Fabulous Queer Wedding in Melbourne

What happens when two grooms throw out the rulebook, invite their closest humans to dress to impress, and host a celebration where drag performances, catwalk walk-offs and a sequinned tea ceremony are just the beginning? Magic! That’s what happened when Roy and Sean tied the knot at Projekt 3488. Dressed in not one, not two, but three incredible outfits each, they made every moment their own. Their day was an unapologetic embrace of queer joy, chosen family, cultural tradition and good old-fashioned party vibes. And with Anna from Lulu & Lime behind the photography and Jacinta Oaten from The Lavender Haze handling cinematography, you already know the visuals are iconic!

Before finally getting together, Roy and Sean were actually part of the same friend group. For years, they had been in separate relationships, but fate brought them together when they were single at the same time. Unfortunately, at the same time, the pandemic hit, and lockdowns put a damper on their blossoming relationship. “Zoom hangouts and lots of flirty texts just ratcheted up our tension. When we finally could hang out in person, it all felt natural, and things just fell into place magically. After many late-night cuddles and slow dances, all our friends told us to just get on it with it already – the chemistry was undeniable.”

The timing for the perfect proposal slowly fell into place when they were living in Canada. Their best friends were visiting from Singapore, and they’d planned a trip to the Rocky Mountains to celebrate – but Sean had no idea that Roy already had a ring ready to go. “After a two-hour hike up to a mountain lake, Roy found a quiet spot by the lake for a picnic. We all started sharing about what we love about our partner and our favourite memories. When it finally came to Roy’s turn to share, he went down on one knee and took out the ring. It was truly magical – surrounded by beautiful nature and with our closest friends as our witnesses.”

To celebrate their fabulous day, Sean and Roy had three outfits planned across the night – each one getting progressively more quirky. For the ceremony, they wore custom suits from Assemble. Roy wore a three-piece cream-coloured suit while Sean chose a double-breasted olive-green suit.

They set a fun brief for their guests when assigning the dress code: outdress the grooms! “We even put together a lookbook of different styles to give them some inspiration. Everyone delivered, and it was truly the best collection of looks we’ve ever seen. Some of them also had multiple outfit changes,” they shared. “Our host and MC Sam Jo does drag (his drag name is Jo Jo Sam Clair), and so he came in a full bridal-inspired sky blue gown, topped with the biggest bouffant hair (think Marge Simpson but fabulous). Our best man Shariff wore a boudoir-inspired lace corset with a ruffly white top, and later in the night also changed into drag to deliver a performance with Sam Jo. Our best woman Dhilshad came with a family theme with her husband and their son Idris (who was also the flower boy).”

Right at the edge of the Yarra Valley sits the perfect venue for Roy and Sean’s wedding: the beautiful Projekt 3488! “We were looking for something unique and different outside of Melbourne, and when we stumbled across Projekt 3488, we knew we didn’t need to look any further. It’s an old Masonic lodge owned by the loveliest gay couple, Mark and Sandi, who turned this into their labour of love and converted it into the most stunning venue we have ever seen. We structured the night to flow through the different spaces throughout the venue, with the ceremony on the upper deck with a beautiful view overlooking mountains and the Warburton River, the traditional tea ceremony in the garden, followed by dinner in the main dining room, which was later converted into a dance floor (the transformation is truly magical). The place is full of little nooks with nice touches, which all our guests loved, and every corner was photo perfect.”

Sufjan Stevens’ “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” floated through the air as both Roy and Sean walked down the aisle separately, arm-in-arm with their parents.

Since the venue was already bursting with life and nature, they wanted to keep any florals super simple. Tribal Rose in Collingwood handled these beautiful understated bouquets that perfectly complement their suits. “Roy’s bouquet was more fabulous with pops of colour, while mine had a quirkier selection of non-traditional flowers,” he shared.

They wanted the ceremony to be simple, heartfelt and still authentic. Their dear friend Michael solemnised the wedding, with the pair reading their own handwritten vows. “Both of us were in tears by the end of the ceremony (as were almost all of the guests).”

When your wedding photos look this good, it’s hard to pick a favourite. But for Roy and Sean, the shot of everyone on the deck after the ceremony is high up there. “We wanted to keep our wedding small and intimate and invited only those nearest and dearest to us. It meant a lot for us that people flew in from all over the world, and that photo represents the myriad networks of relationships we have built over the years.”

Anna from Lulu & Lime was the perfect photographer for Roy and Sean’s fabulous celebration! Her signature quirky, candid style captures the exact fun and loving vibe of the day. “She was everything we could have asked for and more. From the moment we met her, we knew we were a great fit. Her energy is infectious, and she somehow managed to be everywhere at the same time (yet completely inconspicuous), capturing all these beautiful little moments.”

As guests settled in for the delicious food from Locavore Catering, they found that Sean and Roy had carefully curated the seating chart to seat people who didn’t know each other together, creating their own little matchmaking service! “We ended up matchmaking some couples who we are proud to report are still seeing each other till now!”

Their first outfit change of the night led to Roy in a sequinned black blazer, flowy black pants and a jaw-dropping wide-brimmed hat that Sean customised with a floor-length veil. Sean himself wore a complementary double-breasted pink blazer he customised with a faux diamond brooch and buttons. He finished the look with a pink feather boa, flowy pink pants and a gorgeous pink skirt. Both looks finally completed with platformed boots!

Following their dinner, Roy and Sean wanted to include a traditional tea ceremony. “We felt it was important to honour these traditions, yet at the same time queer it up as a queer couple. The photos of us in our over-the-top fabulous outfits, kneeling and serving tea to our parents, are definitely some of our favourites.”

Five things that made their fabulous wedding so unique to them were:

“1. Being right by each other’s side the entire time and sharing each moment together.

2. Being surrounded by our closest friends in a positive, uplifting environment, where everyone just had the best positive energy. So many people made new friends.

3. Being our authentic queer selves.

4. Having both our parents there, their love and support meant a lot to us.

5. Just having a blast the whole time!”

A great piece of advice they wanted to leave for future couples is this: “Come up with a list of three things that you consider the most important to you, and just focus on that. All the other small details don’t matter. Some things will not happen according to plan, and that’s fine. Just enjoy the moment and soak everything up because this only happens once!”

For the final outfit change of the night, Sean and Roy switched into matching green and black fur coats and sequinned military-style hats: think the music video for Beyoncé’s Love On Top!

MC and Best Man Jo Jo Sam Clair surprised Roy and Sean with a drag performance to “A Public Affair” by Jessica Simpson. “They even managed to put Roy’s dad in drag, had him be part of a dance-off, and everything ended up in a party train!”

With so many guests dressed to the nines, they felt it necessary to showcase them! “We had a portion of the night where we picked some of the best-dressed guests and had them do a walk-off on a catwalk, ballroom style. The charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent on display were incredible. Even our parents were game – Sean’s mum showed off her sick moves, and Roy’s dad ended up giving his mum a lap dance! Needless to say, after that night, we’re certain a third child is on its way.”

“Pale Blue Light” by Jessie Ware was their first dance song. “She means so much to both of us, and we have so many cherished memories soundtracked by her music. We have subjected our friends to so many slow dances over the years that it only seemed fitting to do it once more.”