It was precisely 25 years to the day they met that Quentin and Sam chose to celebrate their marriage; December 1st, 2019.

Photographer The Girl in the White Dres | Venue Poolside Café @ Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool

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How and when did you meet?

Quentin - A random Thursday night out in Melbourne! I was dragged out by two friends, we ended up at 3 Faces nightclub and immediately perched up against the bar. I was surveying the room when in walked Sam, through the crowd and stood next to me at the bar.

Tell us a little about the first time you met?

Quentin - Sam was having lots of fun; he had been to dinner and was in a playful mood. I remember he knew a lot of people and the boys were like bees to the ‘Sam honeypot’! I was intrigued and my mates knew this, so they decided to give me a makeover on the spot! I had long hair then and within a matter of seconds they pulled it out of its ponytail, spun me around and practically pushed me towards Sam. We connected.

What was the first thing you noticed about each other?

Quentin - He was tall, handsome, loved life and a conversation!

Sam - His smile and that magic electricity when they touched.

Any standout moments in your relationship?

25 years together delivers many stand out moments, highs and lows. The standout is learning to navigate those, to flex when each is growing, feeling and challenged and above all to talk.

What does Marriage mean to you?

A commitment to each other. Yes, that can be without the legalities, but we want to live in an inclusive society that allows and accepts love. Surprising for both of us is the euphoric feeling of being ‘married’ once we did this.

Who proposed and how?

Quentin - I proposed to Sam, it was my birthday and our first night onboard a Silverseas cruise in the Caribbean. Sam was busy working with the crew to arrange a cake, but I quietly gazumped him. At dinner, when presented with our menu, Sam was given a menu that told a story of us and asked the question “Will you marry me?”

Sam - This was a great surprise. I had proposed 20 years prior on his birthday by giving Quentin a ring with a diamond on the inside and asking for his hand in commitment. Something to be said about birthdays and weddings with us.

When did you get married?
1st of December 2019, the date was important to us as it was 25 years to the day we first met.

What was the main influence behind your wedding day?

Quentin - To share our love and commitment with our family and friends. When Same-Sex marriage passed legislation in Australia, many people were asking if and when we would marry. We both found the process exhausting and whilst incredibly pleased with the result it wasn’t what we wanted to do immediately.

The date was important, 25 years is significant and that’s when I thought – let’s do this. We had not discussed it at all, so when I asked Sam to marry me, it was a total surprise.

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

Quentin - The love and joy from our family and friends. They wanted to be there, to celebrate and to witness our wedding.

Sam - It was important to include our family and friends in the ceremony, our mothers walked us down the aisle, our fathers stood and hugged us both and our nieces lit the candle from our previous ceremony. Quentin’s brother was his best man, our god son the ring bearer (or lord of the rings as he liked to be known!) and his mother, my best friend, was my best woman.

Quentin - Oh and a touch of pink…wherever I looked!

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

Quentin - We swim for fitness, for love, for sanity! Therefore, it was a natural gravitation to water. The venue was perfect for this. Pink is my favourite colour and so this was the basis of the colour palette. The ceremony was crafted from our journey, a love of music and gin! We had an awesome Gin bar that Poolside Café offered – it went down so well with all.

How did you choose your suppliers?

Quentin - It began with the look and feel we were after. 20 years prior at our commitment ceremony, we had a fabulous drag show, Guy Uppiah DJ’ing and danced into the early morning. This time we wanted a more stripped back and chilled event that celebrated a lifetime of love. I began researching and looking at preferred suppliers of the venue and having conversations with friends who are in the industry. Recommendations are important, especially from those you trust.

Any standout suppliers?

Quentin - All! I would highly recommend them all.

Poolside Café were a dream to work with. I remember sitting down with Steph and she asked if we were nervous, the look on our faces may have given that away, but her words of encouragement were gold, I held them close from then to our wedding day. At our wedding, the entire team were amazing looking after every guest.

She Designs, they styled the venue. As a venue and location, it is beautiful but they added another level and the detail was incredible. Guests are still talking about the flowers. Nina the head designer was brilliant to engage with from the outset in terms of what we were after.

The band – The Acoustic Duo. They sang both the aisle song and first dance, and this was perfect for a fade out when required! The mood is so important, and they read the crowd so well. Then there are their voices!

What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?

Sam - Not enough time in the day to do everything you want! After 25 years together there were many elements we would have loved to include in our ceremony, but the last thing you want is a ceremony that is like war and peace.

Quentin - Expectations, we wanted it paired back and you start to let thoughts of what you think people are expecting of you. Trust your gut, your guests are there for you.

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

Sam - Don’t over-engineer, get it to a point where you are happy and can hand over to the professionals. Know when to let go.

Quentin - Yes, in the wise words of Stephany from Poolside, they know what they are doing, they want your day to be the best.