A Styled Shoot That Turned Into a Real Proposal
When the team behind this styled shoot planned their concept and found their couple, Tony & Jake, they had no idea that one of the gents was actually planning to propose on set.
Photography Had To Be You Weddings
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“Not too pretty, kinda grunge, but elegant. Colour, creativity, something intimate, memorable and personal, where inspiration came from the 90's with a New York and modern twist” is how Laura from Had To Be You Weddings described the concept behind this styled shoot.
“Collectively, all vendors involved wanted to collaborate with like-minded creatives who were willing to think outside the box. We really wanted to showcase the LGBTQI+ community, as we felt like there is not enough representation out there”, says Laura.
This styled shoot phenomenally proves that an abundance of colour can be used within wedding styling, and that thinking outside of the norms really allows for something magnificent to be born.
Now, what happened next was completely unexpected, because Jake had planned to propose to Tony on set. Mid shoot Jake got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and asked Tony to spend the rest of his life with him. (cue tears).
Below, Tony and Jake share with us the story of how they met and all the details of the proposal.
Up close and personal with the Grooms-To-Be
Firstly, when and where did you meet?
T - Many, many years ago, Jake and I first met at a Gay Club called "A Bar Called Barrys ‐ Indie Queer Night". We were with our own friends at the time but had some mutual friends who introduced us to each other. I said 'hi', he said 'hi' and that was it. The encounter was very brief, and nothing eventuated from this. A few years later, one of our very good friends named Andy was going overseas to study for a few years. Andy was my only gay friend at the time, so before he left, I begged him to find me some friends to hang out with in his absence. Andy sent me a random person's number, which I saved to my phone. One night I was really drunk and I decided to text that number. Given that I did not know who this number belonged to, nor did I think that person had my number. I chose to message "I have the body, where do you want me to bury it". To my surprise, the person who responded was Jake, and he knew exactly who I was. My prank failed. I asked Jake if he wanted to have dinner with me that night. Jake said no because he was too hung-over. Failed again. The next day, Jake asked me out for dinner. I said yes (of course). I booked two restaurants (Mexican and a steak restaurant) just in case Jake didn't like one of them. The Mexican restaurant it was and the night was a success! The rest, as they say, is history.
How long had you been planning the proposal? And what made you want to propose this particular way?
J - To be honest, it had been on my mind for the past year, actually, maybe, even longer. There is no one else I'd want to do life with. I had this other idea in my head, which I admittedly was going to execute before this opportunity arose. The idea was to string fairy lights all over a gazebo (think twilight) at St Kilda beach, and then take Tony on a date and propose there. However, he would have seen that coming a mile away, so when this opportunity came to do a 'styled wedding photoshoot', I figured I'd reach out and try to squeeze in a 'real proposal' as well. That's how we ended up with a fake wedding, real proposal photoshoot!
Aside from the actual proposal, what was your favourite part of the day?
T - Getting to meet everybody involved in the shoot (including Laura at Had To Be You Weddings!) has to be a very close second to the proposal. The creativity and work ethic by everyone was absolutely incredible. I take my hat off to the crew.
How nervous were you leading up to the moment?
J - The days leading up to the proposal were extremely nerve‐racking. Every moment that I had free or alone I would spend rehearsing the proposal in my head. I'd be at work, and instead of being present, I was elsewhere. It was excruciating LOL. I don't even remember how many times I had to edit the proposal. The most nerve‐racking part though, leading up to this event was when I actually picked up the rings. I remember going into the jewellers all calm and collected, knew exactly what I wanted, went through all the options, and was fine. Then when I saw the rings (both Tony's and mine) getting wrapped up in the boxes, I started sweating heavily! It became really emotional at that point because I came to the realisation that this was happening, and that if he said yes, this was the person I would be spending the rest of my life with. I was ecstatic, I wore and kept my ring on driving home, and then as soon as I got home, I hid them somewhere he wouldn't find. This was a mistake. I hid them so well that when the day of the proposal came, I was trying to get them out, I made so much noise, I thought he'd walk into the room and I'd be sprung! Thank goodness I wasn't. So we get to the photoshoot, and everything went really well. I didn't feel nervous at all, but I was very giddy, and every time we took a break, I was rehearsing the proposal in my head. When it came to the proposal though, I choked up and couldn't hold it together. I think it was the build-up until this moment, and also the fact that I'm a bit of a sucker for happy endings. I could barely get the proposal out, but I think he finally caught on to what was happening when he saw me get down on one knee and presented him with the ring. I thought my speech was amazing, if only it were executed better lol. It went like this;
"We've been together for almost 7 years, and every time I tell you I love you, you also ask me why. My response has always been, I'll tell you on our wedding day. I guess this is the first step of us becoming husbands, and so I thought I'd give you a teaser. I love how you are so tidy and organised, that you know where everything is, even before I've lost it. I love how you pay so much attention to detail, that you read the fine print in every contract we have. I love how you are so cautious, you always think about our future. I love all these things about you, because let's be honest, I'm a little bit messy, I'm a tad bit recklessly, and I tend to jump before I look. You make me want to be a better person. So before I tell you the rest of the reasons why I love you, I have one question I need to ask you. Will you marry me?"
Now that you both have said "yes", what now?
J - Well, I've done my part. Tony is the planner in this relationship, so I'm leaving it all to him. What now, the whole sha‐bang! House, kids, garden, white picket fence. In all seriousness, though, we do want to extend our family and have kids. I've always wanted kids. So we're discussing this at the moment, whether to have our first child (through surrogacy) before we get married, or get married first before we start the process, or even get married later when our child is 2, so they are able to walk us both down the aisle. There's a lot of things to consider, but we're pretty happy with whatever path we decide on. Regardless, we need to have an engagement party! Any excuse to drink, right?!
The Team
Styling A Peachy Affair Events
Photography Had To Be You Weddings
Flowers The Flower District
Stationery Petite Paper Co.
Bar Backdrop + Circle Hoop Backdrop Full De Bloom
Funky Furnishings Celebrate Party Hire, Lost In LA , Bangin' Hangins
Cake Nobody Hates Cake
Acrylics Kiki Sprinkles
Celebrant Celebrant.info
Welcome Sign Moments and Memories
Confetti Dust Confetti
Location 10 Balcombe
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