Matt and Ben: The Chicest Of Melbourne Weddings

Matt and Ben’s chic Melbourne wedding took place on a serene Sunday afternoon. They first crossed paths in Bangkok in 2008 and embarked on countless adventures together before making Melbourne their home. With a desire for an iconic venue to celebrate their special day, they chose the State Library of Victoria—a beloved landmark renowned for its captivating history, stunning architecture, and being home to some of the greatest love stories ever written.

Photographer Ali Bailey | Location Melbourne, AUS

“(marriage), it’s the culmination of our relationship and an affirmation of our commitment to cherish and support each other on any road we travel together.”

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

Matt: The fateful day was New Year's Eve 2008 - across a crowded bar, in Bangkok, at quarter to midnight. I was a couple of days into my holiday, my first visit to Thailand. We got talking and ended up spending the next few days together until it was time for me to go to Phuket for the second half of my holiday. We said our goodbyes at the airport, and I'd been In Phuket for probably 24 hours when the phone rang (a landline, in my hotel room - yes, it was that long ago), and Ben had decided to take a few days off to join me. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ben: That's almost all true. We tend to differ on exactly what time on New Year's Eve we met… and Matt forgot to point out that he accidentally gave me the wrong departure date from Phuket, so we ended up spending a day In Kuala Lumpur together before we went back to our respective homes. Over the next year or so we travelled back and forth, before I spent a few months in Australia then we moved to Bangkok together in 2010. What started as a holiday romance turned in to a modern-day fairy tale that took us from Bangkok to Shanghai and now Melbourne.

What does marriage mean to you?

Matt and Ben: It’s the culmination of our relationship and an affirmation of our commitment to cherish and support each other on any road we travel together.

Who proposed?

Matt: Ben brought up getting engaged a few times over the years. This started out as very subtle hints - “oh that’s a nice ring”, for example.

Ben: Subtle hints? 

Matt: Once same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia, and as we plotted our next move to Down Under together, I thought about these ‘numerous’ conversations and knew what a beautiful thing it would be – so I (finally) proposed to Ben in Bangkok, where our story began. 

When was your wedding?

Sunday, January 9, 2022. 

Matt and Ben’s story continues below ↓

What was the main influence behind your wedding day? 

Ben: I had always dreamed of getting married in an iconic venue. Not only is the State Library Victoria one of Melbourne’s most-loved Institutions, it is also home (physically!) to many great love stories. With a background in architecture, I am drawn to the classical language and many design elements of the building from the grandiose façade to the marble stairways and the octagonal dome at the heart of the library. With the Grand Dame of Melbourne/Victorian architecture as our venue, other elements we chose just complemented the setting while adding some playful personality. 

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

Matt and Ben: We were so lucky to find our floral designer Graham. He not only understood our vision, but he was also excited to create something magical for the space. And it helped that he was also an architect. 

Ben: During the brainstorm with Graham, he was drawn to the idea of one Thai dish in my arsenal (which happens to be Matt’s favourite), Tom Kha Gai – a fragrant chicken coconut soup. The main ingredient of that soup is galangal (a close relative to ginger), which has pink and green buds. So we used that as a starting point, and then built other elements around it, from the colour scheme, to our invitation and even our wedding suits. 

How did you choose your suppliers? 

Matt and Ben: Organising a wedding is no mean feat, especially when you are newcomers in town. We started off from reading love stories from wedding sites online to see how other couples bring to life their special days and then started stalking their suppliers’ social media to see their work.

When it came to choosing the right suppliers, it was really all about chemistry. We’re pretty lucky that we were able to enlist the best A-Team any couple could ask for. 

Did you include any traditional elements?

Matt: Our ceremony was light-hearted – thanks in no small part to Sam Lavery our celebrant – who is also a stand-up comedian – but did include the traditional vows and a reading. We got ready and walked down the aisle together, which just seemed to make sense to us.

Ben’s family couldn’t be in Melbourne for the wedding due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, so my mum proposed an idea to include Ben’s family by having her read a letter from Ben’s mum during the reception.

Ben: That meant a lot to me and to my family. Especially, my mum. So I thank Matt’s mum for such a wonderful idea. 

What was the most challenging thing about planning your wedding?

Ben: For me it would be planning a wedding in a new city, but having a wedding platform like Theodore really helped point us towards suppliers who shared our values.

Matt: Oh, and the fact that a pandemic was thrown into the mix for good measure (which resulted in us postponing for 6 months, luckily just once).

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

Ben: Take the time to find your ‘tribe’ of experts you love working with, share with them what you envision for your day, then trust in their professionalism and experience to bring it to life.

Matt: Enjoy the moment, and just relax – you and your partner are the only ones who know all the little details. And remember, if anything doesn’t go quite as planned, your guests are there to celebrate with you (and probably won’t even notice).

Matt and Ben’s Team

Photographer Ali Bailey

Videographer True Story Weddings 

Ceremony Venue Isabella Fraser Room at the State Library Victoria

Reception Venue La Trobe Reading Room at the State Library Victoria

Ben Suit The Bespoke Corner Tailors, Tom Ford

Matt Suit MJ Bale

Flowers Tweed Twigs

Cake Torte By Mirjana

Invitations Hungry Workshop

On-The-Day Stationery Paper Jean

Celebrant Sam Lavery

Entertainment Superband

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