Same-sex couple wins Wedding of the Year
Image: Pictured: Daniel and Michael on their very special day.
Image: Corey Wright Photography
Congratulations Daniel and Michael! The Melbourne couple made Australian history after being named the first same-sex couple to be awarded ‘Wedding of the Year’.
The couple found out on Valentine’s Day that they’d won the 2019 Wedding of the Year, as well as winning an all-inclusive six-night honeymoon to the Maldives. The pair beat 11 other couples during the final stages of voting and campaigning.
Every year Heritance Aarah and Easy Weddings, Australia’s largest wedding planning businesses, ask Australia to decide on the most magical wedding of the year.
The lucky groom, Daniel, said that he was excited as it was not only a win for himself and Michael but was also a step closer in breaking down traditional values surrounding love, family and partnership.
“It feels pretty amazing to be the first same-sex couple to take the crown for a wedding of the year prize,” he said.
“No other same-sex marriage globally has been recognised for this type of award, and we think it’s such a brilliant way to break down misconceptions and stereotypes around what a traditional wedding should look like.”
Held at Metropolis events in Southbank, the couple’s big day was packed to the rafters. In a seemingly grand homage to a classic LGBTQI party – with flowers, fireworks, confetti and Real Housewives of Melbourne’s Gina Liano as their celebrant to mark the special moment.
“One thing we always promised each other was that we were going to do our wedding our way,” Daniel said. “We wanted to treat our guests, as our way of saying thank you for the many years of love, support and friendship
Daniel and Michael winning Wedding of the Year is a first for Australia. Same-sex marriages were legalised in December 2017, with same-sex weddings now making up 5.5% of Aussie marriages in 2018.
“We were hesitant to share our story initially, but we have been so overwhelmed with the public support. It has been amazing,” says Daniel.
“It’s truly been an amazing journey, and we feel we have made a real difference by sharing our story.”
