Wedding | Ash & Tim

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met the most romantic way possible: by swiping right. Our first date was on a blustery Sunday afternoon in August 2017 at MotherVine on Vardon Avenue. Despite an 8.5-year age gap and absolutely no plan, we talked for hours and bonded over art, food and music.

Then we did what we would continue to do for the next two years, spectacularly mistimed each other. Tim went to Europe, Ash went back to graduate study, and we disappeared from each other’s lives. About a year later, we re-matched, went for a pub drink, felt the spark… and disappeared again.

After a handful of accidental run-ins, Instagram DMs and a very serious exchange of music recommendations, we finally committed to date number three: dinner in August 2019, just before Ash left for Europe (and Tim for Bali). This time the chemistry was undeniable. We kept talking overseas, planned date number four… and then ran into each other at the pub a week early. That’s when we finally kissed and, mercifully, stopped mucking around.

We moved in together at the end of 2020 after spending most of lockdown glued to each other, got engaged in August 2024, bought our first home in January 2025 after a punishing 3.5-year search, and got married in November 2025.

Tim is a town planner. Ash is a policy adviser and psychology researcher working in social policy and mental wellbeing and, somewhat infamously, a permanent student with a HECS debt to match. Both overthink things for a living.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We chose the registry because we wanted something simple, unfussy and deeply unserious (in the best way!). No aisle anxiety, no chair covers, no pretending we’re people who enjoy being centrepieces.

We also knew we wanted to be in the city. Adelaide is home, and while it doesn’t shout about itself, the good stuff is usually hiding in plain sight, which felt very on brand for us.

It allowed us to celebrate in a way that felt effortless rather than performative.

How many guests did you have?

Seventeen, including us.

We briefly considered a 100-person wedding but quickly realised we loved too many people and couldn’t whittle the guest list down without losing our minds (or offending half the people we care about). Rather than spiral, we went very small: immediate family and a couple of close friends to witness, with plans to celebrate more broadly later, and with significantly less emotional logistics.

What was your budget? 

Around $25,000, inclusive of everything: rings, outfits, flowers, cake, food and wine, photography and registry fees. We prioritised things we could wear, eat or keep, and skipped anything that would end up in storage or landfill.

Tell us about your outfits.

Ash’s outfit was custom-designed by Greta Kate and inspired by a 2019 Dior Spring/Summer collection rooted in ballet wear. The choice of a three-piece ensemble and the colour were entirely intentional. The goal was very much a Keira Knightley situation: something that could live a second (and third, and fourth) life, worn together or as separates, long after the wedding day.

We ask women to spend extraordinary amounts of money on magnificent dresses, made with such care and craftsmanship, only for them to be worn more in the fitting room than in real life, before spending eternity in a box or quietly collecting dust. This felt like a small rebellion against that idea.

Greta also made a matching bag, plus a tiny version for the flower girl, which may have been everyone’s favourite detail.

Jewellery proved surprisingly difficult thanks to a lack of minimal rose-gold options (to match the rings). Ash eventually found long rose-gold thread earrings by Babelfish Jewelery on Etsy, which were simple, modern and quietly excellent.

Tim wore a full linen suit and open-collared shirt (all from MJ Bale), because Adelaide in November can be chaos. Naturally, it rained a little anyway. His shoes were by Swedish brand Morjas.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Creating an environment relaxed enough to actually enjoy it and have the ability to talk to every person there without watching the clock. We also made a very conscious decision to prioritise buying our first home over throwing a big wedding, and we’ve never once regretted it.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We wanted the day to feel fun, relaxed and slightly unhinged. We often say we like to “celebrate the silly,” so we leaned into that with zany florals, a maximalist cake, and lots of laughter. We also wanted our photos to feel like us - wandering around Adelaide, the city we love, where we both grew up. Jaz from In The Mood For Love absolutely delivered, capturing everything with warmth, humour and heart.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Your wedding is not your relationship, and it is definitely not a performance. Make it as big or as small as you want, but prioritise connection and people over choreography. 

The day disappears in a blink, so spend your money on the things that last: good people, good photos, and moments where you’re actually present, not just sticking to the run sheet like a visiting dignitary.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Two vendors we couldn’t imagine the day without were Emma Appleyard of Lucky Cake & Pastry and Sophie Jackson of Bloomhaus Adl.

Ash met Emma as a teenager through Adelaide artist Simone Black, who mentored them both into their early twenties and had a profound influence on who they became. Simone didn’t just teach art, she took them volunteering in soup kitchens and introduced them to a whole world of creative thinking. Emma later trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at places like Rockpool in Sydney and Orso in Adelaide before starting Lucky Cake & Pastry with the lovely Brianna Mahoney (also previously of Orso). Her work is a perfect blend of art and pastry: beautiful, experimental, thoughtful and genuinely delicious.

Sophie from Bloomhaus Adl came into our lives through the wedding, and we immediately clicked. She was an emergency department nurse now turned floral designer savant, having recently been listed as one of the top 21 florists in Australia! She is warm, intuitive and wildly creative. Ash gave her complete freedom with the florals and trusted her to “do her thing,” and she delivered something beyond anything we could have imagined with a modest budget. We’ve continued catching up as friends since the wedding, which feels like the highest possible endorsement.

We’d also love to share the story behind Ash’s engagement ring. It was one of the last rings made by Archer & Holland , a now-closed Adelaide jeweller that operated for several generations since 1918. The owners, master jeweller Bill Whiting and Meredith Whiting, lived across the road from Ash growing up, and their daughters (one of whom, Kate, later became the business’s sales representative and client advisor) used to babysit Ash and her brother as kids. Sadly, none of the Whiting children took up the family trade, and the business has since been sold to another Adelaide jeweller. The ring itself was co-designed by Ash and Tim, making it feel deeply personal, not just to us, but to the place and people tied to it.

Ash later designed her wedding band as well, which was made by Laher Design in Sydney, a studio she’d admired for years thanks to their behind-the-scenes jewellery-making content and wonderfully nerdy gemstone education on Instagram. Being interstate, they were incredibly easy to work with over the phone and online, and very communicative.

Lastly, we also need to give a huge shout-out to our photographer, Jaz Anderson from In The Mood For Love, who is not only incredibly talented but a genuinely wonderful, progressive human. As two deeply awkward photo subjects, Jaz’s calm confidence and expert (never bossy) direction made the entire day feel relaxed and fun rather than performative. Jaz was very informally (and enthusiastically) assisted by Ash’s unofficial maid of honour, Steph Holmes, an experienced production assistant in the film and TV industry, who was on hand to help wrangle us before each shot. Together, they made the experience so much fun, and the photos speak for themselves.

Photographer: In The Mood For Love @inthemoodforlove.jaz | Planning: planned by the couple | Styling & Flora: Bloomhaus Adl @bloomhausadl | Ceremony Location: Adelaide Registry Office | Reception Location: (Drinks) Hey Jupiter Brasserie @heyjupiterbrasserie & (Dinner) Leigh Street Wine Room @leighstreetwineroom | Celebrant: Marriage officer at the Registry Office | HMUA: Michelle MacDonald

@michellemacdonaldmakeup @mco.stylebar | Catering & Beverages: Leigh Street Wine Room @leighstreetwineroom | Cake: Lucky Cake & Pastry @lucky.cakeandpastry | Stationery: by Ash created on Canva, printed at Officeworks | Dress: Greta Kate @_gretakate_ | Suit: MJ Bale |@mjbale Engagement Ring: Archer & Holland @archerandhollandjewellers | Wedding Rings: (Ash) Laher Design @laherdesign & (Tim) Temple & Grace @templeandgrace | Shoes: (Ash) Sam Edelman @sam_edelman & ( Tim) Morjas

@morjasshoes | Earrings: Babelfish Jewelery (via Etsy) @babelfishjewelry