Patrick and Brady: ‘We Do’ in the Adelaide Hills
Up in the Adelaide Hills on an October afternoon, Patrick and Brady made the the ultimate commitment and promise to each other. Speaking about their wedding day, the gents said that as much as their wedding was a celebration of their commitment to one another, they also wanted to give back to their friends and family that have been there every step of the way with love and support.
Location Adelaide Hills, SA | Photographer Kylie South Photography
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How and when did you meet? We both met at a fashion launch event through our workplace. Although we sat next to one another, we didn’t have much of an opportunity to speak to each other given the type of event we were attending, so several weeks later our colleagues arranged a dinner with the both of us.
On the day of the dinner one by one, each colleague cancelled (I know right, how planned was that!!). The dinner went from 6 people to just the two of us, and well, the rest is history. We have been together now for close to 7 years.
“Marriage to us is a union between two people that love each other and want to spend the rest of their life together. It’s the ultimate commitment and promise.”
Tell us a little about the earlier days of your relationship... We consider ourselves very lucky as we know of people that have struggled with family acceptable and bullying. Both our families share very similar morals and values, and we have always had the love and support that anyone should experience. We have an incredible group of friends, and we are not treated any differently. For me (Patrick) I suffered anxiety and depression, which I have been able to overcome and manage. Although we are very fortunate, there is always that realisation that you are considered a minority. We do things a certain way so we don’t draw attention to ourselves and perhaps don’t go to certain places. It sounds ridiculous, but I guess you just do these things instinctively.
What does marriage mean to you? Marriage to us is a union between two people that love each other and want to spend the rest of their life together. It’s the ultimate commitment and promise.
So the proposal, how did this happen? Brady proposed on a very warm September morning in 2013 in the Adelaide foothills. We both had plans for proposing, so it was just a matter of who got in first. Looking back on it, Brady definitely had butterflies but despite the heat and the nerves, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was a pivotal moment in our relationship and remains a very special day to us both.
When did you get married? We got married at the Seasonal Garden Café on October 20th 2018.
Patrick & Brady’s story continues below >
What was the main influence behind your wedding day? We both spoke of marriage regularly but just never got around to setting a date. Although the legal side of things wasn’t going to stop us from tying the knot, we wanted recognition of our commitment. Towards the end of 2017, Marriage Equality was still not yet recognised, but we decided to start planning anyway. As we now know, equality was realised several months after booking our wedding date. We were over the moon, and it couldn’t have been better timing.
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding? The most important thing to us both was being able to celebrate and put on a fantastic party for the most special people in our lives. Although our wedding was a celebration of our commitment to one another, we wanted to give back to our friends and family that have been there every step of the way with their love and support.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration? Pinterest was where a lot of our inspiration was taken from. We both have very similar taste and style which made it that little bit easier to plan.
How did you choose your suppliers? A lot of searching the internet. Fortunately, we are friends with the venue owner which made everything so much easier. We were provided contacts for the marquee hire and the rest I took care of through friends and word of mouth.
Any standout suppliers? Definitely our celebrant, Marina Whitham. The best way to describe Marina is beautiful, well-spoken, genuine and classy. So many people commented on Marina, and we were so lucky to have her. We were fortunate enough to be given her name by a close friend.
The venue – we honestly could not fault anything. From the fantastic food that everyone absolutely loved, stunning garden surroundings to the bubbly and friendly staff, we couldn’t have asked for a better venue.
Did you find it challenging to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding? The most commonly asked question, “who is walking down the aisle”. The beauty of same-sex marriage is we could design the day the way we wanted, not based on tradition. We respect everyone’s religion and the traditions of marriage, however, we were excited to make it our own. Given all our photos were taken at our accommodation (Mt Lofty House) during the day before our ceremony, we arrived at the venue together with our parents and the grooms' party. We were the last to walk down the aisle, following our parents and each couple of the wedding party. The song we walked down the aisle to was 'Here comes the sun' - by the Beatles – a classic that put a smile to everyone’s faces. The feeling was incredible.
What was the most challenging thing about planning your wedding? No matter what, you can’t please everyone. Although our guests had an incredible time, you have to plan the wedding of YOUR dreams, not what other people think you should do. We realised how difficult it was to settle on decisions based on our wishes, in fear that some guests may not be happy. Like anything in life, we stuck to our choice, and we never looked back. Whether that’s our minds playing with us or a genuine struggle that comes with planning a wedding, we will never know as we had the time of our life.
Any advice for other couples planning their day? Your wedding is about YOU. Embrace the lead up and planning. At times it can be stressful; however, once the day arrives, it's all worth it. My biggest piece of advice is to get started as early as possible and allow enough time to plan. Ensure you share your vision with one another and make the most of this as a couple.
Suppliers
Photographer Kylie South Photography
Venue Seasonal Garden Café, Hahndorf
Flowers East Adelaide Flower Market
Cars Hughes Chauffeuer
Celebrant Marriages by Marina – Marina Whitham
Furniture Marquee & Wine barrels with market umbrellas