Hannah + Scott
Hannah + Scott
APRIL 12, 2024
THE BATHS SORRENTO
Scott's vows
I’ll never forget that day in June of 2019, almost 5 years ago. I’m generally confident and comfortable heading into a first date, but something was different this time. Something was in the air, and I was more nervous than I had ever been before. Little did I know, I would be meeting the love of my life, my future wife, and someone I could spend the rest of my life, and share every memory with from that day forward.
What do I love most about you? I think a better question to ask is: what's not to love?! Whether it’s your style, your class, your natural beauty, or your intelligence. I think everyone who knows you can agree that you’ve got it all. I feel like I am punching above my weight everyday waking up next to you. I admire how you manage to put up teaching 150 different teenagers everyday and somehow come home with enough energy for me and Rosie. You’re an absolute bombshell, and I can only hope I make you feel desired and admired like a queen each and everyday as you deserve.
I vow to always be your cheerleader, on the happiest days to make the most of them, and on the saddest days to cheer you up. I vow to build my dreams around yours, and plan a future together we can both get excited about. I vow that with this ring, you’ll never have to face the world alone. I vow, if you give me your hand, Hannah, I will give you mine forever.
I’m excited for our next steps together, mainly because I know it will be the same as now, and already every day with you is a blessing. And as we grow older, and our dynamic changes, I know that we will be growing and changing as a union, always for the better, and putting each other first no matter what.
Love, Scotty x
Hannah's vows
Scott, I love you. From the moment we met I knew you were someone special. You were kind, funny, handsome, and so easy to talk to. Plus you had a really cute dog. Then after only two dates you left for a month holiday but we talked everyday you were gone. I was falling for you fast. I hoped it wasn’t too good to be true. But luckily it was true and has been better than I ever could have imagined. You make me feel happier and more loved than I ever thought possible. I found my person when I found you.
So much has changed since we first met, we have moved houses 3 times, you have bought an apartment, I changed careers, we have been on countless flights and holidays, I have learnt the difference between firmware, hardware, and software, your business has taken off. We have really built a life together. I am so lucky to have you as my cheerleader everyday. I am extremely proud of you and everything you have achieved. Seeing your business go from late night hustling by yourself at home to 7 employees and many successful projects has been amazing. You are so passionate and fearless, I admire you for that. You light up a room when you enter, you wave to all the local business owners down our street, I can leave you anywhere and you will walk away with a new friend. Everyone that meets you loves you. The way you care about your friends and family shows how amazing of a person you are. I know they all love you just as much as I do.
Today, standing in-front of all our loved ones, I choose you. I promise to continue to choose you everyday and always put our relationship first. I promise to listen to you and encourage you. I promise to hold your hand through the highs and lows life will throw at us. I promise to always dance and sing random duets with you. To laugh with you. I promise to always treat you with love, honesty and respect.
I am so happy to be marrying you today. I have no doubt that this is going to be an amazing marriage. How lucky am I that I get to do life with my best friend. I can’t wait to start this next stage of our journey. Though we can’t know exactly what the future holds, what I do know is that no matter where life leads us, if you are by my side, I am where I am meant to be.
Sophie + Johns speech
Sophie: Good Evening everyone, it is great to see so many friendly faces from far and wide to celebrate with Hannah and Scott. It is awesome to be here down and the Mornington Peninsula as I know it is a special place for them with great memories here with friends, family and just the two of them. I’m Sophie, Hannah’s older sister, and I am very privileged to be kicking off the speeches for tonight. So I thought I would start out strong with a joke. These aren’t my strength, so I would like to bring up a professional, the King of Jokes, Poppa John.
Poppa John: I’m Hannah’s Grandfather and it’s my privilege to be here to celebrate the marriage of my lovely dancing Granddaughter, now school teacher, and the clever tech chap, Scott, who we have come to know through his visits to Auckland. Most of my jokes come from incidents that occur, so fortunately we spent last week with Scott and Hannah. We went to your work and saw this sales promotion stuff, and I don’t know whether it was a drinking bottle or a thermos flask, but anyhow. I’ll tell you the story about the Maori boy who goes into the hardware shop in New Zealand. He’s walking around, looking around and he says to the worker “hey bro, what’s that?” he says “that’s a thermos” “oooh” he says “what do thermos’ do?” he says “they keep hot things hot and cold things cold” “oh, I better have one of those”. So he takes it to work the next day and his mate says to him “hey bro, whatdya got?”, he says “I’ve got a thermos”, he says “what does it do?”, he says “it keeps hot things hot and cold things cold”. “Ooh” he says, “whatdya got in there?”. He says “I’ve got two cups of tea and an ice cream”.
Sophie: Thanks Poppa. It has been my honour to be Hannah’s Maid of Honour today. I have been training for this for years as a bridesmaid for many of my friends. I am happy I could bring all of this to you before I retire as a bridesmaid.
Hannah and I are not too far apart in age, but we were never really known as twins. Something I have noticed as we have gotten older is that the risk keeps getting higher of us showing up in the same outfit. Which already happened this trip when she picked us up from the airport. Luckily there was no chance of us showing up in the same outfit today! Hannah met Scott when I was living on the other side of the world and the first thing that springs to mind of my impression of him was fun! He also sounded a bit too good to be true. A tall, blonde, aussie guy, running his own business at a young age with his beautiful princess Rosie who we volunteered with. Like who is this guy?? But that’s just Scott. And turns out he is the perfect man for Hannah.
Hannah and Scott are a great match, adventuring around Victoria, NZ and the world. They are fun to hang out with and have always been great hosts when I have visited them , even when we have taken over their small apartment with our huge suitcases. Welcome officially to the family Scott, you will be a great brother in law, despite skewing family photos by towering a head taller than all of us! And don’t worry, I have already forgiven you for being Australian.
Liam's speech
How I met Scott
Now I’ve known Scott for quite awhile, so long that I don’t remember how exactly we met. In Roma we went to school together, both did music and played in the same footy teams, but Scott and I really started to become closer friends after I left Roma for boarding school. Scott was one of very few who made the effort to keep in touch, chatting over Facebook. I scrolled all the way back through our Facebook messages to have a little look at what we talked about. The very first conversation was making some plans to catch up over the holidays, which fell through, and at the end of Grade 11 Scott complained about all the subjects we were doing, being second best behind John and being worried about what our OPs might be. We talked about what we thought we were going to do at uni and we both wanted to do engineering, and maybe going to Leos would be a good idea.
College is where Scott and I became close friends and it's also where I would say I had the privilege to see Scott really grow into the person he is today. Something we bonded over a lot through grade 12 was our tendency to leave things to the last minute. While we never quite grew out of that, one of the things I’ve admired most about Scott is his drive and passion, not just for his academics but also with friendships. He went from spending a lot of nights through the first year stuck in his room because he was only 17, then by third year being involved in just about every sport at college, volunteering for Vinnies, and being an RA.
At the end of 2018 Scott had enough of Brisbane and wanted to get a fresh start somewhere, so he moved to Melbourne. He'd picked up a client at his first job and Scott loved showing me the prototypes he was coming up with.
Around that time was also when he met Hannah. Now having gone back through my messages, I could see the first thing Scott said to me about Hannah, nothing too much, just that she was amazing and he was seeing her nearly everyday. I knew then that they had something special.
Now what I probably shouldn’t mention is that instead of telling me all about her, he was more interested in spending the rest of the conversation that night talking about the latest circuit board design. Since then Scott has built both that business doing something he loves and his love of his life with Hannah into something truly special. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Scott happier than these years together with you, Hannah, so thank you for being that person for Scott.
On that I’d like to raise a toast as I wish many many more years of that happiness for you both, as you continue the great adventure of life hand in hand, so please raise your glasses to Mr and Mrs Scott and Hannah Williams.
Parents of the Groom
As the Mother & Father of the Groom, it is both our privilege and pleasure to stand before you on this beautiful occasion, a day filled with joy, love, and promise. Today, we celebrate the union of two wonderful individuals, but also welcome a new chapter in their lives together.
Firstly, I would like to express a heartfelt welcome to Hannah into our family. From the moment you stepped into our lives your warmth, kindness, and genuine spirit resonated with all of us. You have brought an abundance of happiness into Scott’s life and for that we are so grateful. Your presence has enriched our family and today we embrace you not just as Scott’s partner but as a cherished member of our family & may I say Hannah, tonight you look beautiful. Turning my attention to our son Scott, words fall short when we attempt to encapsulate the immense pride and love we hold for you. From your earliest days you always have pursued your passions with determination and a strong moral compass guiding your way. Witnessing the man you have become is one of our life’s greatest joys. Your achievements particularly in starting your own business, stands as a testament to your hard work, resilience, and unwavering spirit. You tackled challenges with grace and emerged stronger, building something from the ground up. Your journey inspires not just me but everyone around you. You have always put family and loved ones at the heart of everything you do, it is this quality that I believe will make you an incredible partner to Hannah. Hannah and Scott as you stand on the threshold of a shared future know that love and support of your family accompany you both. May your journey together be filled with love, laughter, and endless moments of joy. Cherish each other, respect each other, and never forget the love that brought you together.
Raise your glasses in a toast to the Bride and Groom. Hannah and Scott may your lives together be blessed with prosperity, happiness and love that continues to grow stronger with each year passing.
Bretts Speech
Firstly, I would like to say thank you to our friends and family who have travelled over the ditch for this celebration. It means a lot to Jo and I to be able to share this great day with you. Also thanks to Chris and Tom for providing the Groom, who is necessary for this part of the marriage. Although Scott, just a heads up, you are not so necessary for the rest of the marriage.
Now I need to say some things about Hannah, certainly been a few ups and downs over the years being Hannah’s Parents. Hannah started talking about the same time she started walking and she never stopped. Certainly the loudest in our family- Cameron didn’t talk until he was about 2 ½ and we wondered if there was something wrong with him, but he just had to wait that long to get a word in. Hannah had her own opinions about things and was always convinced she was right- you could never get away with do it because I said so, peas could not be eaten as could get stuck in the throat bringing a choking death or some other medical catastrophe- if you chose to debate something with Hannah you had to bring your A game or you would be outdone by a small kid and feel kinda stupid.
Once, we brought Hannah a new mountain bike and I was riding with her trying to teach her to change gear with little success, nothing to do with the rider- obviously the manufacturer had little idea what they were doing and made a faulty bike, she argued with such passion that she rode straight into a lamppost without noticing, faulty bike was thrown, Hannah stomped away- and I walked two bikes home. Now I don’t want to sound like there were arguments all the time as there were plenty of laughs along the way as well. Hannah from a young age loved to dance and took up theatre, which was a good outlet for her verbal abilities, and it became her passion- and she turned out to be pretty good at it.
Although talkative, Hannah was never a showoff or trying to be centre of attention and was a bit shy- but put her on a stage and an inner confidence would come out that was breathtaking and the number of proud Dad moments easily blow away all those silly arguments over the years- love you so much. Hannah has now turned her focus to teaching and I am sure she will be great at that aswell, good luck to those kids who want to outsmart the teacher. Scott, it’s great to have you joining our family, you are so fortunate that you will now be receiving the correct advise on things just as the rest of us have done over the years.
In conclusion, if I can offer some marriage advice, I would say make sure you stay connected and share everything together. As being a couple, you have so much more power to tackle the challenges that life throws at you. It’s a bit of an old cliche but when you are with the right person it makes you a better person- certainly is the case for me.
Jo-Anne's Speech
I’d like to start by acknowledging Hannah’s grandparents who sadly are no longer with us. Maureen, my Mum, who would have loved every minute of being part of Hannah’s big day, and Colin, Brett’s Dad, who would have been proud to watch another granddaughter walk down the aisle.
Hannah was always a top student, with maths and science being her best subjects. So it was no surprise that her physics teacher was expecting her to follow in the footsteps of her dad and sister and study engineering. Her response to this was “no way there are already too many engineers in this family” (Cam obviously didn’t feel the same way). So it seems in this family you either have to be and engineer or marry one.
She chose to go in the complete opposite direction and went to performing arts school in Perth. As you can imagine it was extremely hard as parents to help your 18 year old, straight from school, pack up and move to another country, a 7hr flight away from home. It is however, a choice which has given her so many amazing experiences and memories, including a year living in Paris performing at Disneyland. She has made so many wonderful friends, many who have travelled to be here today.
Over the years we have had many great holidays together with Hannah and Scott both in New Zealand and Australia. Scott always easily fits into our often loud and chaotic family, luckily he is not the shy retiring type. He’s always keen to join in any activities we have planned and is easy going and fun to have around. An added bonus for us is that by marrying into our family, he will increase our average height by at least 2 metres. We can no longer be known as the family of little people. Welcome to the family Scott, I too forgive you for being Australian!
Bride and Groom
Hannah: Thank you all for coming today. It means so much to us knowing how far some of you have travelled to be here.
Scott: Thank you to our close friends, our family, and our bridal party who contributed today in so many ways – it would not have been possible without you all.
Hannah: Thank you to The Baths for making our day perfect. The moment we saw this place we knew this was where we wanted to get married.
Scott: Thank you to all our other vendors for their support today - helping to bring everything together, capturing every special moment, and very soon keeping the dancefloor pumping.
Hannah: I would like to thank my family for making the journey from NZ to be here with us today. Having you all here means so much to us and makes the day so special. I want to call out a special mention to my parents, you have taught me so much and have always supported me throughout my life. I feel so lucky to have you both as parents and as role models. You have made me the person I am today. Thank you for your guidance, sacrifices, and always believing in me. Chris, Tom, and all of Scott’s family, I would like to thank you for always being so kind and welcoming. It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know all of you throughout the years. I am so blessed to be officially part of the family today.
Scott: To Mum & Dad, I hope you have enjoyed this evening as much as I have. Your fat little blonde boy is all grown up – and hopes he has made you proud. The older I get, the more I enjoy spending every minute I can with you and tonight is certainly no exception. With that said, it means I’ll be expecting you both on the dance floor for at least 1 song. To Jo & Brett, I could not have asked for more welcoming in-laws. Despite our differences – mainly just our height – and what rules to follow when playing a game of pool – I’ve felt a part of the family since day 1. I knew I was in safe hands when you kindly invited me over to New Zealand to meet you all after only dating Hannah for 3 weeks. Jokes aside, I’m looking forward to what the future holds for us across the ditch and I know we’ll have your support in every decision we make.
Hannah: My new husband Scotty, thank you for being you. You make everything we do together fun, and planning today was no different.
Scott: To my wife, thank you for putting your heart and soul into such a beautiful day for our guests. I enjoyed every minute planning it with you, even when my ideas kept getting turned down.
Hannah: So, with all that said, we kindly ask if you join us in one final toast for this evening. Scott: A toast: to love, to laughter, - and to happily ever after.
(Here’s to a life full of love and a love full of life.)
madewithloveby
keepsake.
