The meeting:

“We met each other in 2007, both working at Strath Village McDonalds while we were at university.

“I was studying to become a nurse and Ben a teacher. We moved down to Keysborough, Melbourne after Ben graduated and spent the first few months living together as friends,  getting to know each other.

“One day Ben got the courage to tell me how much he liked me, via text message. This came as no surprise to our family and friends, who had suspected this for some time.

“Whilst dating we shared many great experiences including trips away; our relationship even survived me teaching Ben how to drive. It really was true love.”

The proposal:

“After many hints about what type of ring I would like, Ben finally proposed. We had been dating for four and a half years and Ben planned a day out for us. I had no idea of the details or what we would be doing, apart from having to wear track pants and runners.

“We spent the morning doing some of our favourite things which included a game of mini golf, ending up in the Dandenong Ranges for a picnic lunch.

“Ben didn’t propose until we arrived home later that night. His brother Mat was also involved in the plans and had helped Ben set the scene for the proposal to occur.

“This included moving all the furniture out of the lounge room, placing 150 red helium balloons on the ceiling and setting up fairy lights on the floor in the shape of a heart.

“Ben got down on one knee inside the heart of lights and asked me to marry him and gave me beautiful ring he had already picked out. Of course I said yes!

“He had even asked my parents for permission to marry their daughter before he proposed.”

The wedding day:

“We decided to have a traditional ceremony at Forest Street Uniting Church in Bendigo, where both sets of Abby’s grandparents were married in 1957.

“The weather was a perfect, sunny, 29 degrees; we could not have asked for a nicer day. The bridal party consisted of Ben’s two brothers Mat and Michael, my sister Nicola and friend Jade.

“I arrived fashionably late to the church where Rev. Adrian Pegler was our minster.

“After the ceremony we had some photos taken outside the church and at the Alexandra Fountain before heading out to the beautiful Big Hill Vineyard for the reception.

“While at the fountain, we were lucky enough to have a tram stop for a photo opportunity. “We felt so fortunate to spend the day with so many of our family and friends. Jo Barclay and her team from Big Hill did an outstanding job of organising and catering the reception. The guests were entertained by a DJ and photo booth throughout the night, which was lots of fun. It truly was the best day of our lives.”

The dress:

My dress was a Wendy Makin design from Brides on Collins in Melbourne. I saw it in a few magazines and instantly fell in love with it. It was the first dress I tried on, and was made of white silk and featured beautifully beaded lace over the shoulders and back. It had silk buttons and hidden pockets that came in very handy on the day.”

The cake:

“We had a four-tier traditional round fruit cake. The cake was made by my mum Lexie Somerville, and decorated by my grandma Irene Turnbull. It had white icing and a white satin ribbon around each tier. The cake was covered in Irene’s handmade white icing roses that cascaded down.

The photography:

“The photos were taken by Erica Cummins from Erica Cummins Photography. She was awesome and made us feel so comfortable and relaxed. We have so many amazing photos to remember the day.”

The honeymoon:

“A week after the wedding ceremony, we jetted off to the USA and Canada for our honeymoon. We had 15 nights away in New York, Toronto, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.”