Adrian and Harry wanted nothing more for their wedding than a dinner party vibe. “We wanted a casual styled wedding, like a group of friends getting together for a meal and some wine.” And with a stunning venue overlooking Sydney Harbour, plenty of champagne and photographer Same Love Photography they managed to pull off just that! If you’re looking to be inspired by a day filled with laughter? This is the story!

The couple almost didn’t meet, explains Adrian. “We actually met in a very modern way, online. I had just joined the site and Harry was about to leave as he hadn’t met anyone…. I was the last attempt.” And because these two have all the stories, there is not one proposal tale, but two says, Adrian! “I had proposed many years earlier in Bangkok (they actually had an alcohol ban in place, that didn’t help). But after marriage equality came to be, I proposed again. Felt like I should. I did it at Est restaurant, they were great and apparently the first same-sex wedding proposal since the law was changed.”

Just like the rest of the wedding, the grooms kept their look casual. “We both wore chinos, blazers and ties” explains Adrian. “The only matching component we’re our shirts and shoes. We didn’t want to go to formal. The colours were meant to complement each other.”

“My sister, Harry’s best female friend, my two nieces and my nephew were our wedding party” says Adrian. “All of the girls wore green, my nephew kind of looked like us.”

Adrian and Harry chose the harbourside venue of Q Station, Manly for their wedding, Adrian telling “We’d been to Q Station quite a few times to stay, do the ghost tours. Also, their restaurant is great. Being able to get married in Sydney Harbour in such a stunning surrounding sealed the deal.” Although, not everything went entirely to plan. “We had perfect weather in the lead up for our outdoor ceremony. Then, the day before the wind came and the forecast was wind and rain. Oh well, let’s move it indoors. It literally started raining the moment we left our room to go to the ceremony. Apparently, it makes your photos better.”

Adrian and Harry walked hand in hand down the aisle together. Says Adrian  “We walked together. I found a slow version of “500 miles” originally by The Proclaimers. It took a while for people to realise why they knew the words. So there was a bit of a giggle factor behind it too.”

Wanting to keep their ceremony as casual as possible, Adrian and Harry chose Monty King. “Our celebrant was excellent, a larrikin of sorts. We wanted the jokes.”

The floral details for the day were styled by Puco Uno. “I wanted simple flowers, but abundant enough as they were really were the knot decorations” explains Adrian. “White and green. That was the brief. We let the florist do the rest. One small thing, I did have a bouquet of natives made up for my mother who had passed away before we married (they were her favourite).”

These two only have rave reviews for their photography team. “Same Love Photography are the best. Simply the best. Our photographers were amazing. It was so much fun and the photos amazing. We also loved having a private bus that took us around the site with the photographer. The driver had set up champagne and snacks while we went around posing.”

Guests gathered for a dinner reception, filled with personal details. “We had photos from our 10 years together all through the reception” tells Adrian. “Harry is a graphic artist, so all of our signs, menus etc we did ourselves. He created our brand. We gave everyone a small bottle of alcohol, made our own labels. We had ‘it’s not a sin gin’, ‘drop the dogma vodka’ and ‘no harm done rum’. It was important for my mum’s memory to be honoured, so her photo and flowers had pride of place. Above all, we wanted it to be about  our friends and family.”

The grooms entered their reception to the tune of Gloria Gaynor “I am what I am”.

For the first dance, Adrian remembers “We’d never really danced together, so this was a real first. We chose an acoustic version of “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge.

Congratulations Adrian and Harry! What a joy it was to be able to share your story. Thanks to you both and thanks to Same Love Photography for today’s beautiful photography.