‘HE’S PLANNING THE WEDDING’!
The clucky parents-to-be spill all the details of their babymoon and surprise engagement
The Bachelor’s Matty J and Laura Byrne share their exciting news
As we enter the Bondi home of Matthew Johnson’s sister Kate for our exclusive WHO photoshoot, both Johnson and soon-to-be mum Laura Byrne are laughing, with the glowing jewellery designer reminiscing about their recent babymoon to Fiji where, just two years after first meeting on The Bachelor in 2017, Matty J, 31, asked the love of his life to marry him. There were no cameras pointed in their faces (except for Matty’s iPhone,
secretly on record!) or producers giving cues – it was just the two of them, blissfully in love. As a radiant Laura, 33, who is due in just five weeks’ time, recalls the magical moment: “It was perfect”. the ring for Laura, given that she’s a ring designer, so I spoke to Larsen [Jewellery] and we sat down and talked about all these different designs and different types of diamonds.
We’re dying to know, how did Matty pop Laura They made the ring that Matt gave me the question? on the show so it was a nice sentimental link.
Matty On the second night I asked Laura Matty I’d been saving photos of rings that to come down for a photo at sunset and I put I’d seen and chose a pear-shaped, rose-cut the ring box down my pants. diamond. They showed me something that Laura He didn’t even have it in his pocket, was similar and it just looked like Laura. he had it right down his pants! The hardest thing was deciding Matty I didn’t want to put it in if it was silver or gold, so I asked my pocket because it would’ve her sister and her sister said gold. been a bit of a bulge! I set up my Laura was away for work in Bali camera on the sand and said it when I picked up the ring and would be on a photo lapse, but it throughout the day I’d look at the was really on video. I walked over ring like 20 times every hour. and had all this stuff planned to say and then When did you know you were going I just went totally blank. I kind of just stood to propose?
there and had a couple of tears. Matty We always knew we wanted to go Laura He just started crying and I was like, away before the baby came and neither of “Are you OK?” us had been to Fiji before, and so I kind of Matty I was like, “I love you so much” [Tears] took the liberty of organising it.
and then I dropped to one knee. Laura: He planned the holiday as a surprise. Laura That’s when I figured out what was It was really amazing.
going on. And then I had a cry, and he had a Matty I was also designing the ring at cry. Then we sat there and had a cry together! the time, around December, and hoping How did you pick the ring Matty? everything would line up so I could Matty I was even questioning how to design propose while we were on holiday.
“We both just started crying” —Laura
Were you more nervous asking Laura to marry you than when you chose her on The Bachelor?
Matty It was a different feeling. It was just pure elation and it was much more private. It was more intense, the emotion that came with it – like, I knew I loved Laura back then, but I think now it’s just so much more of an intense love because we spend so much time together and we’ve been through so much. When you found out you were pregnant, was it a surprise?
Laura We were pregnant before, then had a miscarriage, so the first time was a surprise but the second time was less of a surprise.
Matty I didn’t expect you to fall pregnant so quickly the second time round so we started trying and then straight away it happened.
Laura The second time, as much as there was excitement, it was definitely laced with a little bit of, “well let’s not get too excited until we know that everything is OK”, because it becomes very real, the prospect of things going wrong.
Having a baby before getting married is quite a modern approach. What are your thoughts on this?
Laura My parents are both divorced so my mentality towards marriage was a little bit skewed I guess, because of their experiences. But I know that you can stay
in a relationship and be really happy and that marriage doesn’t define a relationship working out. Then I met Matt and my outlook on what marriage is changed and I knew I wanted to marry him at some point in time – I just didn’t think it would be now, I was happy for it to be after we had kids. Have you started planning the wedding?
Laura We want to get married next year. For me, it wasn’t necessary to be married before the baby’s born so we’ll take our time.
Matty I used to work in events so I’d really like to be involved in planning the wedding.
Laura Normally, it’s the bride that does everything, but I feel like it’ll be Matty organising it because I’m very last minute with stuff and he’s really good with planning. Laura, do you know what type of dress you’d like? Matty Something beachy. Laura Something beachy, you reckon, babe? Matty I think so. Laura You’re going to pick out my dress, too? OK! [Laughs]
Are you excited to become parents?
Laura We’re so excited, we can’t wait. We’re about to move into a new place with a backyard for our dog. Practically, we still have a few things we need to get ready like the nursery because we’re moving, but emotionally and mentally, we’re both so ready for this.
Do you know the gender? Laura Matt wanted to find out originally but I really wanted it to be a secret. I was there when my sister had her baby and when the doctors held him up and said, “It’s a boy!” it was just such a special moment and I knew I wanted that.
Matty People are like, “I can tell looking at your neckline that it’s a girl”, or like, “I can see from behind it’s a boy”. I had a dream it’s a girl. My pregnancy senses are telling me that it’s going to be a girl!
Laura I think it’s a girl, but we’re stoked for whatever. What clothes have you bought for bub, not knowing the gender? Have you picked out both boys’ and girls’ names?
Laura We’ve got pink stuff and blue stuff that people have bought us and we’ll use it regardless. I don’t really think that genderneutral stuff is a big deal anymore. In terms of names, we’ve got our favourites.
Matty I don’t like to plan things. I’m going to look at it and go, “That is a ...”. [Laughs] How is the pregnancy going?
“My senses are telling me it’s going to be a girl!” —Matty J
Laura I haven’t been sick or outrageously tired since the first trimester, so I’ve been really lucky. But everything about your body changes, even your sleep patterns and in the first trimester I felt really hormonal, so that was probably the hardest. Matt’s been really supportive. I don’t feel particularly attractive at the moment. At times, I just feel like a lard.
Matty See, that to me, is like Usain Bolt saying, “I don’t feel fast at the moment”. I think she’s never looked better! It feels incredible having my hand on Laura’s stomach and I can feel the baby moving around, and then I can’t fathom what that must be like for you constantly. I have never been more attracted to you than right now.
Laura I know, you say that all the time, that’s weird. [Laughs] No, it’s really sweet.
Where do you see yourselves in five years?
Laura Hopefully in five years’ time we’ll be married, maybe be in a bigger place and hopefully have two kids. We’re also still really ambitious people with work, so we’ll just have to find our new balance.
Matty I think we will still be madly in love, more so than what we are now. We’ll both be hopefully great parents to two kids and I will probably have a lot more lame, embarrassing dad jokes that I will be dropping at any social occasion I can, enjoying a dad bod!