Jake and David: A Country Affair
Jake and Dave’s love story began on a sunny Sunday in November 2011 at The Beresford, where a chance meeting led to an unforgettable connection. From their first date to their countless adventures around the world, their bond has only grown stronger, culminating in a heartfelt proposal and a beautiful wedding in Orange. Their journey is a testament to love’s resilience and the joy of sharing life’s moments, big and small, with someone special.
Photography James Bennett | Location Orange, AUS
“You have a rare opportunity to stand up in a room full of people you love, say how grateful you are for them, and celebrate how much this person means to you. That’s what matters.”
How and when did you meet?
A Sunday at the Beresford in November 2011.
Tell us a little about that first time you met…
Jake: I was having a bit of a Sunday session with a friend of mine. Dave had been dragged out by his friend after his niece's christening and was looking quite dapper. This incredibly tall, handsome man caught my eye and continued to smile and wave at me above the crowd. He collected the courage to come over and say hi and we had a great (if boozy) chat. When we eventually exchanged numbers, I had (I think accidentally) swapped a digit, but luckily and awkwardly he called it on the spot and realised it was the wrong number. We got them right and after a bit of texting and went on our first date a week later.
What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
Dave: Jake’s smile.
Jake: His height! Dave’s over 6’4 so you really can’t miss him.
Tell us about the standout moments in your relationship…
Travel has been such a big part of our relationship. From hiking and vineyard hopping in Tasmania to enjoying riverside walks and relaxing in onsens in northern Japan, nightcaps on our porch in New Orleans or watching the sunset over Old Town in Ragusa, Sicily. So many of our best memories are exploring somewhere and making some kind of unexpected discovery together. Buying our first home and of, course adopting our beautiful dog Dex. Our sweet and perpetually hungry lab-cross mastiff who never wants to leave our side.
Talk about your wedding planning experience as two-grooms...
We found our suppliers were very excited to be working with and hosting a same-sex wedding. They were very inclusive and went over and above for us; nothing in their documentation was gender specific. But then I had been very intentional about all the suppliers we worked with; we jumped on calls with them to assess the vibe before agreeing to work together, and so we could tell with each one whether we’d be comfortable with them ahead of time. But even outside our suppliers, everyone we met in Orange was welcoming, whether that be the shops we went to, the gin distillery our recovery was at or the many pubs our guests frequented.
Let's get a little personal, have you ever faced issues of not being accepted...
In our lives, yes, of course. Both of us have had our own experiences of prejudice. We acknowledged this in our speeches and in the ceremony—not only the adversity that each of us had faced but also the many incredible members of the community before us who had fought for us to have the right to be standing there as husbands.
What does marriage mean to you?
We have been together for such a long time, so in many ways, it’s just putting a name to something that already was. Marriage can mean a lot of things. But to us, it’s having each other’s backs and walking through life together, in the big moments but, more importantly, the small ones—all the little ways you are there for each other every day.
Who proposed, and how?
Jake: Dave did. Back in October 2019, (it was a long engagement), I came home from work one day to see a brand-new suitcase waiting to be packed. The next morning, I was whisked away to a secret location —the Mornington Peninsula, staying at the beautiful Jackalope Hotel. We spent the first day strolling vineyards and drinking pinot, and then on the afternoon of day two, Dave announced he had a picnic planned. It suddenly dawned on me what might be happening; both our nerves kicked in, and it was a very uncharacteristically quiet walk down to the lake in front of the vineyard. There Dave brought out a very large box, presented me with a pair of RM Williams and asked me to marry him. Dave is a former jackaroo and not one to follow tradition just for the sake of it; he wanted to do something that felt more like him than any rings - those could come later. I said yes, and we immediately popped the bubbles.
When did you get married?
April 12, 2024 (pretty certain Dave scheduled it around the AFL).
What was the main influence behind your wedding day?
Keeping it authentic, intimate and reflective of both of us as a couple. In the superficial sense, we are both very different people in terms of style and interests and yet it managed to capture all of that.
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?
Being present and having the time to connect with each of our guests, we were really set on it being over a weekend and more than just one event so that we had space and time to do that. We were so excited to have the opportunity to express how we feel about each other, but we also wanted to have fun. Music was crucial. I used to work in the music industry and soundtrack almost every minute of our lives and the wedding was no different. Dave loves the country and wine, and those were reflected both in the venue and the weekend. Having it in Orange. It’s a very special place to Dave; he lived there for years, my mother was born there and now I’ve also fallen in love with it.
Did you incorporate any family sentiments or traditions?
Dave’s niece and nephew were flower girl and page boy. Each of our mums walked us down the aisle, which was very special. Jake’s sister gave a reading: the priest's sermon on love from the TV series Fleabag. We did the first dance and took lessons for it. It’s harder than it looks!
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
We definitely had a vision of what we both wanted going in, combining Dave’s love of the country with Jake’s more ‘contemporary’ tastes. Dave owns a landscape gardening business, so already knew what kind of flowers he was keen on going in: lots of natives. Jake wanted a lot of candles. But we also had a brilliant florist and stylist in Sarah at Bespoke Country Weddings. She created a mood board that reflected our vision and then did such a great job bringing it to life. We loved working with her; Sarah is such a yes person, whatever idea or challenge popped she was already thinking of way to bring it to life. Jake had an eye on P Johnson for suits for a long time. We went to a few other places just to see at first, but the minute we walked in to their Paddington shop, we knew that was the place. They really looked after us. Jake went in with a very clear idea of what we wanted and Dave had no idea, and our legend of a tailor Thomas worked with both. Our dog would get pats whilst we drank Campari Soda and had them custom-fitted. Just the best experience and so happy with how they turned out.
How did you choose your suppliers?
Our dear friend Ava (By Ava) has recently become a celebrant, but we’d been talking for years about her being ours. She’s already so creative, charming, funny, sweet, and articulate, but pairing that with the fact that she had such intimate knowledge of both of us as a couple really made the ceremony that much more special. She also did an incredible job of managing the crowd and schedule on the day, and even helped calm Jake down when the pre-wedding jitters hit him before walking down the aisle. We honestly feel the day wouldn’t have felt as special as it had without her. Jake found our photographer, James Bennett, on Instagram after a lot of searching and was very fond of his style of photography. He did a test shoot with us and was absolutely the right person. We aren't the most natural ‘models’, but he knows how to direct you whilst making you comfortable enough to be your authentic selves. On the day, he knew how to capture everything but still gave us the space to experience it all, and made sure to get all those candid moments that really make the memories of the day up. The rest we were deliberate about sourcing from the Orange region, and each jumped on a call with us to feel the vibe to make sure everyone was comfortable. We were so lucky as they were all so willing to help and a big part of why the weekend was so successful. The saddest part of the wedding being over is how much we enjoyed collaborating and chatting with them every day whilst we were planning the wedding.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?
Jake: I work in PR so one thing I can do is plan a party. It’s tricky landing on the right date and venue, but once that was out of the way I enjoyed the planning process and didn’t really get too stressed. Sometimes I even miss it! The one difficulty was the guest list, we had a set amount of numbers we were allowed and deliberately didn’t want it too big, but trying to keep that down was hard. We are lucky enough to have quite a large network of wonderful people in our lives and we struggled with not having them all there. But in the end, I think we are glad we kept it intimate; we got to spend some time with every single person over the weekend, which meant so much.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Bali. We’d never had a holiday where we just sat by a pool and did nothing; Jake’s usually dragging Dave to see and do a hundred different things when we travel as he can’t sit still.
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Relax on the big, extravagant, showy stuff. You have a rare opportunity to stand up in a room full of people you love, say how grateful you are for them, and celebrate how much this person means to you. That’s what matters. Having created the time to connect and be present with your guests and most importantly spouse, trumps bougie trimmings every time. Also, if you can, have a ‘recovery' party the next day! Having something the next day where you can just relax and have fun without all the pressure is a really great way to cap everything off.
Jake and David’s Team
Photographer James Bennett
Wedding Venue and Catering Philip Shaw Wines
Celebrant Ava Stangherlin, by Ava
Suits P Johnson, Paddington
Florist and Styling Sarah at Bespoke Country Weddings
Music Ceremony and Canapes - Tim Quiafe from Suaver, Reception and Dancefloor - Chris Rawlinson at Orange DJs
Accommodation Byng Street Hotel
Dance Lessons Sydney Dance Rhythms
Recovery Party Parrot Gin Distillery
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