Michael & Sean: A Celebration Of Love Given, And Of Love Received
"Today is all about the love that exists in so many different forms that has been shown to us over our lives, and celebrating life together, leaving the negativity of the world on the outside of these walls." - Michael
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Tears flowed watching the wedding video of Michael and Sean, a wedding that is about so much more than just a couple saying 'I Do'. Michael and Sean's wedding is the first 'legal' Australian same-sex wedding that we have featured on Mr Theodore since the introduction of Marriage Equality in Australia. The emotional journey that not only Micheal and Sean endured, but so many other same-sex couples, can finally be turned into a celebration.
It is a wedding filled with so much love and joy, as both Michael and Sean wanted their wedding day to be about everyone there, and to celebrate both the love given and received. For Michael and Sean, their wedding was never going to be about just the two of them, it was about having everyone they love and cherish in one room together, and celebrating that.
Destined to be together since day one, Michael and Sean met for the first time when Michael started working for Sean's business. It was then 3 and a half years later, at the Moulin Rouge, when Michael proposed to Sean, and from there 18 months of planning resulted in today's 'Real Wedding'.
For their wedding location, the boys chose the Victorian Surf Coast town of Torquay. It is a place that holds significant importance to both them and their families. Michael and Sean both spent their childhood summers there, and now this is where they own a home, as do their parents and grandparents.
Michael and Sean's day was so magically captured by Jess at Brown Paper Parcel and filmed by the team at Moment Seeker. It really is an emotional celebration, one of love, one of acceptance, and one of inclusion, as well as a celebration of how far Australia has come.
Michael and Sean's story continues below.
Photography Brown Paper Parcel | Videography Moment Seeker
Tell us a little about your wedding day.
Our day wasn't about two people in front of a crowd; it was about all the people we love most being in one room and celebrating all the love that we give and receive. So to have all of our friends and families in one room, hugging, kissing, and dancing, that's all we ever wanted. It was uniquely us, in a place that meant so much to the two of us, and our families.
When and where did you meet?
We met when I started working for Sean at his business, Yo-get-it, in 2009.
How long had you been dating before the engagement?
3 and a half years.
Who proposed and how?
Sean proposed to me at the Moulin Rouge in Paris in June 2016.
What was the main highlight of your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle with our parents, and seeing everyone so happy.
How long had you been planning?
18 months
Why Torquay?
Both Sean and I spent our childhood summers in Torquay with our families. Now Sean and I own a home here, as do my parents and grandparents. Now we can see where we got married every day.
What was the favourite thing about your photographer?
The quality of her work; nothing was posed, and the candid nature of her photography caught so many special emotions.
What was the best thing about your videographer?
How unintrusive they were. We didn't see them at all throughout the day, but their footage caught all the love and fun of both the ceremony and reception.
On a more personal level, tell us a little bit about your relationship and how the recent postal survey affected you?
Micheal - The early stages of our relationship weren't easy at all. Sean and I knew we had an attraction to one another early into our friendship (around 2010), but we were both in the closet and had a lot of personal growth to do before we were ready to be 'out' and to be together. Even in 2013, it wasn't easy, it was like coming out all over again. But we knew wholeheartedly we were destined to be together, and we knew we weren't doing anything wrong by being in love, so we fought through and by showing that love to the world, the world showed love back to us.
The postal survey was (and hopefully will be) the hardest thing we've ever had to get through. The years of discussion about it and the three months of the reality were really tough on both of us as individuals, because we both wanted so badly to hide away from it all and wait for the storm to pass. But we also knew that if we didn't speak up, people wouldn't have a reason to vote 'YES'. So we put our lives and our relationship out there for the world to judge - and judge some people did. Because we were on TV and in the newspaper, we would receive hundreds of tweets and comments condemning us as people, and hating us purely because of who we loved. But we had felt this way before, so we knew that all we had to do was love as hard as we could, and we would be bulletproof. No-one should be subjected to that kind of national vote, but our community has, and we have made it out the other side (with battle scars and losses that will last forever).
No matter how we ever may feel about ourselves, somewhere in our families, our communities, or the wide world, there is someone on your side, who wants to see you find love and find happiness - and once you find those people, your sexuality will never be a burden again.
Suppliers
Ceremony Venue Peppers The Sands
Reception Venue RACV Torquay
Suits Traveller's Apparel
Flowers Robertson's Farmgate
Transport McHarry's
Photography Brown Paper Parcel
Videography Moment Seeker
Cake The Donut Shop, Fitzroy
Entertainment DJ - Jayden McDonald
Celebrant Damon Hughes
Rings From Michael's late-grandfather, Ken