how it would happen.

With the help of Jasmine’s oldest friend, Salsabil planned the whole day: a day trip to Hahndorf, South Australia, for lunch, followed by the local petting zoo (Jasmine loves cows), and a walk through the Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens. 

The proposal itself was near a small lake in a valley overgrown with blooming flowers. Salsabil was waxing poetic about their years together, while Jasmine was taking photos looking in the other direction. It took multiple times of Salsabil trying to get Jasmine’s attention before she finally turned around to see Salsabil on one knee on an uneven rock (nearly toppling into the lake, but smiling through it). 

Jasmine started crying and said yes before Salsabil could even ask. 

Hikers across the valley took their photo after the happy couple yelled out for them, quickly explaining their excitement. 

Why Did You Decide To Have A Backyard Wedding?

Over her life, Salsabil has lived in more than four countries, and countless homes. Memories and family are incredibly important. And to her, growing up in a single home like Jasmine did sounded like something beautiful, magical. 

So, she asked for the wedding to be in the backyard of Jasmine’s childhood home. It was a safe haven through the start of their relationship, when Salsabil was half in, and half out of the closet. It felt like the perfect space.

And Tell Us About How Books Inspired Your Wedding. 

A love of books began their relationship; it’s been a pivotal part of their love as it’s grown, with bookshelves lining as many walls of their home as they can find to spare. So books were the first thing they both imagined when starting to think of the big day. 

It was our own love story, written by us.  

Most Of The Wedding Was DIY. Tell Us About What You Did. 

Jasmine was in charge of the sourcing and creating, with Salsabil in charge of keeping Jasmine organised and focused on each task (which can be hard with two ADHD brains). Over the course of about six months, Jasmine thrifted and upcycled all the decorations and glassware. There was a really clear idea of what they wanted. There were vintage carved frames upcycled with gold paint, ratty leather-bound books for centrepieces with old colourful glass vases, and book pages from old Mills & Boon romances for the tablerunners. 

That was a really fun one that a lot of Jasmine’s family had something to say about!

Talk To Us About Your Experience Finding The Perfect Outfits.

Salsabil’s initial plan was to wear a saree for the ceremony to honour her Bangladeshi heritage, before changing into a more masculine outfit for the reception. Unfortunately, when the saree arrived, there were a lot of difficult emotions. The only person who could perfectly drape a saree on Salsabil was her mother, and due to personal differences, her family would not be at the wedding. Salsabil refused for her wedding to be overshadowed by any emotion other than love for her fiancée. 

The outfit came together when Jasmine thrifted a Zara vest for Salsabil in perfect condition. Then it was a hunt for the perfect satin shirt and dress-pant combo. The shoes were actually the most expensive part of the outfit, but Salsabil felt so herself wearing it all together, they both knew it was right. 

Jasmine’s get-up was a little easier. Not realizing you need to book an appointment to look at wedding dresses, she and her bridal party walked into the first bridal boutique they saw and found ‘The Dress’ in the sale section for about a quarter of its usual price! After that, a thrifted pair of $10 shoes and a headband topped it off, with earrings designed and made by Jasmine herself.

Talk To Us About The Big Day!

They knew from the start that they wanted a sensory-friendly wedding, what with both brides being neurodivergent. There was no pressure for the day to be perfect. They wanted the imperfections of something that’s hand-made; the laughter and joy of family and the closest of friends. That’s exactly what the photographer Elanie managed to capture in their photographs, too. 

It was an incredibly emotionally-charged day. From the first look (so Jasmine could prepare and compose themself), to the ceremony that had the whole crowd crying, to the coffee at a local cafe in their wedding garb before photos with the bridal party, to coming back home to the reception. 

Everything went according to plan – rain was bucketing until five minutes before the ceremony, when the sun came out from behind the clouds – and Jasmine’s parents had worked day and night for months to transform the backyard into the perfect venue. 

There was still a lump in Salsabil’s throat, knowing that none of her family would be there, and that they would never want to be. But the day was overflowing with wine and love, and Salsabil felt incredibly wanted by her chosen family. 

It was truly a magical day; they both relive it constantly with silly smiles on their faces.

Did You Incorporate Any Family Or Religious Traditions Into The Day?

In South Asian culture, it’s an established practice to have wedding party members sleep the night under one roof before the wedding. An Airbnb was organized for both bridal parties to stay together the night before and after the wedding. Both our bridal parties got along so well as if they have been friends for years and hadn’t just met 24 hours before. There was so much banter, massage trains, food, and a healthy amount of alcohol.

What Does Marriage Mean To You?

Marriage is a life-long promise that you’ll always have someone there to be your best friend. It’s a promise to work every day to make the other person smile, to make them feel special even if it’s something silly, and to help them in any way you can. It’s listening, and building a life together we can both look back on and say, ‘Look what we did.’