Hitched & hatched

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AMY HETHERINGTON, 27 PAUL BRANDIS, 27 Amy and Paul met at university in Perth, when Amy was at the wrong lecture theatre and sat by herself for 30 minutes before asking the boys at the back if she was at the right place. Paul was one of them — he laughed and told her she was a week early. Amy hoped she’d never see him again. They became best friends and soulmates. Paul proposed on the Easter long weekend in 2014. He surprised Amy with a spa treatment at SkyCity and a bunch of beautiful gifts before proposing at sunset at Mindil Beach. Amy thought he’d broken something or done something wrong and was trying to suck up. She was so shocked when he asked the question she burst into tears and projectile snotted on Paul. Technically Amy never said “yes”, but she took the ring quickly and the rest is history. Amy said they loved having people from different stages of their lives together for the first time at their wedding. “We’ve been together for seven years and done a lot in that time, so it was really special having so many different people who we love and adore come together,” she said. Another highlight was the burgers and chips they served — “they were amazing and greasy and perfect”. Amy is a comedian, so it was only right the odd funny thing happened on the day. The funniest was that her dress didn’t fit properly. “I’d only had it fitted once and thought, ‘Oh yeah, that’ll be OK’. But it didn’t cover my boobs properly, so a handy bridesmaid had to save the day with a MacGyver-style solution,” she said. Another thing that caused a few laughs was that one of their friends looks like Darwin Mayor Katrina Fong Lim, and everyone kept asking if it was, indeed, that lover of selfies. “It wasn’t her, but we kept them thinking it was,” laughed Amy. The pair refrained from a first dance — “it’s not really our style” — but had local band Pole Top Rescue play, and the whole night turned into a live concert in the Darwin Botanic Gardens. For a honeymoon the two swapped the far north for the deep south, heading to Tasmania for a week in the Cradle Mountains. “We got snowed in at the log cabin we hired and it was such a perfect setting for a honeymoon,” Amy said. “But unfortunately I got a chest infection and the closest we got to intimacy was Paul putting Vix on my chest!” THE ESSENTIALS MET University THE DRESS A flowing, tulle gown with delicately detailed bodice by Grace Loves Lace CEREMONY & RECEPTION Holtze Lawn at Darwin Botanic Gardens PHOTOGRAPHER Lisa McTiernan