Brooklynn and Dane in the Jones Dress

Dane and Brooklynn’s story began the way the best ones often do, unexpectedly and all at once. Two weeks after they met, Dane told Brooklyn his lease was coming to an end. She offered for him to stay “until he found his next place,” secretly hoping he would simply stay for good. As it turned out, Dane had the same idea. His “lease” was really just a room in his best mate’s house, no formal agreement to speak of. Those few weeks turned into forever.  

Both surfers with a shared love of the ocean, the couple were on a surf trip to remote Sumbawa when Dane proposed. On an early morning walk along a stretch of white sand, with not another soul in sight, Brooklynn had no reason to suspect a thing. Dane had kept the ring loose in his boardshorts pocket the entire walk, a quiet risk that paid off, and got down on one knee to ask her to spend forever with him. Easy, laid back and effortless, exactly the way they do everything together. 

Brooklynn and Dane chose Orua Beach House in the Coromandel, a beautiful beachside estate large enough to fit both of their families, which mattered because they hadn’t actually met yet. Brooklynn is from the US and Dane from New Zealand, and after eight years living between Bali and Australia, there hadn’t been a natural time to bring everyone together. Their wedding became that moment, so they built the whole week around it, giving everyone time to actually become family, rather than simply attending a ceremony.  

 What no one knew was that the couple had already been married for a year. They eloped quietly, just the two of them, and chosen a new last name together, before a single invitation was sent. They both saved revelations for the ceremony itself. The shock across the room, followed by the joy right behind it, was a moment their families will talk about for years to come. Starting their wedding day with a full year of marriage already behind them felt less like a beginning and more like a confirmation of something they already knew to be true. 

Brooklynn has been following Grace Loves Lace for the past decade, and all throughout her twenties she dreamed of becoming a Grace bride. So when she got engaged, ours was the only boutique on her list. Jones was the very first dress she tried, and the sample fit her like it was made for her alone. She teared up instantly, her mother and sister standing beside her doing the same. She tried on a few more dresses after, just to be sure, but she knew Jones was the one.  

“It felt extremely symbolic to finally have my Grace moment, in my dream dress, married just two weeks before my 30th birthday! Wrapping up my twenties and feeling like I truly manifested that moment was such a special turn of chapter for me. It was the easiest appointment of my life and I truly feel like that dress was made for me.”