***Fun fact: this photo was taken the night that Josh and Kelly met!***
Josh and Kelly’s love story began at the Mint Nightclub in Perth, back in 2020. Depending who you ask, you will get different versions of this story. What the pair can both agree on is that Josh’s persistence and resilience is what lead to this beautiful fairy tale.
After a night of dancing (and snogging), Kelly disappeared to “go to the bathroom”. Josh waited patiently before asking Kelly’s friend to go and check on her, as she had been gone a while. After a brief casing of the venue, she returned to say “She has ghosted – she does this all the time”. Despite being left with no contact details or promise of seeing each other again, Josh managed to get Kelly’s number and send a text message – to which she replied “Thank you, next.”
This is where the persistence and resilience kicks in! within 24 hours Josh had secured agreement on their first official date – lunch at the Peach Pit in Scarborough.Kelly accepted the invitation with only one query… “What is your name?”.
After the whirlwind that was the initial meeting, Josh and Kelly attended their first date with very little to go on. Josh, ever diligent, arrived 5 minutes early and waited out the front of the agreed venue, intent on not being distracted or looking at his phone for when Kelly arrived.
Kelly, ever tardy, arrived 15 minutes late – leaving Josh worried that he was being set up!
She got there eventually and distinctly recalls her first thoughts upon seeing Josh again (remembering very little from their first encounter): “Tall. Handsome. Well done, drunk Kel!”.The lunch date evolved to a 6-hours afternoon-to-evening- date with lots and lots of laughter and banter. Most importantly, ending with a kiss and a “I’d love to see you again”.
The rest, is history!
Like most of Josh and Kelly’s love story chronicles, the proposal did not quite go as planned.
Being the chivalrous gentleman that he is, Josh had planned to ask Kelly’s Dad (Andrew) for his blessing to propose. As if this wasn’t nerve-wracking enough on its own, it also so happened that Josh (borrowing Andrew’s car whist the pair were visiting Perth) had a mishap and had scratched the car!
After breaking the news to him about the car (and after a few beers), Josh still mustered up the courage to ask for Andrew’s blessing in marrying his daughter. “No worries” Andrew said. (Phew!)
A few months later when talking to his Mum (Kerry), Josh shared the good news that he was planning a proposal and had already spoken to Kelly’s Dad.
They say “Talking isn’t necessarily communicating” and that was clearly the case here. Josh’s Mum, in her excitement, messaged Kelly just a few hours later offering her congratulations “Mike and I are THRILLED!” she said. Well, at that point, Kelly was also thrilled as she danced down the stairs to show Josh the message.
This kept Josh on his toes with Kelly’s relentless questioning and snooping in regards to when he would pop the question!
As it were, Josh planned to propose on their anniversary – so obvious that she would never suspect it! He had planned a candle-lit string cortet concert, followed by a beautiful dinner and a romantic walk through Brisbane’s “Fairy Trees” (which would be were he got down on one knee). The key word here being “planned”.
At 12 noon that day, an announcement was released that Brisbane would be going into lockdown at 4pm – just four hours later.
“F%!k! Why couldn’t they lock us down at midnight – like they usually do!?” Josh exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, love. We will be able to reschedule, everyone else with tickets and bookings will be in the same boat”. Little did she know that Josh was stressing about much more than getting a refund on concert tickets.
Like Bear Grills, Josh had to #improvise #adapt #overcome. "We can still get dressed up, I'll make us dinner and we can stay at home."
Dressed to the nines, Kelly came downstairs to find the living room littered with candles and a beautiful home cooked meal (along with a bottle of French Champagne). After a beautiful evening of drinking, eating and reminiscing, Kelly said: "I'm knackered. Bed time for us!".
Josh, with the quest not yet complete, said "No, no - we can't go to bed without a dance".
He put on "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the pair danced around the living room. Towards the end of the song, Josh reached behind the couch where he had hid the ring box, got down on one knee and said "Will you marry me?".