Will and Nigel: A Love Story That Started Over A Decade Ago
Here is a love story of two gentlemen that started over a decade ago. "It was so long ago though, so it's hard to remember the details," Will and Nigel tell Mr Theodore speaking of the first time they met, "obviously, it wasn't a bad meeting, otherwise we might not be here." The pair celebrated their wedding earlier this year at renowned winery Mitchelton Wines in Victoria's Goulburn Valley Wine Region, and now Will and Nige take us on an intimate journey into their relationship and share with us all the details of their special day.
Photographer Bek Smith | Venue Mitchelton Wines
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So, how and when did you meet?
We met over a decade ago through mutual friends so we’ve known each other for a long time, and ran into each other along the way always platonically. We met properly almost four years ago, and started dating soon after – the rest is history as the saying does.
Tell us a little about the first time you met?
It was at a group gathering where we both had mutual friends, so it was in a really relaxed setting. It was so long ago though, so hard to remember the details –but obviously, it wasn’t a bad meeting, otherwise, we might not be here.
What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
Will: Nige is sociable, and has natural warmth – he lights up a room when he walks in and people are drawn to him.
Nigel: Will’s ability to hold a stimulating conversation and he’s also very easy on the eye!
Tell us about any standout moments in your relationship?
We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to travel together – both domestically and internationally; with friends, family and also on our own so have lots of fond memories from that already.
Travel is something that we both love and have done a lot of separately, so looking forward to doing a lot more in the future.
Have you ever faced any issues of non-acceptance?
Absolutely not. We’re both really fortunate to have incredibly supportive family, friends and colleagues. We appreciate that that’s not always the case, and so we’re very lucky from both a professional and personal perspective.
Who proposed and how?
Nigel: Will proposed on a holiday in Byron Bay, staying at Raes on Watergos for my 30th birthday. He proposed in our suite. We had been stuck inside because the weather was awful, but nothing could rain on our parade!
What does marriage mean to you?
We’re both of the belief that marriage is what you want it to be and what you make it. Obviously there are traditions or norms that a lot of people like to follow but we’re also really adamant that we have our own values and our marriage fits into those rather than dictating them.
When did you get married?21st February 2020.
Will and Nigel’s story continues below ↓
What was the main influence behind your wedding day?
We avoided being influenced by anything in particular: other weddings, traditions, other’s opinions etc.
The main element that influenced us was probably the mindset that we could literally make it anything we wanted – choose traditions that we liked, not be guided by the ones that we didn’t and adapt some to suit our own perceptions.
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?
The most important thing for the both of us was being able to celebrate with friends and family. Obviously the fight for marriage equality was something that we’ve grown up with, and something that our friends and family were also part of (directly and indirectly) so it was really significant and special for our close ones to be there with us.
It’s also not lost on us that we were so lucky to be able to have some many guests given the climate – we only scrapped in by a couple of weeks, so time was on our side.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
We probably found most of our inspiration online, particularly on Instagram. We also went into the earlier stages of planning with some preconceived ideas which naturally changed and evolved throughout the process.
How did you choose your suppliers?
We didn’t rush into anything; we landed on suppliers reasonably early but then let ourselves sit with the suppliers before we locked them in to make sure we weren’t changing our mind or what we wanted changed. Ultimately though, the original suppliers that we found and loved were the ones that were there on the day.
“You’ll get lots of advice, and sometimes it’s overwhelming. Ultimately it’s about choosing the things that are most important or special for you as a couple.”
Any standout suppliers?
They were all amazing, and went over and above for us.
Bek flying over from NZ when being heavily pregnant to take our photos was an incredible effort – we loved all of our photos.
Sean Marchetti who arranged our music was also awesome to work with. He delivered the best music and really captured the different vibes throughout the day and then also volunteered to sing live for when we came down the aisle.
Georgia who arranged our flowers was also so fun to work with – she offered us lots of ideas and then went over and beyond on the day helping with the table setting and creating a few extra installations within the reception.
Matt was also amazing and really collaborative – he took the time to get to know us, so on the day it felt so easy.
We were absolutely blown away with Josue Films – we really didn’t brief him well, we didn’t know what we wanted but the results were just perfect.
Did you incorporate anything sentimental?
Unfortunately, all our grandparents had passed away some time ago, so we set up a small installation at the entry to the reception with their own wedding photos so we could be reminded that they were there in spirit.
Did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding?
We enjoyed it. We didn’t feel compelled to follow any if we didn’t like them, but we also didn’t feel the need to throw them all out the window.
That was really the directive that we briefed all of our suppliers on too, so they had some great suggestions and were open to changing it up too. Matt was amazing in this with regard to the ceremony – there’s actually a lot more flexibility in the ceremony that we realised so that was interesting to explore.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?
Probably the guest list. Trying to land on a number and then working through who that number included.
In retrospect, we should have started with a target number as a brief to work to. Instead we just wrote a list of names and then found we had to reign in to accommodate the venue.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We spent a week in Tasmania straight after the wedding and had then planned to head to Europe in June 2020 for 3 weeks. Obviously, Europe had to be put on hold, so we’re really fortunate to have had the time in Tassie.
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Try not to plan everything at once, take your time where you can and lock one thing in at a time. Prioritise what elements of the day are the most important (and appreciate that they might be different for each of you; work those out and then go from there.
You’ll get lots of advice, and sometimes it’s overwhelming. Ultimately it’s about choosing the things that are most important or special for you as a couple.
Will & Nigel’s team
Photographer Bek Smith (Can also be found on Mr Theodore)
Videographer Josue Films (Can also be found on Mr Theodore)
Venue Mitchelton Wines
Flowers Georgia Ko Floral Design
Cake Blue and Ruby Cake Art (Can also be found on Mr Theodore)
Stationery Studio Silva
Celebrant Matt Finch (Can also be found on Mr Theodore)
Music Sean Marchetti
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