Luxury travel PR, Emily Olsen and ex professional volleyball player turned commercial director, Russ Watson met via Bumble in a bar in Victoria. Emily turned up to their first date with a birthday cake for Russ, which was the beginning of their romance. Russ is from New Zealand and Emily was brought up in Indonesia and Sierra Leone so a destination wedding appealed to this jet-setting couple. They decided to tie the knot in Antigua, at the glamorous Curtain Bluff Hotel surrounded by the their friends and family who’d flown in from all over the world.

The best part of our day was…

Having so many of our favourite people in our favourite place. We decided on a destination wedding and I’m so glad we did. So many of our friends hadn’t travelled in the pandemic, so to see the joy on everyone’s faces was really magical. Our best friends were swimming, drinking cocktails on the beach, lying in the sun and we felt as if everyone was on an epic holiday and our wedding was simply a part of it.

We choose to get married…

In Antigua. Russ is from New Zealand, and I grew up in Indonesia and West Africa, so neither of us felt a particular drawn to an English wedding. I was lucky enough to work for the Antigua tourism board for almost five years and we travelled out there a few times together and we love it so much. We got married at Curtain Bluff and took all our friends and family there to stay for two nights – it was incredible. We got married on the balcony of Bluff House, the home of Curtain Bluff’s founder Chelle Hulford. She is a total icon.

I knew I found ‘The One’ when…

I really didn’t want to take it off. I had been lurking the Instagram pages of Halfpenny for months and finally decided to make an appointment. And I am so happy I did. As soon as I arrived, I instantly knew that I was going to find a dress. The show rooms are so magical. I loved the idea of a classic shape but then something that felt a little more couture. I tried on a few really simple options that I absolutely loved, but when I tried on the ruffle rose skirt, I was instantly obsessed. It felt so fluffy and romantic and completely different to any of other dresses that I’d seen.

The most enjoyable moments of planning was…

The anticipation of knowing how much everyone would love being in the sunshine. We knew how much of a struggle the last 18 months had been for everyone so the idea that this was something that our friends could look forward to was really special. I think, for lots of our friends, the trip to Antigua really got them through another tough year.

The hardest part of planning was…

The constant fear that something pandemic related would ruin the whole plan. Our wedding took place just as Omicron had hit, and we have no idea how we managed to get all 30 of our guests to Antigua with no one testing positive. We were so lucky. But the really hard part was being away from some really special and important people. My brother and his wife and baby live in Vietnam and Russ’s family all live in New Zealand. It was heartbreaking that there were so many restrictions in place that made it so impossible for them to travel. But against all the odds, Russ’s sister Jenny managed to make it. She flew all the way from Auckland, and also dealt with a ten-day quarantine on her return. I’m still in awe of the effort she made.

The best accounts to follow on Instagram for big-day inspo are…

Viktor&Rolf Mariage for dress inspiration, Gigi & Olive for all of the things you never knew you needed and OF COURSE The Wedding Edition.

The best person to follow on Pinterest for bridal inspo is…

Stories Studio which has been set up by Melissa Harris. So many lovely outfit ideas. I love the whole aesthetic.

My top three tips for any couple would be…

Don’t forget to bring your personalities into your day. Our reception was a big beach BBQ with a fire pit and a local band – which was exactly the energy we wanted and was perfect for the amount of kiwis and Aussies we had at the wedding. But we also had a few more formal touches throughout the week.
If budgets and circumstance allow, try and spread festivities over a few days. We knew the day itself would go past in a flash, but we had over a week with everyone and that was magical. Russ and I had a few days apart with our friends and we came together for big dinner parties – so much fun. Then after then wedding, Russ and I went to Jumby Bay, the most beautiful private island, for a few days – this was the most perfect ending to the best few weeks.
Don’t worry about showing emotion. I cry at just about everything and I was so embarrassed that I was crying every two seconds. But I wish I hadn’t worried about that so much because all our friends already know I’m a big baby.