Words: Elissa Friday Pictures: Rebecca Hosking
A Melbourne girl, a European boy – and now a life together on the Surf Coast…
Hugh Marc Best and Deborah Ellen Campbell’s Aireys Inlet Wedding
Where they grew up
Deb was raised in the suburbs of Melbourne.
“My parents have had a place in Aireys Inlet since 1990 and we have been taking trips there since the early 1980s, because my great-aunt previously owned the house her parents now have,” Deb says.
“Hugh was born and raised in Amsterdam, his Mum’s family are from Yorkshire, UK, and he spent many summers there while growing up.
“He has a strong connection to his British side as well,” she says.
How they met
Hugh and Deb met in Amsterdam in 2008 when she was living there for a year. They both attended a Toastmasters meeting, “our one and only”, and hit it off just as friends.
“Hugh will be the first to tell you that he would’ve liked something more but alas, I was not available,” Deb says.
Deb moved back to Australia in 2009 and Hugh moved to Canada in 2010 and they stayed friends.
“If communicating every now and then via Facebook can be counted as friends,” she says.
“We finally got together in 2014 while I was still in Melbourne but planning a trip overseas,” she says.
Hugh was living in Geneva, Switzerland, by this point and they began their relationship via Whatsapp messages and Face-time calls, while living on opposite sides of the planet, she says.
“I visited Hugh in March 2015 and moved there in July 2015.”
The proposal
“On an earlier trip to Australia in March 2016, Hugh had asked my father for permission – this was a tradition that was very important to him,” Deb says.
In April 2016 they had already organised a trip to Venice and Hugh decided to use this opportunity to propose.
“Italy was one of the first places we went to on holiday together, so it holds some wonderful memories.
“We were there from Thursday night until Sunday and Hugh proposed after lunch on the Friday.
“He chose possibly the busiest bridge in Venice to do it – the bridge from which you can see the Bridge of Sighs – and got down on one knee in the hot sun, after having carried around his jacket all day (with the ring inside) in hotter than normal April temperatures.
“He did his best to incorporate elements from my all-time favourite book series, Anne of Green Gables, by proposing on a bridge and talking about my ’carrot-like’ hair even though I am blonde. Points for effort,” Deb says.
The wedding planning
Deb and Hugh started planning the wedding in June 2016 from Geneva, Switzerland.
“We decided early on that we wanted to do it in Australia and I eventually chose Aireys Inlet as the venue because I have always loved the area and it has such a strong connection to my family,” she says.
Their original plan was to hold the ceremony at the lighthouse but this was eventually changed to Deb’s parents’ backyard.
“My mum was massively helpful in helping find everyone from our photographer to the person who did my hair.
“Without her help, everything would’ve been 10 times harder as we flew in just 10 days before the wedding and were doing everything else via Skype with a 10-hour time difference,” she says.
“Mum and Dad also did our food and wine tasting,” she says.
Deb put together a video for their wedding invitation.
Hens and bucks party
Deb had a low-key lunch a week before the wedding with close female friends and family at the Ripponlea Estate in Melbourne.
“Hugh’s two groomsmen surprised him with four days in Tasmania.
“They flew in early from overseas to meet him and I dropped him off at an airport hotel in Melbourne after having packed his suitcase without his knowing,” she says.
“Then they flew into Launceston and went to Cradle Mountain, Wineglass Bay, Port Arthur and Hobart.”
The dress
“My dress is white lace with a tulle underlay and was made by a designer in Leicester, England,” she says.
Deb also wore a long veil with lace trim.
“I bought my dress at a boutique in Dublin, Ireland – my sister lives there so she accompanied me on a two-day shopping tour to try and find the right one,” Deb says.
Deb hadn’t had done any research beforehand and didn’t know what she wanted, but as soon as she tried this one on, she knew.
“I had that magical ’bride moment’ where I just knew it was the right one.”
Bridesmaids
Deb’s bridesmaids were her sister Merrilyn Campbell, who flew over from Ireland, also her sister-in-law Kristian Campbell, who lives in Melbourne.
“They both wore long blue dresses, my favourite colour,” Deb says.
Groomsmen
Both groomsmen flew in from Amsterdam for the wedding.
“Hugh’s best man was Francesco Gianni who is also Hugh’s closest friend since they were babies.
“Their mothers were best friends and so they grew up together and have remained close friends ever since,” she says.
“The second groomsman, Inaki Genovesi, is a close friend of Hugh’s from university.”
The ceremony
“The ceremony was held in my parents’ backyard,” Deb says.
The couple had 67 guests. Guests had flown in from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Amsterdam and London to attend.
“Our celebrant was Nettie Hulme,” she says.
Some of her girlfriends created a temporary aisle using bamboo sticks, flowers and tulle.
“I walked down the aisle with my father to Christina Perri’s ’A Thousand Years’ and we had a short ceremony with two readings,” she says.
“I and the bridesmaids carried absolutely gorgeous floral bouquets from Great Ocean Road Flowers and my flower girl was my niece, Ellie Campbell, who threw rose petals as she walked down the aisle.”
Photography
Deb and Hugh’s wedding photographs were taken by photographer Rebecca Hosking.
“Rebecca Hosking did an absolutely magnificent job,” Deb says.
“We took pictures of friends and family in the backyard immediately following the ceremony and then the bridal party drove up to the lighthouse to take shots inside and on the top of the lighthouse,” she explains.
The engagement
“We were engaged for eight months, didn’t have an engagement party and were living in Geneva for most of this time,” she says.
Shortly before the couple married they moved from Geneva to Amsterdam and then flew onto Australia for the wedding – “a rather hectic couple of weeks”.
The rings
“The rings are by Georg Jensen in Copenhagen,” Deb says.
“Hugh’s ring is also from Georg Jensen and is a simple platinum band and mine is white gold with diamond brilliants,” Deb explains.
“We visited Copenhagen at the end of 2015 and Hugh already knew that he wanted to propose and so when we wandered into the Georg Jensen store and I happened upon a unique design of an engagement ring set inside the wedding ring, he took note,” Deb says.
“After receiving permission from her dad, Hugh then ordered it to be delivered to Geneva from the store in Copenhagen.
“Of course, he got the size very wrong and it had to be exchanged after he proposed – he had secretly had it measured against another ring I own that was actually for my index finger,” she says.
The wedding reception
The wedding reception was held in the bistro of the Aireys Pub.
The couple had “simple mason jar and flower centrepieces” surrounded by tea lights. The colour scheme was blush pink, blue, silver and white.
“I cannot speak more highly of the staff and the food – both were excellent.
“We had a two-man band (the James Sidebottom Duo) who played in the background during dinner and then got almost everyone up on the dance floor once the formalities were over – including my dad who never dances,” she says.
“We had short speeches by me, Hugh, the best man, Hugh’s mum and both my parents, and my dad read out one of his own poems as he is a writer.”
The wedding cake
Deb and Hugh chose cupcakes.
“Half of which were decorated with flags representing our three different backgrounds – Australian, Dutch and English,” she says.
“It was delicious and made by Sweet Designs in Geelong.”
A second wedding celebration
“We are having a second wedding celebration in two weeks in Ilkley, Yorkshire. It will be a fun and relaxed chance to celebrate with the friends and family who couldn’t make it to the first one,” Deb says.
“I will wear my dress again and we will have a mock ceremony with one of Hugh’s actor friends pretending to marry us, followed by a lunch.”
