Justin and Leigh: A Meeting Of City and Country
Contemporary city vibes meet rustic country charm was the brief for Justin and Leigh's Zonzo Estate wedding.
With a team of extraordinary wedding vendors, Justin and Leigh were able to transfer their original Spring planned wedding (thanks COVID) to an Autumn soirée and have the wedding of their dreams.
Photography Duuet Weddings | Location Zonzo Estate, VIC
“I called both Leigh's parents and asked for their permission, and they both said yes!”
How and when did you meet?
Justin: We met at a Performing Arts Academy, Dance World Studios, in 2012 located in Port Melbourne. Leigh was studying Musical Theatre, and I was studying full-time dance.
Tell us a little about the first time you met?
Justin: The first time we met was in a jazz class where I knew no one; being the new kid on the block, Leigh went straight to me to say "Hi" and introduce himself. He made me feel comfortable and at ease taking me out to lunch on the first day, introducing me to his other friends.
What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
Justin: A infectious, fun personality and someone you wanted to be around that was so positive, like a big ball of energy.
Leigh: I thought of Justin as the 'cool kid' as soon as he walked in. Initially, I thought we wouldn't get along, and he was too cool for school to be friends with me and that he was a threat to my dancing!
Any standout moments in your relationship?
Leigh: The standout moment in our relationship was when Justin came around to wanting a family. I had always wanted to create a family and be a father. Justin has always been more career-driven and a hard worker, that having children was something he had not thought of before. When Justin said to me that he was ready to start this crazy unknown journey to parenthood was a massive stand out moment for both of us.
Have you ever faced any issues of non-acceptance?
Justin and Leigh: Every LGBTQI+ couple and individuals definitely do face non-acceptance. With us both, we feel as though we have been quite lucky. The primary thing we think is that it is more internal than anything else. There are always personal barriers in our daily lives of saying yes, I have a boyfriend/fiance/husband. And automatically, when you say you have a fiancé, we have had many times where people say, "So what is her name?" "Oh, where is she, only you today?" "Is she going to be attending?" And I think it's these moments where you think to yourself sometimes it's easier to lie than to tell the truth.
I think also the other personal barrier we face as well is public display of affection. We aren't really about PDA, but internally, the barrier is that we can't hold hands or people will judge or don't kiss me in public because people will probably say something. The pressures of what society is still adjusting to as "normal" are still ever-changing and have a significant mental aspect that people not in the LGBTQIA+ community don't understand.
What does marriage mean to you?
Leigh: We always saw marriage in the pipeline of our future but didn't know if it would happen. Due to Justin being from a religious background, it was never a deal-breaker if we didn't get married, but we knew for our future family this would be something that would have been admirable and something we would want for our children.
Who proposed and how?
Leigh: Justin proposed on February 22nd, 2019. We both went shopping for a "look" to try on for ring sizes as an impromptu thing. Little did I know that Justin was planning on a last-minute proposal that felt right in the time and the moment. Heading into Tiffany & Co., finding the perfect ring and having the right size in stock, the proposal was on that night!
Justin: I called both Leigh's parents and asked for their permission, and they both said yes! A text message was sent out to all families to meet at Crown at a particular time when they would get to witness this extraordinary moment. Leigh didn't suspect anything except that we were going for dinner at Crown with family. But he soon enough found out, staring out to the water, embracing the fresh air when I started talking longer than usual and ending it with me on one knee asking Leigh to Marry me. It was a moment full of joy, of loved ones around us as well as on FaceTime to be a part of this special moment. Festivities continued into the night, and a moment we will never forget.
When did you get married?
This year recently, April 7th 2021.
Justin and Leigh’s story continues below ↓
What was the primary influence behind your wedding day?
Justin: The primary influence behind our wedding day was that we could finally get married as two grooms and that we could feel as though it was ok to be walking down the aisle, married and becoming Mr & Mr Khoo. The other main influence was that we wanted to create a family, and we wanted the same last name for our kids, which to some might not be important but was a major thing to us.
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?
Leigh: The most important thing to us surrounding our wedding was our family. Especially with Justin's parents being of a Christian religious background, this would be relatable for other same-sex individuals with a religious family. Justin has always been inspired by his parents and has such a strong bond, but the question around whether they will be there or not took time, but Justin was so proud to have them walk him down the aisle.
As for me, the most important thing was that we embraced every moment together as a couple. We tried not to stress, especially with our wedding being delayed due to COVID and both of us being scared of another cancellation of our special day.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
Justin: I come from a city background, and Leigh growing up in a country town; we really wanted our wedding to embrace both modern/country vibes. Zonzo ticked that off with the contemporary Cappella whilst it also had a country feel to the whole place, including the reception area. We used Theodore for vendor sourcing as well as google being our best friend.
How did you choose your suppliers?
Justin: We were very adamant that we wanted a fun and joyful celebrant, an acoustic duo, an incredible florist that could bring our vision to life and winery, as well as a fantastic photographer that shot that rustic feel for our wedding. We went to different wedding expos and used different wedding databases, including THEODORE, which helped us know that the vendors we would choose had been recommended.
Any standout suppliers?
Justin and Leigh: To be honest, this is hard as we were so happy with our day. Every supplier was incredible. Each of them went above and beyond and made our day so smooth and easy.
Our Celebrant, Megan, was a lifesaver! When we met her, it honestly just felt right. We didn't know why but we knew she was the one. We had met other great celebrants, but they didn't give us the feeling we were looking for. With our delay in the wedding, Megan was there to support us, give us advice, and keep us in the loop the whole way with all legalities, venue capacities, and just in general, making sure we were ok. On the day we couldn't have asked for more! Today, our guests talk about how amazing she was at engaging with people, telling our story and making everyone laugh! A celebrant we would highly recommend to anyone.
Our florist, Youki and the team at Sugarbee Flowers. All we can say is WOW! We had a specific vision for our wedding, but also we had a budget. The team were so professional and such a delight to work with. The flowers, especially Justin's bouquet that was so special to us, came out even better than we imagined. The venue flower bombs to the garlands... everything was perfect, and this team were just phenomenal.
Our photography, Wu and the team at Duuet were a dream! From the moment we met them at a wedding expo to the time when we had a delay in our wedding to the meeting prior to our wedding, everything was seamless and not an issue with them. Wu made everyone feel so comfortable and directed everyone so well that we look back at our photos, and she hit the mark of what we wanted! We wanted those candid moments, not the standstill pose shots, and that's exactly what we got!
Angus and Joey, the duo from Unplugged Entertainment, were what brought the whole wedding together! The music was so important to us, the choices we had made were specific with certain covers we wanted; they did just that. The crowd loved them and their energy as well as their talent! We definitely chose the right acoustic duo that a lot of the guests said we want to book them for our wedding!
To our gorgeous hair and makeup team Amber and Casey, we would not have looked how good we did on our day without you both and your team. The mother of the grooms and the wedding party just looked gorgeous, and you listened to exactly what we wanted and were so easy to work with despite the craziness of COVID and would highly recommend these two for any wedding function coming up!
Last but not least, Enrik Limousines's service was so professional, high-end service and had such lovely staff in both limos. They went above and beyond to ensure we were all happy, that the music was pumping and also so patient when little things happened. Arriving in these limos to our wedding was so important, and it was everything we wanted.
As an LGBTQI+ couple, did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions?
Justin: This is a great question, absolutely! I think the main thing was how we were going to walk down the aisle. This was a bit of back and forth until we made the decision that we would both walk down the aisle. The reason for this is because it's a big moment for each of us, and we didn't want either of us to miss that special moment with our parents walking us down the aisle.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?
Leigh: We're both such organised individuals. There was nothing difficult about planning the wedding as we gave ourselves a year prior to do our meetings, choose our venue and suppliers, and then bringing it all together. I think the only difficult thing we had, like many other couples was COVID-19 and the ongoing opening and closing. We didn't know if our wedding was going to go ahead if we needed to bring our numbers down and all the unknown factors but our suppliers, being as amazing as they were, helped us navigate all of these situations.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Justin: We had a plan to do a beautiful overseas honeymoon, but due to COVID we ended up booking a weekend away at the Crown Metropol. We ended up eating at some of the best restaurants, going to gold class, enjoying a massage at the Crown Spa and spending time together embracing the moment we were finally married!
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Justin and Leigh: Enjoy the process. Realise that it's you and your partners special day, no one else's. Don't sweat the small things. Your day will happen, and when it does, it will be incredible and more than what you imagine. Sometimes things are out of your control, but control what you can. Research, talk to others, talk to suppliers and make sure the ones you choose feel right because they are what make your day unforgettable!
Justin and Leigh’s Team
Photographer Duuet Weddings
Venue Zonzo Estate
Suits Peter Jackson
Flowers Sugarbee Flowers
Cars Enrik Limousines
Cake Nikos Cakes
Celebrant Marry Me Megan
Makeup Casey Brooke Makeup
Hair Amber White
Signage The Parker Effect
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