Date: Oct. 24
Her story: Catherine Connelly, 29, was born in Baltimore and grew up in Fallston. She is an auditory neuroscientist finishing up her doctorate in Sydney. Her parents, Carla Connelly and Joseph Connelly, live in Fallston.
His story: Jacob Graham, 31, was born in Burra, South Australia, and grew up in Wyee in the New South Wales area of Australia. Jacob has a carpentry business in the Sydney area. His parents, Rhona Graham and Christopher Graham, live in the Central Coast region of Australia.
Their story: Catherine moved to Sydney four years ago when the neuroscience professor she was working with at the Johns Hopkins University relocated there and offered her a job.
While there, she met Jacob on the dating website Plenty of Fish.
"It was an ideal way for me — a busy scientist new to Sydney — to meet new people," Catherine said. "I certainly never expected to meet my now-husband. In fact, I didn't expect anything at all from the ... site, but it worked out fabulously."
Both agree that it was love at first sight.
"We started chatting and laughing the day we met, and it hasn't stopped since," she said.
They live in an apartment in a suburb of Sydney.
The proposal: Jacob proposed on July 23 last year in the apartment they had just moved into.
"He completely caught me off guard," Catherine recalled. "He took a knee, and my answer was, of course, a happy and tearful yes."
Before the proposal, Jacob called up Catherine's father via Skype to ask for his permission to propose to Catherine.
"Thank goodness for Skype," she said. "My father was very flattered."
Venue: Fifty guests attended the wedding and reception, which was held at a home in Lower Macdonald, New South Wales. Because Catherine and Jacob grew up in rural settings, they agreed they wanted their wedding to be out of the city and in the "Aussie bush."
The couple were married on a forested hill that overlooked a branch of the Hawkesbury River.
"The landscape where we married was absolutely stunning," Catherine said.
Flowers and decor: The wedding featured a handmade arch crafted from local paperbark trees and accented with flowers, chiffon and fallow deer antlers. The seating benches, ice chest and other table decorations were made from fresh pine by Jacob and his father. Jacob also made cornhole boards, adorned with wooden cutouts of Australia and the United States, for guests to use for the beanbag-toss game.
"We wanted to keep our wedding casual with a rustic feel, and this venue was perfect," Catherine said.
The colors of the wedding were dusty pink, lilac, beige and brown. The flowers were done by Nina and Harmony Cameron at Flowerz By Us.
Her dress: Catherine wore a bohemian-style dress by Israeli designer Orit Barzelai. Her necklace was made from melted gold from some of her grandparents' jewelry.
Bridesmaids' attire: The bridesmaids wore dresses of their choice in dusty pink, as well as flower crowns they made.
Men's attire: Jacob and the groomsmen wore beige vests with dress shirts, dark-blue jeans, gray ties and brown dress shoes. All items were made and bought in Australia. Their boutonnieres, which were made by Catherine from pheasant and duck feathers, were accented with baby's breath.
Music: The couple did not have a typical first dance. Instead, the bridal party walked down the aisle as Jacob played an acoustic guitar song he wrote for Catherine.
"We liked this unique touch because Jacob is an avid guitar player," Catherine said.
Additional music at the reception came from a playlist preselected by the couple.
Food and dessert: The reception featured a family-style barbecue. The meats were cooked on a large spit by a friend of Jacob's family. Homemade salads and sides were also served. For a touch of her Baltimore roots, Catherine made sure Old Bay was available on the condiments table.
The couple served a rustic-style cake made by local baker Amanda Holman. It had three tiers — one vanilla, one caramel and one flavored with orange and poppy seeds — with a white buttercream frosting.
Favors: The couple handed out ingredients to make s'mores over the fire pit at the venue. The treat also tied in with the couple's last name: Graham.
Special touches: The couple plan to trek through Asia to Europe for their honeymoon before moving to America in mid-2016. The couple did not hire a professional photographer because many of their friends and family are "talented photographers," Catherine said.
