Tristan wins race to propose 6000 metres above sea level

By:
Rebecca Crozier
/
Updated on: March 16, 2022

“I still remember the first time I saw him wearing a long leather jacket and dark glasses and thinking to myself, this guy takes The Matrix way too seriously.

“No-one was more surprised than me when he turned out to be the most incredible person that I have ever known.”

These are the words of 30-year-old Victorian bride Kirsty Sherelle of her unlikely soul mate Tristan McArdle, 31.

It turns out the pair had so much in common they married in a highly personalised, outdoor wedding inspired by adventure and nature on December 7, 2013.

The travel-themed nuptials followed a race to propose in which Tristan came first but they were both the winner. On a 2012 adventure to Africa, they’d separately planned to pop the question, with Kirsty teeing up a romantic end-of-trip dinner by the Zambezi River.

It was Tristan’s dizzying proposal that came first however, at a near 6000 metres above sea level, on top of Mount Kilimanjaro after a six-day hike. The thin air was not the only element making the lovebirds giddy that day.

Surrounded by postcard-perfect scenery, Kirsty and Tristan exchanged handwritten vows at Victoria’s Cave Hill Creek, a school camp site they’d both attended as kids, located between their hometowns Ballarat and Horsham. A nearby waterfall was chosen for a ‘first-look’ which “helped us both to relax and made the rest of the day more enjoyable,” says Kirsty.

At the end of the reception in which 90 guests were treated to a sword-fight/rumba mash-up, the exhilarated couple retreated to the honeymoon suite – a safari tent complete with fairy lights and a midnight picnic.

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The bride wore Essense of Australia from Fairytales Bridal Boutique. It was a lace fit-and-flare silhouette complete with mocha waist sash.

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During the ceremony, Kirsty and Tristan followed an historic Australian tradition of throwing stones into the water to represent their commitment to each other throughout life’s ebbs and flows.

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Of Whitepoint Photography Kirsty praises, “Carmen and David were amazing. They were so relaxed and part of the day that most of our guests thought they were old family friends.”

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Guests were gifted with recipe books containing recipes from both families as well as the couple’s own.

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Photos courtesy of Whitepoint Photography.