Michael and Adrian: A Plaza Ballroom wedding
Oh, we are so excited to start 2019 with the extraordinary winter wedding of Michael and Adrian, a wedding which took place in one of Melbourne's most iconic venues - the Plaza Ballroom.
These gents met 10 years ago while both were working for film director Baz Luhrmann, hence there was a ‘Moulin Rouge’ tribute in their ceremony - they made the crowd sing along to ‘Your Song’.
Photographer Eric Ronald | Venue Plaza Ballroom
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Tell us a little about how and when you met? We actually both worked for film director Baz Luhrmann about ten years ago. Hence there was a ‘Moulin Rouge’ tribute in the ceremony - we made the crowd sing along to ‘Your Song’.
Tell us a little about your relationship… We’ve both been very fortunate to have a lot of support from family and colleagues… although it’s fair to say the 2017 postal survey triggered some tensions! However, by the time of the wedding, everyone had truly come together to celebrate.
And then the proposal, how did this happen? Michael proposed on an escalator at Melbourne Airport approximately fifteen minutes before the results of the postal survey were announced. He was planning to do it afterwards but got over-excited.
When did you get married? Mid June, 2018 - the dead of winter, the most charming time of year in Melbourne but perhaps the most confronting time for our overseas guests.
Michael & Adrian’s story continues below >
Was there a theme to your wedding? No, but as we were getting married in a ballroom beneath a theatre, we embraced the theatricality and asked people to dress as though they were going to the Oscars. They didn’t disappoint.
What was the main influence behind your wedding day? We’ve been together for ten years, and have attended dozens of weddings and formal occasions- so mostly we took ideas we’d liked and put our own twist on them.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration? Mostly from beloved pieces of pop culture. We walked the aisle to Chaka Khan, our first dance was to Madonna’s ‘Into the Groove’. We wanted it to be fun and familiar, yet cohesive and classy.
How did you choose your suppliers? A combination of Googling and personal recommendations. Katrina at the Plaza Ballroom was particularly helpful.
Tell us a little about your overall wedding planning experience in regards to being a same-sex couple in a predominantly ‘Bride & Groom’ saturated industry? We actually found it quite exciting to re-interpret wedding traditions as a same-sex couple. And all our suppliers were delighted to have same-sex clients— in most cases we were their first. So we always felt a lot of enthusiasm and energy.
Did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding? In most cases, we instantly thought of an alternative. We decided to walk down the aisle together. We decided not to have a wedding party, but to give our treasured friends and family individual roles - ranging from ‘ring-bearer’, to ‘ceremony chanteuse’ to ‘DJ’ (there were actually four DJs).
We also took the opportunity to dispense with some traditions we didn’t like. For example, we had all our formal photos taken prior to arrival, to avoid that long post-ceremony wait, allowing the guests to flow seamlessly into the reception.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding? Choosing an entry point for us during the ceremony! The Plaza is such a lavish venue, there were so many options. We ultimately chose the back of the room and Katrina added an Organza drape for us to emerge from.
Where did you spend your honeymoon? We’ve had two! The first in Palm Springs, California, and then a longer honeymoon in Turkey and Greece.
Any advice for other same-sex couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey? Our celebrant Cecily Hardy gave us a fabulous bit of advice: “Remember that the only obligatory part of the night is signing the wedding certificate… Everything else is up for grabs, and up to you.”
Suppliers
Photographer Eric Ronald
Videographer Kathleen Mary Lee
Venue Plaza Ballroom
Suits Zegna (Michael) and Tom Ford (Adrian)
Flowers Julia at Bouquet Melbourne
Cake Michael’s cousin Lori Hobbs
Celebrant Cecily Hardy
Catering The team at the Plaza Ballroom