Firstly, we’d love to learn more about your love story. Where did it all begin?

Toby and I are both from a small country town in Western Australia, so naturally we’ve known of each other our whole lives. There are actually baby photos of us together from 1992, but it wasn’t until late high school that we got to know each other a bit better and started dating at the end of year twelve. Not quite high school sweethearts as Toby had already left school, but near enough. This year will mark our 16th anniversary. Our whole adult lives together.

After graduating from university and Toby’s FIFO mine work, we moved overseas where we properly lived together for the first time. This experience made us even closer and cemented our love for each other. We spent our twenties working locally in our home town and undertaking amazing working holidays in Whislter, Niseko and Dublin, with lots of travel on either side of these destinations. We arrived home from our last overseas jaunt in January 2019, fell pregnant a few months later, and got engaged in August 2019.

Tell us about your proposal! What do you remember most about this special moment?

Toby proposed on a road trip holiday in Australia’s Mid-North West. Sitting down by the waterfall at Fern Pool in Karijini National Park, he started by saying I was his best friend, he was glad we’d move back to Australia, and how excited he was to be starting this next chapter of our lives together. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the road trip. Also incredibly scared wearing a beautiful piece whilst desert and beach camping. I kept taking it on and off. Nowadays it doesn’t leave my finger. We returned home to share not only our engagement news, but also our pregnancy news with our friends and family. Their reactions were priceless. Talk about settling down! 

We’d love to know why you chose NMJ to help create the perfect engagement ring. How was your experience and how did you end up with the design that you did?

I’d fallen in love with the NMJ designs through Instagram and had saved a few of the engagement rings over the years. All I knew was that I didn’t want a typical diamond engagement ring. I sent Toby a selection of colourful stones by NMJ and it was completely up to him to decide. He chose a pear sapphire with a half halo of diamonds - it is dainty and perfect.

Unbeknown to me at the time, Toby started organising the engagement ring when we were still living in Dublin and it was finished just before we were set to leave. I later found out that he had it sent to his family’s business back home and it sat on the reception bench for a couple of weeks before our return. He also smuggled it on our ‘proposal’ road trip behind the back seats of the ute. Completely oblivious to me and nonchalant of him. 

When it came time to choose a wedding band the NMJ team was amazing with going through all the options. In the end, I enclosed the sapphire with more diamonds - a very Princess Diana inspired piece. Toby chose a classic gold band for himself. 

Gemma wears a custom Rose Ring featuring a larger Sapphire centre stone, and a bespoke crown ring. Toby wears our 4mm Classic Half Round Ring.

You chose to elope in 2021 amongst the breathtaking natural scenes of Upland Farm in Western Australia, tell us a little about your choice to experience this moment, just you two.

A big wedding wasn’t really our thing and even the thought of an intimate wedding seemed too complicated. We chose to commemorate the moment with our daughter Isla and just had our gorgeous videographer and photographer, Holii and Ash, as witnesses. Upland Farm in Denmark is beautiful at any time of the year, but for our summer elopement, we were greeted with sunburnt golden paddocks and the breathtaking backdrop of rolling hills and towering Karri trees. A few months later we had a celebratory backyard party with friends and family. All the fun and none of the formalities.

Tell us about your favourite moment from the day!

Our daughter Isla saying “Dadda” and plucking flowers from my bouquet when we were saying our vows. The sweetest thing!

What do you love most about your life together?

Although I miss our days of travelling overseas and experiencing new places, I know that’s not the season of life we are in now. I love that we are building a beautiful life together in this next phase. A country upbringing for our three children with all of their grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins living in the same town. We have such a great village of people and live in an awesome little pocket of the world. 

We purchased our family home on a picturesque six acre property that we are slowing making our own. With plenty of room for play, growing our own fruits and vegetables, and hopefully in the not-too-distant future some farm animals too. We really are creating a life we don’t need an escape from. 

At NMJ, the heart of everything we do is love. Tough question, but tell us, what do you know about love?

Understanding each other’s love language has allowed us to connect on a deeper level. My love language is acts of service and Toby’s is physical touch. He’s forever pulling me in for a cuddle with kids running around our feet. 

Our love is a coffee in bed, whilst the other tackles the morning routine with kids. Our love is knowing we are a team and both working just as hard to achieve our dreams. Our love is being present and raising our three children together. Our love is letting our inner child out and really enjoying being our silly little selves. Our love isn’t perfect but ever evolving and growing as we mature. I’m so content and happy in the now and genuinely excited to experience this life with Toby by my side. We have a lifetime of love ahead of us. 


Venue: Upland Farm in Denmark, Western Australia.

Celebrant: Sarah Thompson.

Photography and Videography: Holii & Ash.

Florist: Riverdale Farm Albany. 

The Dress: Malo Gown, We Are Mancini.

The Veil: Harriette Gordon.