Ross And William: A Disney Fairytale

Ross and William’s love story is straight out of a Disney fairytale - quite literally, as they met while performing in Disney’s Aladdin musical in 2016. Stones of The Yarra Valley was the perfect venue for the couple’s nuptials, offering a breathtaking backdrop that elevated the celebration to a truly transcendent experience and bringing their love story to life with an idyllic setting infused with Tuscan charm and the vivid hues of autumn. And now, on their first wedding anniversary, Ross and William share with us their love story.

Photographer Bek Smith | Venue Stones Of The Yarra Valley

“ (marriage to us is) showing our nearest and dearest just how much we care for each other. It's truly committing to the other person - heart, body and soul.”

How and when did you meet?

Ross and William: We met in 2016 performing in Disney's ALADDIN The Musical as we were both performers at the time.

Tell us a little about that first time you met.

Ross: The first time we met we locked eyes and sized each other up! I thought William was extremely handsome and was jealous of the size of his arms - and HE thought I needed a good scrub..... I still think he was playing hard to get!!!

What was the first thing you noticed about each other?

Ross: I noticed his big heart and his wisdom.

William: I noticed his sharp tongue and wicked sense of humour.

Tell us about the standout moments in your relationship

Ross and William: Some of the standout moments include our first kiss (a romantic dinner followed by our first kiss in the rain - beside some rubbish bins down oxford street), travelling and seeing the world, and of course, our wedding day (3rd time lucky due to covid postponements.

What does marriage mean to you?

Ross and William: It's us showing our nearest and dearest just how much we care for each other. It's truly committing to the other person - heart, body and soul.

Who proposed and how?

Ross: William proposed to Me. He booked tickets to go to his friends 'art gallery' one evening - and I hesitantly agreed to attending. Before leaving the house he said "is that what you're going to wear?" .... Which made me suspicious... why was what I chose to wear a big deal to attend his friend's art gallery? Anyway, I got changed and off we went to the rooftop of the Price of Wales Hotel in St. Kilda. The Art Exhibition "THE RAIN ROOM" was on show. We waited around for some other guests to arrive but they were 'late' so we got to enter early - just us. Like a private viewing - which I was over the moon about. The Rain Room, for those who don't know, is an art installation where it's raining from the ceiling and when you walk the water parts and you remain dry - it's beautiful. We walked to the centre, I looked over my shoulder and there William was on one knee. He proposed to me and went to put the ring on my incorrect hand .... "It's THIS hand..." I muttered under my breath. I said YES and our friends popped out, ran into the centre and a professional photographer caught everything on film. VERY surprised and VERY special.

When did you get married?

Ross and William: April 17th,2022.

Ross and Williams’s story continues below ↓

What was the main influence behind your wedding day?

Ross and William: A Touch Of Tuscany - autumnal tones, delicious food, romantic and traditional.

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

Ross and William: Ensuring all of our guests enjoyed themselves - yes it was OUR day - but it was important to us that everyone had a great time and felt welcomed and valued as our guests.

Did you incorporate any family sentiments or traditions?

Ross and William: Prior to our ceremony - we had a meet up with our parents. A bit of a 'sneak peek' before anyone else saw us all dressed up. We also had some of our guests read traditional passages from the Bible as part of our ceremony and had a little family friend's son as our paige boy.

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

Ross and William: We both just brainstormed 'dream' scenarios - we picked bits and pieces we loved from movies, books and social media. In the end the best bits all came together in line with our traditional 'Tuscan' vision.

How did you choose your suppliers?

Ross and William: We FIRSTLY went straight to THEODORE - that was our first point of call. We then reached out to our preferred suppliers from the THEODORE list and if they weren't available we then found a second choice (again, from their recommendations).

What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?

Ross and William: Firstly - we had to deal with COVID. Our first date was November 2020 - then it was November 2021 and finally we ended up with April 2022. The next most difficult thing was narrowing down our guest list. As our venue (at the time) had a capacity limit we had to be selective with our guest list. Which in the end was a good thing because it ensured we truly had only our nearest and dearest with us to share in our special day.

Where did you spend your honeymoon?

Ross and William: We firstly had a 'mini-moon' the few days after our wedding day to 'cool off' and recalibrate (go through cards, get back to people etc). We were off the grid and that gave us some time to actually REFLECT on the day. Then later in the year went to EUROPE for out proper Honeymoon. Milan and Positano in Italy, then off to Berlin, then Amsterdam and finally finished in London where we caught up with old friends, saw amazing shows and came back to Australia inspired and more in love than ever.

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

Ross and William: Start slowly - don't look at the entire staircase just start with the first small step in front of you, then move onto the next step. The WHOLE process can be overwhelming - and if you need, reach out to professionals for their input (which we did to the boys at THEODORE - bloody life savers!!!!)

Ross and William’s Team

Venue Stones Of The Yarra Valley

Photographer Bek Smith

Videographer C2

Suits Godwin Charli

Celebrant Hollie James Celebrant

Florist Sassafras Flower Design

Music Hey Jack

Cake Mad About Cakes

Invitations Stone & Sparrow

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