After two proposals and three date changes, Harriet and Amanda finally had their dream wedding

It was 2013 when the pair first met through a dating app, and they quickly fell in love. “We went through all of the things together — coming out to my family, new jobs, loss of loved ones, moving in together and moving house,” says 31-year-old Harriet, who grew up in the Riverina region of New South Wales. The couple, now both working as public servants in Canberra, spent their lives together for most of their twenties and campaigned heavily for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia. “It was a tough and traumatic time for our community and us, knowing that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together as wives, if allowed,” exp­lains Amanda, 35, originally from Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.

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When the legislation passed in late 2017, Harriet started to plan her proposal to Amanda and finally popped the question about a year later. “I had the ring stashed in my sock drawer for a while,” recalls Harriet. She wanted to talk to Amanda’s dad Robert before she proposed. “Asking for permission from the father of the bride didn’t feel right but telling my in-laws how much I loved Amanda and letting them know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her did.”

Harriet took Amanda on a series of mini dates to recreate all their firsts, going back to the places they visited at the beginning of their relationship. At the end of the day, Harriet arranged a picnic — which had to be relocated to their living room floor as it was pouring with rain — and asked Amanda to marry her. “I didn’t expect to be proposed to at home in my trackies, but looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing,” says Amanda. Harriet wanted a proposal, too, so a few months later Amanda took her down to the local park on a sunny Saturday with a newspaper, takeaway coffees and pastries, and asked Harriet the same question.

They planned to marry in 2020, but the pandemic had other ideas.

After three date changes, the women finally wed in front of 70 guests on 14 April this year at a property owned by Harriet’s parents, Bernard and Diana Whyte, outside Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Weekends spent with the broader Whyte family in the garden of the property are some of the couple’s favourite memories, so it was a natural choice as a venue. “Harriet’s parents put so much work into preparing their home and garden,” says Amanda. “Our bridal party also stayed for a week before the big day so we could all chip in with the final touches.”

For the Cameron-Whytes, it really was their dream day. “Seeing all our family and friends together in a place so special to us, getting to know each other and making new friends while celebrating our love was an unforgettable experience,” says Harriet.

While starting a family together is on the cards in the not-so-distant future, if you ask Harriet and Amanda about their plans, the answer is simple: keep on loving each other.

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