Benjamin and Robert: A Wedding At Their Old Local Café
Well, how is this for a proposal story. Ben proposed to Rob entirely unbeknownst to him in one of those tourist photo booths on the side of the road in Paris. The grooms met in Sydney 5 years prior and choose to celebrate their wedding at their old local cafe Three Williams in Red Fern. "When we first started dating, Three Williams Café was directly halfway between both of our apartments in Redfern/Surry Hills, so it’s somewhere we used to go quite a bit for brunch and coffee dates. When we found out they also did weddings, it felt like the only choice for us."
Photographer Mitch Best | Venue Three Williams Café
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How and when did you meet?
Ben - We actually met on Scruff, nearly 5 years ago in Sydney, but chatted on and off for a few months before meeting in person… He had great banter!
Rob - Ben was nearby… and I thought he was very handsome!
Tell us a little about the first time you met?
Rob - I think he was already a bit tipsy when I first invited him over. He had (has) the weirdest accent.
Ben - I’d just come from working all evening at an event, but couldn’t say no to a few beers, a movie and a sleepover. He was very quiet, so I totally overcompensated by being super chatty (strange accent included).
What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
Rob - His height!
Ben - His piercing blue eyes and strong beard game
What does Marriage mean to you?
Rob - That we get to spend the rest of our lives together!
Ben - That whatever the future brings, we can be there for each other and with each other – legally and in every other sense
Who proposed and how?
Ben - Whenever we visit a new city, we always find one of those crusty old photo booths, to get a memento of our trip. So, I proposed to Rob inside one of those photo booths, during a 2016 Christmas trip to Paris… It made for a great snap!
When did you get married?
Saturday, 5th October 2019.
Rob and Ben’s story continues below ↓
What was the main influence behind your wedding day?
Ben - Celebrating with all of our favourite people in the world. It’s not often in your lifetime that you get to have them all in one room together!
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?
Rob - No fuss! The most important thing was that everyone had the best time. Good Food, great wine and a full dance floor!
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
Ben - Erica from Three Williams Café was the best event support anyone could ask for! She answered all of my (many) questions and was able to provide most of what we needed or point us in the right direction if we had to outsource. They have such a beautiful venue that we didn’t need to do much to the space… we were just adamant on ALL the candles!
How did you choose your suppliers?
Rob - When we first started dating, Three Williams Café was directly halfway between both of our apartments in Redfern/Surry Hills, so it’s somewhere we used to go quite a bit for brunch and coffee dates. When we found out they also did weddings, it felt like the only choice for us.
Any standout suppliers?
Rob - All of our support was absolutely amazing, but we couldn’t have done any of it without the entire team at Three Williams Café. They couldn’t have done enough for us, and we had so many great comments on how well looked after everybody felt.
Did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding?
Ben - We made it completely our own and chose to cut out a few of the more ‘traditional’ things. We wrote our own vows with the support and guidance of the amazing celebrant Suzie! We chose to walk down the aisle with each of our best friends. We also decided to get everyone on the dance floor together for our first dance, rather than suffer through an ‘all eyes on us’ slow dance (we practised many times in the comfort of our own lounge and just couldn’t get over that awkward feeling!)
Any surprises on your wedding day? Or anything that didn’t go to plan?
Rob - Our sound guy dropped out at the very last minute… Luckily I’m an audio engineer, so could quickly sort the sound set up on the day!
What was the most challenging thing about planning your wedding?
Ben - Trying to organise it all whilst in another hemisphere! My spreadsheets, to-do lists and email chains were out of control.
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Rob - As cliché as it sounds, don’t sweat the small stuff. The most important thing is putting your own stamp on it and doing it all however you like (fuck tradition!)
Suppliers
Photographer Mitch Best
Venue Three Williams Café
Suits Grooms wore Alexander McQueen
Planner Erica at Three Williams Cafe
Celebrant Suzie Crozier
Wedding Singer Zoe O Sullivan
DJ Sveta
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