Shane & Megan

As seen in Geelong Wedding Guide Magazine

Love Story

Megan and I met at work in late 2015, and became best friends within a matter of months. Initially, we remained squarely in each other's friend-zones’, tackling projects together at work and getting along well. As time went on, we struck up a friendship that extended beyond the office, and begun to hang out outside work, going to music festivals and nights out with the work crew. We remained good friends for a few years, until a kiss at a New Years' Eve party in Sydney changed everything. Six months later, we made it official at a music festival in the Netherlands in 2018. At this point, it became difficult to keep it secret at work. When we let everyone know, we received a range of reactions - from the totally unsurprised, to those in disbelief. It was quite amusing!

As a couple, we find some of our strong points to be our incredible similarity to each other, our endless list of shared interests and opinions, our unique shared sense of humour, and our love for the outdoors - you’ll often find us down the beach in our hometown.

We knew early on in our relationship that we were the right fit for each other and that our love was only going to strengthen. We were ready to commit to a life together and in late 2019, we picked out a ring together. How was I going to pull off a surprise proposal without Megan figuring it all out? I began thinking about my options and decided that a pop-up picnic at a location close to my heart in Barwon Heads was the best option. Under the guise of my own birthday celebrations, I ensured Megan dressed up for the occasion. After a slightly awkward birthday dinner with my parents (who were in on the surprise), I requested that we go on a walk. This walk led us to a beautiful scene - a pop up picnic under a very old Moonah tree. Megan insisted that we don’t go up there as someone was doing a photo shoot. Once I got down on one knee, she realised the whole thing was for her.
Since we began our relationship at that music festival in the Netherlands, we have almost spent 24/7 together - and have loved every moment.

The Day

I was surprised the day went so smoothly. Who knew that with a bit of intricate planning, it would be possible to surprise someone who already knew about the engagement ring?
I started the day with a trip to Adventure Park for my birthday - a bit of a decoy. After a long day, we came home and got all dressed up to meet my parents for dinner. I think mum almost slipped up and said something about the ring once at dinner, and I could barely eat due to nerves and excitement! I’m a guy who likes to go on a lot of walks, so I figured a request to go for a walk after dinner, especially on my birthday would go down well despite being in dress clothes. Once we arrived at the proposal site, Megan insisted that the pop-up picnic was for someone else, and that we shouldn’t go and intrude. I led her up the hill and asked her to take off her jacket. Amy Lee Carlon began taking our photos - she really knew how to capture the moment without intrusion. I couldn’t have hoped for a better photographer. The picnic setup provided by Vanessa from A Simple Wish was impeccable - I may be biased, but I think it’s one of her best setups. The rose-petal-ice-bucket with Champagne was an incredibly nice touch. The flowers from As Daisy Does (natives and proteas) suited the scene perfectly and the platter from Five ft One was amazing. I couldn’t have put this all together without the help of everyone listed here - the communication from and between each of these vendors was flawless and everything was really easy to organise. They were really able to bring my vision to life!

Once Megan realised what was going on, I got down on one knee and asked Megan to marry me. I had prepared a speech on paper, but decided to wing it. Much to my and Amy, our photographer’s dismay and surprise, all that came out of Megan’s mouth in response was a very high pitched ‘Oh my god noooo! I MEAN YES! OF COURSE, YES!’ My heart only sunk there for a few seconds! Luckily Amy paused shooting for a moment until we were back on track!

It was a perfect day and I was so happy that we were able to celebrate our love by taking it to the next level. I wish we could do it all over again, as it was such a nerve-racking but incredibly amazing experience. We were lucky enough to also have our engagement party in March 2021, roughly a year after the proposal.

A Simple Wish Events
Amy Lee Carlon Photography
As Daisy Does
Five ft One
Michael Hill