Jono and Ryan: A Considered Celebration in Tasmania
Jono Fleming and Ryan McGregor’s wedding in Swansea, Tasmania, was the perfect blend of intention and ease. Both celebrated interior designers, the couple first met in 2019 and quickly formed a bond rooted in friendship, honesty, and heartfelt connection. Their day, much like their relationship, was beautifully considered—thoughtful without fuss, with Tasmania’s rugged charm setting the tone for a celebration that felt entirely like them.
Photographer Eliska Sharp | Location Swansea, Tasmania, Australia
“After the wedding we asked friends for any photos they snapped on their phones for some extra shots and to be honest, we had barely any. Annoying in a social media age where we want as many pictures as possible but I think it's a testament to the day we put together, everyone was just living in the moment and no one even pulled out their phones, which is such a rare gem nowadays…”
How and when did you meet?
Jono: We met through a mutual friend in 2019. I had heard about this friend of his who was moving back to Australia from Dubai but didn't know many people in Sydney so we connected as friends first.
Tell us a little about that first time you met…
Jono: After a brief hello, the first time we properly hung out I was working from home, styling and shooting cakes for a client and Ryan came over just to chat. We spent the whole day just talking and getting to know each other. I invited him over to reach out as a friend and we just instantly struck a friendship.
What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
Jono: I was so impressed by Ryan's positivity and energy. He was vibrant and enthusiastic, he had moved back to Australia after over a decade abroad to pursue his dream of becoming an interior designer. He just showed so much passion for his goal and despite him being so far from his comfort zone, with not many friends to lean on, no family in Sydney, going back to being a student at 30, nothing seemed too scary or daunting. Oh, and he was really really tall.
Ryan: What Jono didn't know was that whilst I was showing enthusiasm, passion, and drive, I was actually a bit lost in myself and where I was heading at the time. Jono immediately was so welcoming and generous. He showed a sense of security, safety, and caring, as well as all the qualities of a family I didn't have around me. And he cooked really well.
Tell us about the standout moments in your relationship…
Jono: A month before we officially started dating I had had a bit of a day... I spent the day with a friend, had a few too many drinks and was pretty over dating and men in general at that point. I barged into Ryan's apartment as he was getting ready to go to bed, proceeded to drink a bottle of wine and loudly proclaim that all men were awful and that 'I AM A CATCH'. After a couple of hours of indulging in my meltdown as I sang to Tina Turner, Ryan politely kicked me out of his place. I woke up the next day feeling extremely embarrassed and sorry for myself, apologising profusely to Ryan. He laughed it off and to be honest... a month later we officially started dating. I guess I just had to say it out loud. In our vows, Ryan actually recounted this evening a bit more eloquently, 'in that vulnerable moment, it was your heartfelt act of you being you that will always be a lasting part of our story'.
Have you ever faced any issues of non-acceptance?
Jono: We have both been so lucky to have incredible loving family and friends around us. That being said, once we went to the beach after work for a swim and it was just after World Pride had ended so we were in a big bubble of pride and acceptance. I went to give Ryan a kiss to say hello and a bunch of teenagers started yelling slurs at us. Ryan didn't really notice but it struck me and one of our girlfriends saw it happen too. It shocked me out of that acceptance bubble we had been shielded by. And whilst we have support in our immediate circle, it showed me that there's still so much ignorance and hate out there.
What does marriage mean to you?
Jono: Ryan was living overseas when the marriage equality vote was happening in Australia. That was such a tense time, wondering if our rights would be recognised, and ever since it got passed, and even before, I knew marriage was something I wanted one day. Ryan was a bit more on the fence about marriage when we first met but I think over the years, as we built our lives together, the conversations about marriage just seemed to flow. We both saw our lives heading in a direction where this was a next chapter and there's something so special about being able to acknowledge ourselves as husbands to each other. It doesn't make our relationship better or superior to anyone else's whatever they choose, but to each other it means a lot.
Who proposed, and how?
Our proposal was a little unconventional. We went to Japan in 2023 and on our last day in Kyoto, we were riding bikes around the city and came across a jewellery studio. We had vaguely talked about having a ring made for us in Japan but hadn't made solid plans to do anything about it. So we went to this small studio we stumbled across and all of a sudden we're sitting down and choosing metals, all via Google Translate as nobody spoke English. Over the next two hours we hand made our own rings which was an incredible experience. Ryan then took the rings with him and said I'd get them back when the time was right. And a few months later we were at our farm, we had spent all day painting a room and like we normally do, at the end of the day, we drove to the top of the hill to watch the sunset over the pine forest. Ryan pulled out the ring, and asked me to marry him. It was simple, it wasn't over the top, it was just a beautiful little quiet moment with the two of us.
When did you get married?
We got married in October 2024 in Swansea on the East Coast of Tasmania
What was the main influence behind your wedding day?
People always asked us why were getting married in Tasmania, and the answer was, we just love it! We went a few years ago together, it was the first time either of us had been and spent 12 days driving around the island. We fell in love with it instantly. At that time, we weren't engaged but had in the back of our mind we might find a 'party' venue, just something to think about. A few days into the trip we were told to check out a new restaurant in Swansea which had only been open a couple of weeks. We were on the east coast so we did the drive down and met an old colleague of Jono's there. When we got to the restaurant, it was an old seaside motel, a bit daggy, walking through the carpark, down the chain link fence, we were so worried where we had sent our friends to meet us... and when we walked into the Waterloo Inn dining room, it was as daggy as the outside, but in the most amazing way. The pelmet that matched the curtains, the old peeling timber veneer tables with the cream vinyl chairs, it was like a time capsule. We met our friends, had some of the best food and wine we had on the island and met the owner Alex, her husband Zac was the chef behind the scenes. I think we instantly knew this place was a vibe. Our friends were staying down the road at Piermont Retreat and not knowing anything about it, we drove down to have a look. It was another AHA moment. As we drove through the gates, the property revealed itself. An old manor house at the entry, beautiful lush gardens, views of the Hazard Ranges over the water and a stunning stone amphitheatre. Without really discussing anything, we just looked at each other and knew this was the place. A year later (still not engaged) we did a reccie down to the same spot to see if it was really what we remembered it to be and if it was the right fit, for one day. It was perfection. And from there it really shaped every detail of the wedding. Tassie became the star of the planning.
Did you incorporate any family sentiments or traditions?
Ryan: On the morning of the wedding my dad, brother and I all went for a swim in the crisp ocean in the bay at Swansea. It was a great moment for the three of us to come together and connect. My mum had passed away a decade ago and it was heartbreaking not to be able to have her at the wedding. When Merren our celebrant talked about her in her speech, it was the only time in the whole ceremony a kookaburra started laughing in a tree. It's nice to know she was there in a way, looking at the day unfold and having a great time.
Jono: My mum gave the toast for the family, my dad has terrible anxiety around public speaking, and to end it she gave did a cheers but in Taiwanese and Chinese culture, there isn't really a word like 'cheers' where everyone raises the glass and takes a sip. Gānbēi is the word used which translates to 'dry cup' essentially inviting everyone to scull their drink. I loved that my mum, in her very glamorous gown got everyone to down their drink in one go, bringing a bit of my Taiwanese heritage to Tassie.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
As mentioned, we really leaned into our Tassie location as our inspiration for the day. We didn't want to make things overly complicated for ourselves though. We are both in interior design and I'm a stylist as well so there was a bit of expectation that we would have this over-the-top styled wedding and reception. We decided to make our lives easy, we both know first-hand how much pressure there is on a shoot day to prep and style so simple was key. Our invitations were probably the biggest undertaking, we wanted to create a little vintage travel guide of Tasmania. We designed and mocked up our own 48-page guide which contained all the info about the wedding and then all the bits and pieces you need to know about Tasmania and its regions for those who wanted to make a holiday from their trip down. We wanted a booklet that our guests would actually keep beyond the wedding and not throw away. We leant into our venues, letting the rugged landscape of Piermont be the backdrop of our ceremony in lieu of florals and decorations. For the reception we wanted to embrace the daggy element of the Waterloo Inn dining room, no florals again, just really simple table settings. The details were the parts we focused on, everyone's place card was a custom coaster with made up beer brands, as if they were always there on the bar. The other thing on the table settings was a single silver oyster which was an incense holder by Corey Ashford. A nod to the amazing produce that lines the Tassie coast, these oysters were our bonbonniere for every single guest. And the only element were 1-metre tall candles that stood down the grooms table, playing with the simplicity and scale. It was all about being minimal, allowing the venues to shine and our guests, all decked out in black tie, to be the decoration for the spaces.
How did you choose your suppliers?
We worked with the wonderful Bek Burrows and her husband Paul to help plan our wedding. We were really specific with what we wanted the day to look like but also got lucky that things were pretty simple in the planning. Bek suggested the wonderful Merren Wilkinson to be our celebrant, she also suggested Lucy Watts to be our DJ for the reception, we met our photographer Eliska Sharp through a friend, and that was about it! Bek and Paul handled all the logistics of transport and we had gotten to know the people running the venues in the years leading up to the wedding. A lot of preplanning but it made for an easy run.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?
I think the most difficult thing was us making sure our friends and family were across everything they needed to know when heading down for the wedding. We overplanned in the lead-up, especially being a destination wedding, we wanted everyone to have all their info beforehand so we could switch off and be in the moment of the day. The 48-page invitation, website, text the week before and custom newspapers dropped off on the morning of with the full breakdown of the day might sound like overkill but everyone really appreciated all the reminders and we were able to be in the moment with our people without worrying about everyone. We had an itinerary for a few days after the wedding for those who wanted to tag along, just little day trips up and down the east coast together. It was about making sure that if we getting everyone to come down and make the trip, they felt they had the best time, saw everything they could see in the time they were there and made the most of it. The planning of the actual wedding was really simple, thanks to Bek and Paul's organisation and communication. So our focus was on the overall experience and making sure we delivered there.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We are heading on a big honeymoon later this year, off to Milan, Iceland and Marrakech but after the wedding week, after our road trip with friends, we did a little minimoon at a small shack on the coast. Whalesong Shack in Falmouth was the perfect spot to unwind, soak in all that had happened the last week and really live in the afterglow of the wedding. I did arrange one little surprise for Ryan, on our first night there, I organised a local chef, Sam Jackson from Poco, to cook a private dinner. He was amazing, turning up with fresh crayfish and all sorts of delicious dishes, cooking directly on the outdoor firepit that overlooked the ocean. It was a really special way to decompress and enjoy our time in Tassie after everyone had left.
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Our biggest advice is to do what you want to do. Don't be limited by what you see online, what other people are doing and what people 'expect' you to do. This is your day, you get to make it as amazing as you want it to be and in the way you want it to be. I think it helped us that we were very focused on what we wanted the day to feel like, less on how it looked, and from there, it really helped us make decisions. What are our guests (and us) going to remember long after the wedding is over, is it the menu font or the laughs and conversations at the table. I think we found a great balance in the end for aesthetics but also creating the mood and atmosphere we wanted. After the wedding we asked friends for any photos they snapped on their phones for some extra shots and to be honest, we had barely any. Annoying in a social media age where we want as many pictures as possible but I think it's a testament to the day we put together, everyone was just living in the moment and no one even pulled out their phones, which is such a rare gem nowadays.
Jono and Ryan’s Team
Wedding Planner Bek Burrows
Photographer Eliska Sharp
Celebrant Merren Wilkinson
DJ Lucy Watts
Ceremony Venue Piermont Retreat
Reception Venue The Waterloo Inn (now closed unfortunately, but pop up restaurant is there)
Transport East Coast Coaches
More For You
