Natalia and Nathan

LITHGOW

A MUTUAL LOVE OF NATURE LED TO NATALIA AND NATHAN CELEBRATING THEIR LOVE AT ONE OF LITHGOW’S MOST UNIQUE AND TREASURED VENUES.

PHOTOS: WEDDING GALLERY STUDIO

Not many couples can say they fell in love while discussing the wonders of fish, but that is exactly what happened to Natalia and Nathan de Vos.

“We met at Sydney Aquarium on 12 October 2014,” Nathan recalls. “I think I initially impressed Natalia with my fish knowledge and David Attenborough impersonations, but once we got talking we couldn’t stop!”

Natalia laughs at the memory: “We both felt this instant chemistry and familiarity with each other, and began talking about our interests, families and life values. We were keen to keep the conversation going, so we headed over the to the Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café for some coffee, waffles and tiramisu.”

Knowing instantly that he had met his match, Nathan wanted to prolong his time with Natalia. “Not content on letting this wonderful, interesting woman go, I asked Natalia if she wanted to see a movie with me,” he says. “It was the first of many movies to come.”

Eighteen months later, on 2 April 2016, Nathan proposed, going to great lengths to ensure Natalia took him seriously. “I asked Natalia to join me for a picnic in the Royal National Park,” he explains. “In the months leading up to the proposal, I had convinced Natalia that I had a newfound love of crosswords and created one that I placed inside a magazine for us to do at the picnic.”

The crossword clues all pertained to the couple’s favourite things and the places they had been during their courtship. Needless to say, Natalia started suspecting something was going on midway through the puzzle.

“My instructions required placing a template over the crossword at its conclusion to solve a hidden phrase within the answers,” says Nathan. “As Natalia read the words ‘Will you marry me?’ through the template, I dropped to one knee to pop the question and presented her engagement ring – a custom-made, white-gold vintage solitaire with our initials debossed through the band I had designed.”

After Natalia responded with an emphatic ‘Yes’, an accordion player Nathan had pre-arranged appeared from the bushes and serenaded the couple with Natalia’s favourite song, La Vie en Rose, as they shared their first dance as fiancés.

Planning their Blue Mountains wedding soon began in earnest, with the date set for 3 December 2016. “We wanted somewhere beautiful and scenic, and living in Springwood at the time made it an easy choice,” says Natalia. After looking at churches and reception venues throughout the surrounding region, the couple say they couldn’t go past the reverence of Hoskins Memorial Uniting Church and the rustic charm of Secret Creek Café & Restaurant, both in Lithgow.

“We wanted a unique reception venue and Secret Creek suited us perfectly,” says Natalia. “We loved the location – the property is set back in the bush on a native wildlife sanctuary, and it’s so quiet and beautiful. We were also intrigued by the all-vegan menu and were amazed when we visited for a tasting.”

Lithgow was also the area Nathan’s late grandfather spent his childhood exploring. “We thought having our reception at Secret Creek would be a beautiful way of connecting him to our special day,” he says.

In advance of their big day, the couple travelled with Nathan’s parents to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, where Natalia’s Indonesian/Chinese family reside. “We went to perform ‘Sangjit’, a traditional Chinese betrothal rite whereby the groom and his family present eight gifts to the bride’s family,” Nathan explains. “We also had a Chinese wedding tea ceremony, followed by a reception for all of Natalia’s family members that were unable to be at our Lithgow wedding.”

Back in Australia and two years on from their chance encounter at the aquarium, Natalia and Nathan were united in marriage by Reverend Matt Trounce. “He’s a forward-thinking man who guided us through our marriage preparation, gave us some valuable insights into the meaning of love and helped calm us on our big day,” says Nathan.

The couple opted for traditional wedding vows and readings from the Corinthians and poems recited by family members. Their wedding party was made up of Natalia’s sister Yenmi and her friend, Renny, along with Nathan’s two brothers, Mark and Nick. Natalia’s niece served as flower girl, while Nathan’s two youngest nephews did a great job as page boy and ring bearer.

“The moment I first saw Natalia in her wedding dress walking down the aisle toward me was so wonderful,” Nathan adds. “I was just overwhelmed by how beautiful

she looked and excited by the prospect of spending the rest of my life with her.”

One of Natalia’s treasured memories is hitting the dancefl oor with her new husband and guests as Jasmine Strings enraptured the crowd. “The atmosphere was magical – the interior at Secret Creek is all natural timber with high-raked thatched ceilings, and we decorated it with hundreds of fairy lights,” she says. “We also fi lled the place with lanterns, mason-jar centrepieces and festoon pendant lighting to complement our rustic vintage theme.”

After dining on a vegan feast and dancing the night away, Natalia and Nathan headed for the Hydro Majestic Hotel, in Medlow Bath, to spend their fi rst evening together as husband and wife. “Getting married in the Blue Mountains was a great decision – it’s such an idyllic location with so many spectacular scenic areas,” Nathan concludes. “And I highly recommend that single guys spend some time at Sydney Aquarium – most people might head there to fi nd Nemo, but in the bustling sea of people I found love!” BML

STYLE FILE

CEREMONY Hoskins Memorial Uniting Church, Lithgow RECEPTION Secret Creek Café & Restaurant, Lithgow PRIEST Reverend Matt Trounce MAKEUP Ketty Lay Hair & Makeup, Botany BRIDE Essense of Australia gown. Worn with a handmade headpiece and handmade jewellery BRIDESMAIDS asos.com GROOM Suit from Ferrari Formalwear & Bridal, Penrith WEDDING RINGS GS Diamonds, Sydney FLOWERS Sierra Blooms, Faulconbridge CATERING Secret Creek Café & Restaurant, Lithgow CAKE A white mud cake with handmade fl owers, lovingly created by Nathan’s mum, Pauline MUSIC Jasmine Strings TRANSPORT Blue Mountains Vintage Cadillacs STATIONERY Wedding invites were designed and printed by Natalia and Nathan ACCOMMODATION Natalia and Nathan spent their wedding night at The Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath. Their guests stayed at Lithgow Workies Club and the Zig Zag Motel, Lithgow PHOTOS Evan Wang at Wedding Gallery Studio