Warrick and William: Quintessentially Them
After postponing their planned Cape Town wedding twice, Brisbane couple Warrick and William decided to stay local and marry in their home city. It was a wedding that was – as they say themselves – quintessentially them. "We wanted it to be a celebration for not only us but for everyone that had been along for the ride of the last decade of our relationship."
Photographer Puremotion Photofilm | Location Brisbane, QLD
“We wanted to be surrounded by everyone that we loved, and we wanted to make sure that everyone would have a great time. We thought about the experience our guests would have from the start, and wanted to make sure that all of our guests walked away knowing how much they were loved and appreciated.”
How and when did you meet?
Warrick: William and I met in 2009 after he got a job at Starbucks. I was working at Country Road at the time, and our stockrooms were next to each other. After about a year of pursuing him; Will finally caved in and went to the movies with me. We then proceeded to see each other every day for two weeks, and on Anzac Day 2010; I took Will on a picnic and made a cake that said “I like you” and asked him out.
Tell us a little about the earlier days of your relationship...
Warrick: Will was in Australia on a student visa which couldn’t be extended, so we had to have a pretty full-on honest conversation what our future held – considering we had only been together for a relatively short time. After a lot of discussion and reflection, we realised that we had something that was worth fighting for, and we decided that we would apply for a partner visa. During this process Will had to move back to South Africa indefinitely until immigration cleared us (which they said could be up to 2 years). A short 7 months later we received the good news and we were together in days.
What does marriage mean to you?
William and Warrick: Marriage for us is an outward acknowledgment that the two of us together are a family.
Who proposed and how?
Warrick: I proposed to Will on Christmas Eve 2018. We both love Christmas so much, and I knew that we would be seeing both of our families over the next few days so thought it was the perfect time. I hired a picnic company to set up a breakfast for us by the Brisbane River. I had a cake, to follow on from how we started dating, and on top of it I wrote: “the best is yet to come”.
When did you get married?
Warrick: We were originally meant to get married in Cape Town, South Africa in 2020. After postponing twice; we knew that this was no longer a realistic option, so we decided to get married on 16 July 2021 – just over 10 years after our first date.
Warrick and Williams's story continues below ↓
What was the main influence behind your wedding day?
Warrick: We always wanted something that would be memorable and quintessentially us. We wanted it to be a celebration for not only us but for everyone that had been along for the ride of the last decade of our relationship. We never viewed it as a new chapter for us, but another amazing moment in our journey together.
What was the most important thing to you surrounding your wedding?
William: We wanted to be surrounded by everyone that we loved, and we wanted to make sure that everyone would have a great time. We thought about the experience our guests would have from the start, and wanted to make sure that all of our guests walked away knowing how much they were loved and appreciated, and hopefully having the best time they have had in a long while.
Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration?
Warrick: The biggest inspiration for us was our venues. Once we had found the two spaces; we knew that both of them were distinct and visually appealing in different ways. This made us want to create two really separate vibes at each location, so our guests felt like they were going on a journey. I am lucky enough to work as a Senior Event Stylist for a furniture and styling business, Valiant Events, so once we had our venues; I knew the pieces that I wanted to use in each space, and this guided us for everything else.
How did you choose your suppliers?
Warrick: Being lucky enough to work in the events industry, I knew many of the suppliers that I wanted to work with from personal and professional relationships we had formed. For services we weren’t sure about, like our cake and entertainment; we relied on the advice of our celebrant and other suppliers. We knew that we would get the best result out of everyone if they were working alongside other suppliers they respected and trusted. We felt like we assembled ‘The Avengers’ of wedding suppliers.
Any standout suppliers?
William: Our day never would have been half as wonderful as it was without our celebrant, Jac Moore. We had to deal with a raft of Covid restrictions being implemented the day before our wedding. Jac and Warrick messaged continuously the day before and into the early hours of the wedding day, making plans and brainstorming ideas to ensure that our wedding wasn’t impacted and that we wouldn’t miss out on anything.
But truthfully, all of our suppliers came together to deliver something exceptional. Our florist, Geraldine of Bouquet Boutique, brought together the most amazing and unique florals in a stunning palate that complimented the venue so well. And our photographer, Alex from Puremotion Photofilm, completely blew our minds with the incredible way that he documented and captured every aspect and feeling of our day.
What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding?
Warrick: The music, since Will’s music taste is very eclectic, so reeling him back in was a challenge… To be honest, the continuous changes of covid really took a toll, but we got lucky in that our numbers remained under the restriction threshold. We also spent more time on the seating chart than anything else. We wanted to ensure that each guest was sat between people they would have something in common with or have something to talk about without the awkward silence you have at weddings.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Warrick and William: We haven’t had a formal honeymoon, but we spent 4 days at Spicers Clovelly Estate. Although we didn’t think it would be so important, it was so nice to have time directly after just to ourselves; so we could debrief and relive every moment over and over.
Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey?
Warrick and William: Invest time into finding suppliers you can trust. They are experts and do this day in and day out. Take the time to get to know them, share your vision and make sure you click. Listen to their advice. Once you relinquish control and put your trust in them; it will take a lot of pressure off your day and give you the confidence that the experts are doing what they do best.
If it’s not what you want, don’t do it. If someone tells you to do, or include, something that’s not what you want, don’t bother. This is the one day you will always remember, so do what you want to do. Don’t invite someone because you feel like you have to – especially if they’re not going to be supportive of you or your relationship.
And finally, enjoy the day. It flies.
Warrick and William’s Team
Photographer Puremotion Photofilm
Videographer Cassie Ellen Films
Venue Ceremony QPAC Reception Queensland Art Gallery
Suits Institchu
Flowers Bouquet Boutique
Stationery Name Cards/Menus Laura Elizabeth Design Bar/Drinks Menus The Confetti Gift Co.
Celebrant Jac Moore – Moore Celebrations
Furniture Valiant Events
Entertainment G&M Event Group
Makeup & Hair Twidale Studios
Grooms’ Hair TommyTwoBlades
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