Gabriella and Sam grew up on the same street and went to school together but didn't really know each other until after school when their friend groups starting mixing. Gabriella's best friend was family friends with Sam and Gabriella had heard about his family and all the fun things they got up to. At the start, they would hang out in large groups, went hiking, and did lots of camping with friends. One day, it was just Gabriella, Sam and Sam's best friend in a car on the way home from a 4WD day out.

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"His best friend fell asleep in the back seat and so we both knew we had to make conversation otherwise the trip home would be very awkward. I always thought he was a shy guy, but I was wrong. We spoke non-stop all the way home and found out we actually had a lot of common interests. We started catching lifts together to social events and our friendship blossomed from there. A couple months after, he asked me to be his girlfriend and life has been the best ever since"

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Two years ago, Gabriella went with Sam and his family to Tasmania for the Easter holidays. Sam's brother is a keen photographer, so they headed to Cradle Mountain one late afternoon. By the time he set up his camera gear, the sun had already set. His family were all in on the proposal and so everyone agreed they had to return in the morning to get photos of the sunrise for Sam's brother.

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"We got up at 4:30am and all got in the frosted car and headed back to Cradle Mountain. It was negative 1 degrees, but we were all very keen to head to Dove Lake and see the sun rise over the beautiful nature reserve. We stood there all huddled together as the sun rose and then when Sam's brother said he had enough good shots, he asked if Sam and I wanted a nice photo with the mountain in the background. We walked around the little boat shed and up the path a little to find a good spot. His brother counted down 3, 2, 1, and that's when Sam went down on one knee! I was in so much shock and had no idea that it was coming, that a few tears started rolling down my face. It was such a beautiful moment."

The Wedding

"It was the most magical day a girl could wish for. The weather was perfect, the photographer was amazing, the hair and make up ladies were so calm and collected, and the venue was beautifully styled. Everything ran so smoothly and we had the greatest time taking photos with our bridal party. The band were so much fun and all our friends and family loved that they could dance to some good tunes. It was the best day and one that we will never forget!"