OUR STORY:
Some of you may know a lot, others perhaps not-so-much about our story so far. We will no doubt cover a lot of that on the big day, but for now:
You probably know that:
•Matt is an Aussie and Nat is South African.
•We met in Dubai, and live with our furry dependent, Maverick-the world’s cutest (and craziest) cocker spaniel.
•After we got engaged, 2023 felt like too long to wait to get married. We are very grateful that our parents (and Nat's brother Bryce!) trekked across the seas to meet each other for the first time and be with us when we officially tied the knot at a church in Jebel Ali, Dubai, in April '22.
Things that you might not know:
•Matt was Nat’s very first (and only) Tinder date.
•As a result of the online dating horror stories that Nat had heard, she had a strict 3 strike system in place from the start and Matt quickly notched up 2 strikes:
1. He owned a bright red Porsche which, for a farm girl from Tzaneen, was a bright red flag!
2. After scheduling their third date at a theme park the day after a ‘PSS’ stag night out, try as he might, Matt was unable to hide how hungover he was (including a few mock charges), ultimately resulting in Nat pulling the pin on Part 2 of the date that she had organised.
•Around her birthday in 2020, Nat was feeling particularly homesick during lockdown. Matt surprised her by putting together a video from her friends and family (who he hadn't even met yet!) along with framed pictures of the farm she grew up on. Cue the waterworks and serious brownie points!
•Our first overseas trip was to Lebanon for Matt’s 30th with a great crew of 'Dubai Fam' friends and was quite eventful. Nat missed her original flight (the first and only time in her life), and so the birthday boy, who was already in Lebanon, booked the only seat available on 1 hours’ notice -Emirates business class! After Nat’s luxury journey, the Dubai Fam crew landed in Beirut to a people‘s uprising in Lebanon; complete with burning tyre barricades, protests in the street and army presence all over town. Despite the fact that almost every bar was closed, we still had a belter of a time on a weekend we will never forget.
•We both come from big families; Matt the eldest of 7 children and Nat the middle child of 5. While we love all of our siblings and are excited to start a family of our own, we don't plan on trying to emulate our parents' efforts so please take it easy on wishing us "kinders by dosyne!"
There are plenty of other stories, to be shared another day!