When Stephanie was offered the opportunity take an international work assignment, she thought her dreams of meeting Mr. Right were over. She would be forever married to her career. At the beginning, it seemed to be heading in that direction. Japan, while it is a lovely country with many opportunities for adventure and cultural growth, simply did not offer the ‘type’ of man Stephanie was looking for.

Roughly a year later, Stephanie was relocated to Darwin, Australia. Soon after arriving, Steph met Joe at a local restaurant known for its romantic atmosphere and yummy fish and chips. Joe was blown away with Stephanie’s beauty, sharp wit and apparent intelligence. Stephanie was intrigued by Joe’s sense of humor, brawn and vast knowledge of random facts. They decided to see each other again the following day and headed to Litchfield National Park. Joe prepared a lovely picnic lunch including wine and lots of carbs, sure to impress Steph! Steph amazed Joe with her quick adaptation to driving a manual ute on the wrong side of the road, with a Wild Turkeyin her hand.

A few months later, Steph’s parents came to visit her in Darwin. They quickly took to the young Australian just as their daughter had. Joe decided it was time to ask Steph’s dad for her hand in marriage. He figured the best way to approach it was to take the old mate hunting, and hunting they did! Steph’s dad shot a 800 + kilo water buffalo on that trip and when Joe approached him about marriage, his response was “yeah, sure, whatever, give me that rifle” or something along those lines.

A year to the day of their first date, Joe summoned up the nerve to ask Stephanie to marry him. He planned a scenic helicopter tour, sunset dinner on a deserted beach, and used a few random John Wayne facts in the process to ensure she said yes! Even nature seemed to be on his side when a wallaby emerged from the trees at just the right moment.

With “a goal, a love and a dream”, Joe and Steph are excited to enter the world of marriage. They are incredibly honored and blessed to have each of you in their lives, supporting this very important moment. They look forward to sharing this and many more happy memories with all of you!!