On this very day of love, what better way to celebrate than a wedding with rainbow cake, red roses and bright pink suits? Sara and Jade honoured their sense of selves and celebrated with a magical wedding day, that was modern, glam and so very much “them”. “It was like a big, gay, party!” laughs Sara. “The ceremony was semi-formal – both in matching dresses. Very romantic with lots of soft nude/pink florals, candles and a mirrored aisle to walk down. We then turned over the same venue to include a hot pink neon sign “I kissed a girl and I liked it”, with hot pink florals and we walked out in matching hot pink suits”.

Same Love Photography accompanying the celebration, which was full of decadent detail, plenty of laughter, and more than one moment that has us craving a seat at the table. Settle in for this epic love story!

The couple always knew they were set for life, meeting almost a decade ago! They even planned their engagement party and wedding before they even became engaged says Sara. “We met 18 years ago. It was at my first place of employment – Jade was my manager. We both were gold stars Lesbians – and over a year of friendship working together, we realised what we had was something different, something special. It was a rough coming out process for us both but nothing could shake us and what we had/have.

After about seven years together it was only natural for us to think about making a further commitment. It wasn’t too much of a surprise because we share everything with each other! We had planned to get married in Vegas before we even got proposed! So we did things a little backwards. Planned the wedding, then the engagement party – then bought the rings and Jade popped the question to me one night out with friends under the Sydney Opera House! I knew it was coming lol. That’s lesbians for you!

Note – we did have a wedding ceremony in Vegas nine years to the date of our formal wedding in 2019. At the time it was not legal in Vegas or even in Australia – so it was a ceremony for us and us only. We made a joke of it and got married in the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, with a Michael Jackson celebrant and we were dressed like Britney and Madonna at the MTV awards where they did the iconic kiss. That was a fun wedding!”

Jade and Sara both wore sparkling gowns, Sara choosing the beautiful piece. She tells “Jade and I always tend to dress the same so it was a natural progression for us to end up wearing the same sort of outfit.
At first, I thought I would have worn the dress and Jade the suit – but in a twist, she wanted to wear a dress! So I decided to find the dress – in two different tones for us both to wear. They were off the rack as I didn’t want to go through that whole “wedding dress shopping” fiasco as it’s awkward when you have to explain your relationship to everyone and also just not really us?”

Sara and Jade fell in love with the stunning space of Beta Bar’s Beta Events for both their ceremony and reception, says Jade “It’s a beautifully hidden, rustic building in Sydney CBD, the venue is located above a Greek restaurant who catered the wedding function.”

Wedding stylists She Designs created lush blush and white floral arrangements. “I didn’t want any greenery! ” notes Sara. “So we had beautiful pinky/nude roses folded back in an arrangement set on clear plinths surrounded by candles and rose petals.
For the ceremony, we kept the same floral display but inserted hot pink roses to add the pop of colour!”

Both Jade and Sara walked down the aisle to Hayley Reinhart’s cover of the Elvis classic “Can’t Help Falling In Love”. Jade walking with her father, Sara with her mum.

The official part of the day was performed by Stephen Lee Celebrancy. “I wanted the ceremony to be personal and honouring our relationship and all it took for us to get to this point,” remarks Sara. “We didn’t have any readings, it was not in any way religious – we had our celebrant cover our story and we said our vows to each other. We had a friend sing 2 songs live for us while we signed the marriage certificate – while sipping on cocktails. It wasn’t long but we had everyone in tears!”

These two have all the rave reviews for their chosen photographer. “Frank! He was the best. Our guests loved him as much as we did. When looking for a photographer as a lesbian couple – it was important I had someone that was – well gay! The last thing I wanted was for some straight guy to be taking photos of us on our day LOL. Frank made us feel so comfortable. His energy was warm and friendly from the minute we met! Great eye for detail and helped create some beautiful shots for us.”

Yet to tie the knot? Sara offers up this advice to you. “Good luck! It’s a stressful and expensive process but try to stay true to you and your partner’s vision for what you want. Don’t listen to other peoples’ opinions about what you should and shouldn’t do. This day is for you. So make that known!”

Pampering their favourite people was important to these two. “We made sure our guests were well looked after. They arrived at the ceremony to cocktails and canapés. We arranged for more drinks and canapés at a close rooftop bar while we turned over the venue – we didn’t want everyone to be left with nothing to do for a few hours while we got photos – and at the wedding, we had a full bar, all included with cocktails and high-end spirits (yes you can tell we and our friends love to drink haha) and a 3-course sit-down meal, with large charcuterie table and wedding cake. Lots of food and drinks were important to us!”

And to add to the party vibe? “We decided to help enjoy the night we would change out of the dresses after the ceremony and into hot pink suits – so we could dance all night long!” explains Sara.

Sara’s favourite part of the day? “The love in the room. How much fun everyone had. Everyone still says it was the best wedding they have been to. It was just a party for them as much as it was for us.”

Sara and Jade’s favourite part of the night? “Probably the reception where we got to relax and listen to our MC completely ROAST us. He was so funny – no jokes were off limit – it was a very offensive but truly entertaining reception party. He made the night!”

The biggest of congratulations to you both Sara and Jade! Thank you for taking the time to share your wedding day with us. Thank you also to Same Love Photography for sharing today’s story!