Tom and Wes

 

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The wedding of Tom and Wes speaks quintessential Melbourne with the city’s famed laneways, and architecture exhibited throughout their wedding photographs. For these gents, their inner city wedding focused on just a few essential things; food, wine, atmosphere and most importantly, the people!

Photographer Free the Bird | Venue Natural History Public Bar

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Mr T - How and when did you meet?

T & W - We met online back in May 2012. Upon meeting in person, we laughed and laughed non-stop for hours on end. We were just naturally drawn to each from that very first meeting.

Mr T - Tell us a little about the earlier days of your relationship...

T & W - From the moment we met we’ve always had so much fun together. While we weren’t initially sure whether it would be a long-term relationship, we just couldn’t stay away from each other.

Mr T - What does Marriage mean to you?

T & W - For us, marriage meant coming together as a family. While our relationship was already very serious, there is something incredibly special about saying that “this is forever” and we are now a family unit.

On a side note, people think we look similar and would constantly ask if we are related. I suppose now we can say yes.

Mr T - Who proposed and how?

T - Sorry to disappoint the Mr Theodore readers, but our proposal story isn’t all that romantic! Wes got a job overseas, and for myself to come on his visa we needed to be married. There was no question in either of our minds that it was the right thing to do. We didn’t need a grand gesture or unilateral proposal to prove how much we loved each other, so we launched straight into wedding planning mode with only a few months to make it happen!

Mr T - When did you get married?

T & W - Legally, we got married at the Registry at Melbourne’s Old Treasury Building in January 2019. We did this to get the visa paperwork moving as quickly as possible. It was such a special and intimate setting with only a small group of family and friends.

Then, the weekend before our departure we had a much bigger wedding party with all our family and friends. But for the overseas move, we would not have planned our wedding this way. However, it actually turned out perfect with each event unique and special in its own way.

Tom & Wes’s story continues below

Mr T - What was the main influence behind your wedding day?

T & W - Because we were planning a wedding with such a short amount of time we didn’t have the opportunity to overthink anything. Ultimately we think this worked to our benefit as we focused on the important things, food, wine, atmosphere and most importantly, the people!

Mr T - What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?

T & W - Because we were moving overseas indefinitely, we wanted to acknowledge how special all of our family and friends are to us.

Mr T - Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

T & W - Our inspiration came from the venue that we chose. It set the tone and we went from there.

Mr T - How did you choose your suppliers?

T & W - We did a bit of research, but ultimately it came down to recommendations and who we got a good impression of. People and vendors that suited our personality and tastes.

Mr T - Any standout suppliers?

T & W - Everyone we worked with was perfect and cannot be recommended highly enough.

Natural History Public Bar had so much atmosphere, character & amazing food and drinks.

Our photographer, Jai from Free the Bird was so easy to work with and produced such a phenomenal product which really told the story of the night.

Heartbreak Hotel Photo Booth was incredible and added to the atmosphere of the night.

Mr T - Did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding?

T & W - We actually thought it was excellent to be free of expectation and able to do our wedding the way we wanted. We didn’t feel the need for wedding parties and we walked down the aisle together. We were able to do what we were comfortable with without trying to mimic a traditional wedding.

Mr T - What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?

T & W - Because we were pretty laid back, everything was surprisingly easy. We didn’t stress over the details and simply chose good suppliers and let them do their thing. The main thing was just being with our friends and family – that’s what it’s all about!

Mr T - Where did you spend your honeymoon?

T & W - Straight after our wedding we moved to the Cayman Islands, a tropical paradise in the Caribbean. We’ve moved here indefinitely, so we consider this a permanent honeymoon.

Mr T - Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?

T & W - Try not to get too caught up in planning “the perfect day”. Because of our circumstances it meant that we focused on the fundamentals – which really is just having fun with your family and friends. Choose good vendors and let them do their thing.


Suppliers

Photographer Jai from Free the Bird

Venue Natural History Public Bar

Flowers Used a friend

Cake Cheese Wheel Cake supplied by the venue

Celebrant We used our friend and comedian – Kyle Minall


 
 

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