I asked Australian couples to share their unique love stories
In partnership with Pandora
Words by Mia Harrison
Dedicated to all the warm, gooey parts of being in love.
When it comes to our love lives, it seems we’re less inclined to share all that’s going great. Most of the time when I’m with my friends, we’ll reference our partners if there are concerns or problems to moan about, but rarely do we take time to celebrate the little things that make our relationships unique. This year, I want to make more of an effort to talk about the people I love when there’s good news to share.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and there’s really no better time I can think of than now to start sharing with your loved ones (and the world, if that’s your thing) what makes your love story special.
Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.
Pandora wants to help you celebrate these idiosyncrasies. The 2023 collection is dedicated to all the warm, gooey parts of being in love, with pieces for this Valentine’s season that are designed to be ‘as unique as your love’. In an effort to start spreading the love before this coming Valentine’s Day, we spoke to three creative couples and asked what ‘unique love’ meant to them.
Aki, she/her, 27 and Danushka, he/him, 25
Aki: Danushka and I have loved each other since 2017. We met at an art gallery and have stuck together ever since. Danushka is an incredibly clever artist and stylist… I love him for his vision, his work ethic and his kind heart.
Danushka: Aki has a kind spirit, curiosity for life and fearless intention to express her ideas; she has an incredibly untameable imagination and creativity. From illustrations to sounds to how her bedroom is constantly an evolving pile of clothes, [she is] building her universe. She is as unique as the love we have for each other, I love seeing her grow through the journey.
Aki: We are both creative at our core; our love is based around uplifting each other with our endeavours and giving each other space to create. We understand each other’s drive to pursue our dreams. Unique love means learning to love one another, sometimes unconventionally. Danushka and I don’t live together (probably because of my messy room) but we feel it only makes the moments we spend together that much more special.
Tinika, she/her, 28 and Maya, they/them, 28
Black, queer love in itself is radical and extremely liberating, and our love speaks true to that. To us, our unique love means more than the average. Our love is an act of rebellion, a political stance and a celebration of the parts of ourselves society tries to make us hide. It is enduring, unfiltered and gloriously intense.
We have moved through the most transformative times of our lives together and survived, because our core foundation was built so solidly from when we were fresh 21-year-olds meeting, trying to figure out who we were in the world and also who we were as a couple. We didn’t grow up witnessing love that ‘looked’ like ours, and in our adult life, it’s been super important to us to define what our love looks like to us, without imposed expectations or limitations.
Yannick, he/him, 28 and Cheyenne, she/her, 24
Yannick: Cheyenne is not only the love of my life but my best friend. We can sit talking for hours laughing until our ribs get tough, as well as in silence being content in each other’s company, just knowing the other is there. In the time I have shared with Cheyenne, I have seen myself grow into my authentic self – being able to be more self-reliant as well as loving, empathetic and compassionate. The love we have is special and I look forward to each new day to watch it grow.
Cheyenne:
Our love is unique.
Two goofballs with a heartbeat.
Together we sing.
I look forward to when you ring.
You’re the first and last thing I see.
God, you mean so much to me.
My dreams have come true.
Because it’s just us two.
Life feels like I’m in heaven.
That we even got a dog and named it Seven.
@cheyenne.birch
@yannickogeorge
If you’ve been inspired to celebrate what makes your love unique, check out Pandora’s Valentine’s Day collection here.
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