Steven and John: A Modern Romance

Amidst Melbourne’s vibrant theatre scene, Steven and John’s Tinder match evolved into a heartfelt romance, leading to a rainy Monday evening wedding at Sophia on Chapel Street. From overcoming distance to crafting a day bursting with personal flair, their journey embodies the enduring spirit of modern love.

Photographer Kyra Boyer Weddings | Location Melbourne, AUS

How and when did you meet?

We first met in June 2017 in Melbourne. It’s a tale as old as time (not quite) – we matched on Tinder. Steven had recently arrived in town with the national tour of Disney’s Aladdin musical, where he was working in the wardrobe department. John was a local who had basically swiped right on every man in Melbourne. It’s been so long it’s hard to remember who swiped right first, but John’s profile mentioned that he was looking for a theatre foyer companion, and Steven’s interest was piqued from there.

Tell us a little about that first time you met…

Our first date was at Cookie, a cocktail bar and Thai restaurant, in Melbourne CBD. It was a Monday night, which was Steven’s night off from Aladdin, so the usual buzzing atmosphere at Cookie was a bit more relaxed – the perfect location to get to know each other over a glass (or two) of wine. We immediately connected over a shared love of theatre.

What was the first thing you noticed about each other?

John: It was Steven’s openness and directness – he didn’t seem to be playing any games and I never felt like he had to second-guess his intentions. A rarity in the world of dating apps! When we met in person, Steven was just the right mix of mysterious and masculine without being aloof.

Steven: I was drawn to John’s confidence and his big brown eyes. John was outgoing from the outset, which captured my attention.

Tell us about the standout moments in your relationship…

In a way, our relationship has been one of extremes – we’ve lived apart for 18 months (Steven doesn’t like the term ‘long-distance’) while Steven was touring with Aladdin and of course endured a grand total of 262 days in lockdown together in Melbourne throughout 2020 and 2021. We like to think if you balance out the time spent apart and the lockdowns, it all balances out!

What does marriage mean to you?

For us, marriage was really about affirming the commitment we’d already made to each other throughout the first five years of our relationship. We were newly dating when marriage equality in Australia was legalised, so it still feels very special to be able to make this kind of commitment and have it be legally recognised. Plus, with our families living on different sides of the country, a wedding was a wonderful opportunity to get everyone together and celebrate love with all of our closest friends and family.

Who proposed and how?

Steven proposed to John in May 2021 (in a brief window in between COVID lockdowns!). The plans had been brewing for a few months – Steven even enlisted John’s best friend Sherena with a covert mission to work out John’s ring size for his engagement ring.

We were out in the city for a night at the theatre, seeing a friend of Steven’s in a production at the Arts Centre. We had a lovely dinner at Higher Ground on Little Bourke Street, followed by a walk along the Yarra River. Steven asked John to stop to take a selfie with him (which is highly out of character and perhaps should have been a clue of what was to come), and Steven surprised John with a gorgeous Tiffany & Co ring. By John’s own admission, he was caught completely by surprise, but of course was delighted to accept.

When did you get married?

27th March 2023, on a rainy Monday evening at the gorgeous Sophia at the Prahran Arcade on Chapel Street.

Steven and John’s story continues below ↓

What was the main influence behind your wedding day?

Regarding the venue, we wanted a space that did the architectural heavy-lifting – not a venue that was a blank canvas and needed to be ‘dressed’ to feel special or romantic.

The main brief for the day was an all-in-one event (ceremony and reception in the one venue) that mostly felt like a big party! While the formalities like the ceremony and the speeches were important (and ultimately a wonderful and memorable part of the day), the biggest focus for us was making sure that we had a venue which looked beautiful and plenty of food, drink, and music to enjoy an unforgettable evening with our guests, and to celebrate!

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

It was important for our wedding to feel like a representation of us, and for us to disregard any wedding traditions which didn’t have meaning to us. In keeping with our ‘party’ vibe, it was important for us to have a venue that could accommodate both our ceremony and reception, so we didn’t have downtime in between.

All that aside, the absolute most important thing for us was to have all our most important people there to celebrate with us – we had a lot of guests come from Western Australia, where Steven is from, so we made sure to give people lots and lots of notice! Having a wedding on a Monday also meant giving people lots of notice was a good idea, so they could take leave from work if they wanted to (especially on the Tuesday, to perhaps nurse a hangover).

Did you incorporate any family sentiments or traditions?

Our brothers were our witnesses on the day – and in keeping with the tradition set by his brother Brad when he got married in 2018, Steven waited until the end of the ceremony in front of all the guests to let Brad know he’d be called on as a witness! John gave his brother Chris a little more notice.

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?

The beautiful heritage architecture of our venue inspired a lot of our aesthetic – the candlesticks, floral arrangements and even our suits. When in doubt, Instagram and Pinterest provided some inspiration!

In terms of our outfits, Steven opted for a silk Gucci scarf which contained a lot of bright colours in lieu of a usual tie or bowtie with his suit. We ended up using this as the basis for our bridesmaids’ outfits – we asked our ladies to pick an outfit that they loved, containing some or all of colours from the Gucci scarf. The result was a beautiful selection of unique outfits that all of our bridesmaids’ felt comfortable and confident in.

How did you choose your suppliers?

We had great advice from Emma Jolley, the Event Manager at Atlantic Group, who managed our venue. Emma was so patient and extremely happy to answer our (mainly John’s) many questions.

John’s bridesmaid Sherena works in events (usually weddings) and was completely integral to helping us navigate the experience and find suppliers. We often joke that we wouldn’t even be married now if Sherena hadn’t helped us to find our beautiful venue and navigate the ‘admin’ side of planning a wedding!

John found our amazing photographer Kyra Boyer on Instagram, and we were immediately struck by how relaxed and candid everyone looked in her photos - just the vibe we were looking for.

We also chose some vendors based on proximity and convenience for planning; our gorgeous florals were from The Road Stall on Spring Street in the Melbourne CBD – just a few doors down from Steven’s work (at the time) at the Princess Theatre where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was playing.

What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?

We had a lot of guests travelling from interstate and even overseas, as well as some elderly guests and John’s young nieces – so there were a lot of logistics to get everyone there on the day! It was important but challenging for us to find a structure for the day that would allow us to celebrate with everyone. Having the day as an all-in-one event meant that John’s nieces and those guests that didn’t want to party into the wee hours could be with us for the ceremony and the start of the reception, and then those that wanted to tear up the dancefloor and indulge in an extra drink or two could let their hair down!

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

There are so many decisions that go into planning the day, we found it was easiest to tackle one thing at a time, so it didn’t feel so overwhelming. It was especially valuable for us to put our faith in our vendors to do what they do best. As John’s bridesmaid Sherena said to us (paraphrased), ‘make your vendor choices, pay your invoices, and on the day, the car drives itself.’

The other thing to remember is that more than your guests want to enjoy themselves, they want you to enjoy yourself. Don’t get so hung up on the details that you forget to just enjoy the day!

Steven and John’s Team

Venue Sophia at the Prahran Arcade

Photographer Kyra Boyer Weddings

Celebrant Sally Hughes Marriage Celebrant

Florals The Road Stall

Suits SABA, Steven also wore; Alexander McQueen (shirt for a reveal later in the night)

DJ Carly Gray (Rutherford Entertainment)

Cake Get Caked by Lisa

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