Michael & Nathan

I always love a wedding which combines two beautiful settings. The intimate Bellarine Peninsula vineyard wedding of Michael and Nathan, saw the couple ferrying guests across the rocks to their seaside ceremony, before vines made the most beautiful backdrop for the celebrations about to get underway. Blue Print Photography captured every moment.

The modern classic tale of an online meeting with a cafe date was just the beginning of the couple’s love story. The proposal, as told by Michael was a complete surprise for Nathan. Michael telling, “I had never really thought about getting married. It had always seemed to be something outside of my reality as a gay man. On the other hand, I felt that it was something important to Nathan, that it signified a stronger and deeper commitment. I realised that for him, marriage encapsulated a very deep meaning that took the idea of relationship and commitment to a very important place. Understanding this about him, made it easy for me to allow myself the opportunity to see a marriage between two men, between us, in a new light.

We were in Bali on holiday. We were drinking red wine in our villa’s pool when I told him that I had something important to say and then proceeded to ask him to marry me before presenting him with a ring. He was speechless for a little too long. I panicked, to be honest, feeling that perhaps I had completely misread him, misunderstood where we were in our relationship. After what felt like a very long silence, he broke into tears and said ‘yes’ somewhat dumbfounded by my question. Following his ‘yes’ he said, ‘I thought you were going to tell me that you wanted to sleep with women!’ To this day, I have no idea where that response came from. I put the ring on his finger, we cried, we laughed and well, the rest is history!”

The grooms got ready together, both choosing Hugo Boss suits for their day. Michael noting, “We wore matching Hugo Boss black suits with white shirts, black bow ties, suspenders and matching silk handkerchiefs. I’m biased of course but think we looked dashingly handsome together.”

Michael chose special pieces to honour his family for the day, noting, “My Father had recently died. He had a beautiful Tag Heuer watch that he passed on to his two-year-old Grandson (my nephew) prior to his passing. The watch had been in a box in my care up until that time. I wore his watch at our wedding to have him close by and the following day I passed the watch on to my nephew via his Mum, my sister Michelle.”

The couple chose the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula venue of Terindah Estate for their wedding, Michael explaining, “Terindah Estate is a beautiful winery sitting on the Bellarine Peninsula. I work in the events industry and was thoroughly impressed at the level of service and care we were given in the planning of our wedding. The main restaurant has spectacular views of the peninsula and we were blessed with a warm summer’s evening. The beach is quite inaccessible without four-wheel drives and the venue was very accommodating at helping us plan the ceremony on the beach. It was the first wedding on the beach and it took quite a bit of planning to accomplish. We are very grateful for their support in helping make it happen.”

Against the ocean, the couple said their vows. Michael remembers, “We read our vows to one another which we wrote earlier in the day together. It was quite a fantastic experience. We spent the day in our PJs, writing vows and rehearsing them with each other, seeing and feeling how they sat with us. We read our vows in front of our families and friends and it felt honest and real. It felt like us, exactly what we wanted to say and exactly how and what we felt.”

Says Michael, “The whole day seemed to merge into something very special and profound. From the ceremony to just being with our families.”

Of their photographer, Michael remarks, “Chris has been a dear friend of mine since high school. He was amazing! He had a graceful and gentle way of getting the most beautiful shots without us ever feeling like we were being distracted away from the overall event experience. He captured us beautifully and I couldn’t be prouder of the moments we’ll enjoy for the rest of our lives.”

Michael notes “I love the photo of Nathan and I, foreheads pressed together amongst the vines, oblivious of our dear friend and photographer Chris Bekos snapping away.”

The speeches were a favourite part of the day for Michael, who remembers, “It was my opportunity to share what I really felt and it was something that was recited from the heart. I felt deeply honoured to have been able to share my feelings with my nearest and dearest around me.”

Congratulations on your marriage Michael and Nathan! Thank you for allowing us to share your day! Thank you also to Blue Print Photography for sharing today’s celebration with us!