Aaron and Steve: An Intimate Tasmanian Wilderness Wedding

Aaron and Steve’s love story unfolded across continents, culminating in a rendezvous in Japan where their romance blossomed amidst the cherry blossoms. From their first encounter at Narita Airport to navigating through life’s milestones, they embraced each moment with infectious happiness. Their journey, marked by shared adventures and unwavering support, led them to a picturesque wedding in Tasmania, defying convention and celebrating love on their own terms.

Photographer By the Wilde | Location Tasmania, AUS

“To us, marriage means being there for each other for the rest of our lives; encouraging, laughing, crying, and everything in between together. Marriage is teamwork - we work through challenges together and don't give up.”

How and when did you meet?

We originally came into contact with each other online and kept in touch over a few months before we decided it was time to meet in person. Steve was living in Papua New Guinea at the time and Aaron was living in Canada so we wanted to meet somewhere in the middle and agreed on Japan. We first met in person at Narita Airport in Tokyo and spent the following two weeks experiencing the cherry blossom festival and falling in love.

Tell us a little about that first time you met...

We were both pretty nervous (and a bit jet-lagged) but all that melted away into excitement once we saw each other at the airport. We were both pretty high on the experience - just so happy to be in Japan and finally meeting each other in person. We couldn't stop smiling at each other during the whole train journey into the city and when we got lost trying to find our hotel, a group of drunken businessmen insisted on finding and escorting us to our hotel. We had our first kiss in the hotel elevator.

What was the first thing you noticed about each other?

For Steve, it was Aaron's piercing blue eyes and his height: after only seeing each other on Skype, it was amazing to actually see and touch him in the flesh.

For Aaron, it was Steve's warm smile; his happiness is infectious - you can't help but smile back. I also loved how natural it was just to hug and hold him. It felt right.

Tell us about the standout moments in your relationship…

Going to the movies in our separate countries at as close to the same time as possible, and then jumping on FaceTime to talk about it.

Walking through a temple in Kyoto under the cherry blossoms and hearing Aaron say 'I love you' for the first time.

Learning how to do a Tim Tam slam with Steve's family in our first-ever Francis family dinner.

Spending weekends on the couch in Aaron's apartment, doing nothing much but enjoying each other's company.

Sharing family recipes and stories so we could make meals together from our childhoods.

Hugging each other at the airport when Aaron moved permanently to Australia.

Singing along together to Disney songs on road trips.

Planning and going on adventures together - kayaking in different countries and seeing wildlife on hikes.

Going a bit overboard together on Halloween party planning and decorating.

Meeting our puppy Kubo for the first time.

Taking Steve to a Canadian country fair - one of Aaron's family traditions from his childhood.

Sitting in a jeweller's workshop together learning on the job how to make each others' wedding rings.

Standing in a beautiful forest by a creek, dressed to the nines, declaring our love for one another in front of our nearest and dearest.

Have you ever faced any issues of non-acceptance?

We wouldn't say this is "non-acceptance" specifically, but in general, the process for planning is keyed to hetero-normal couples, with most default wedding packages including several bride-centric options that didn't apply to us as two men. It wasn't until after we made it known we were a same-sex couple that several companies provided substitutions to these features but there weren't many default wedding packages that worked for us.

Both Aaron and Steve grew up in relatively conservative and religious households so we certainly had similar journeys when even considering marriage as an option. Aaron has had limited contact with his parents ever since coming out, but his grandma has made things very clear that she loves him and without hesitation calls Steve her grandson. When thinking about a wedding one thinks a lot about their family and their absence is felt on the day. Thankfully, Steve's family has been exemplary in accepting Aaron as a part of the family. Being surrounded by such a welcoming family helps to affirm the decision to get married.

What does marriage mean to you?

To us, marriage means being there for each other for the rest of our lives; encouraging, laughing, crying, and everything in between together. Marriage is teamwork - we work through challenges together and don't give up. We're better together, and being married is our commitment to make each other better every single day.

Who proposed and how?

Tasmania is a special place for both of us, and we travelled down for a long weekend in November 2021. After spending the night in a beautiful BnB in the sleepy town of Franklin, Steve suggested a morning walk by the river. We began walking along this boardwalk which meandered along the Franklin River. We held hands on the walk and after a few bends came across a picnic table with a tablecloth, picnic basket of fruit and cheese, roses and a bottle of champagne. I panicked and said "Oh I hope we're not interrupting someone's picnic" and Steve said "no, it's for us" and he held me and asked me to marry him.

The week before Steve had reached out to some close friends who live in Hobart to set up the picnic and they snuck out the morning of and got it prepared for us.

We had a lot of discussions about how to signify our engagement as neither of us enjoys wearing jewellery. Steve knew that I really love comic books and he reached out to the artist of my favourite comic and commissioned her to do a portrait of us which is what he surprised me with instead of a ring.

When did you get married?

Monday 27th March 2023 - Our 10 year anniversary.

Aaron and Steve’s story continues below ↓

What was the main influence behind your wedding day?

We really wanted to do our own thing, and really embraced the freedom that being a non-traditional couple gives. Being in nature was super important to us both, as was being surrounded by a small group of those we love the most fiercely.

What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding? 

Each other. We worked hard to take everything else out of the equation, and really stick to what we really wanted. We wanted the day to be relaxed, informal, and just fun: no pressure, no nerves, no minute-by-minute schedule. Just us celebrating in a way that felt the most genuine.

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

We have an immense love of nature and each other. Tasmania is a very special place and its moody locales lent much of the inspiration for what we wanted for a look and feel (with maybe also a dash of James Bond-style adventure). Additionally, putting the time into finding a celebrant and tailor who just "got" us our allowed us to trust their experience and insights into making the day truly special and representative of who we are as a couple.

How did you choose your suppliers? 

Our celebrant was a huge help: we met with a couple, but pretty quickly chose Nat for her genuine love of love, and knowledge of Tasmania. She was fantastic in making recommendations for everything from photographers to locations to accommodation. When it came to our suits, we relied on Google to narrow the list down, and after visiting a few tailors knew the Cloakroom was the team for us.

What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?

The most difficult thing about planning our wedding was also the most exciting - there's not really any specific rules or traditions for a gay wedding, so the choices are only limited to your imagination. This can be overwhelming as it was a bit of a struggle to know where to start. Once we found our celebrant/wedding planner, we set up a number of zoom appointments to talk through everything and brainstorm to discover what we actually wanted on the day. She was a lifesaver in helping us narrow down the type of day we wanted and gave us good practical advice on what collateral to expect with each choice.

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

Give yourselves lots of time - more than you'd think you need - and just move forward little by little. You'll be surprised at how quickly the time vanishes. And if you have everything taken care of early you only have to show up and enjoy on the special day.

Aaron and Steve’s Team

Photographer By the Wilde

Wedding Planning Wilderness Weddings Australia

Celebrant Nat Weaver

Celebrant Sarah Rooks

Florist Forage Flowers

Reception, Accommodation, Catering Rathmore Farm

Suits/Tailoring The Cloakroom

Rings Bryant Family Jewellers

Invitations/Signage Cheerful Paper Co.

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