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Jack & Nick gay wedding Emporium Brisbane images by Jackson Grant Weddings Australia (1)

Jacob & Nick

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

 

How long have you been together, and how did you meet?

Jacob and I have been together now for five years, married six months. We both first met at Jacob’s work. He was managing at a popular café in Brisbane city. I worked across the street from Jacob and was a customer of his for months. Admittedly, I did stalk his socials before building up the courage to order a coffee from the café he was managing. 

 

Tell us about the proposal.

Nick: It was on the 21st of December of 2019. I was finishing up an installation at a client’s property, ready for Christmas day. Jacob has prepped me and had teamed it up with my manager to ensure that I finished work early that day. I was under the impression that we were doing my ‘early Christmas present.’ Jacob’s gift-giving always involves an experience. He always thinks outside the box when planning a gift- something I admire from him and wish I had the creativity to think of myself. 

After the installation, I met Jacob at my work, covered in mulch and smelling even better. We drove out to the airport with no time to change where he had a helicopter waiting. At this point, I was a little apprehensive as our previous helicopter flights ended up with me reaching for the closest vomit bag. Luckily, this flight was an exception. Hovering over the Brisbane River with the cityscape and sunset in the background, Jacob asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I was in shock as we had talked about me always being the one to propose for years. So, of course, I said YES! 

There was nothing that could have topped that afternoon. I was so excited and prepared to head home, stopping by our local bottle shop on the way home and continue watching season three of Grey’s Anatomy, which we were binging at the time. But, instead, Jacob had arranged a night away at my favorite place to stay in the city. Along with an intimate dinner with both of our families at our favorite restaurant.

 

What led you to the venue?

It’s funny on reflection that both our ceremony and reception venues were never considered during our first initial venue hunt. Our original venue for the ceremony fell through due to the venue double booking us while trying to accommodate other weddings that were postponed due to Covid. We had always joked we’d love to get married at the Powerhouse, and after a quick google search, we realized you could hire out parts of the venue, so we booked out the grand ballroom on the first floor. 

The reception venue was by mere coincidence that we were heading to the T20 cricket with Jacob’s family and his dad wanted to go check out the rooftop bar at the Emporium. We fell in love with the vibes of the hotel. The service, food, and atmosphere, in general, were incredible, and we both agreed we had to get married there for our reception. 

 

Did you undertake any DIY projects for the big day?

We didn’t take on many DIY Projects on the day. One thing we did have to do last minute was all the signage, place cards, menus, and table numbers. Our original plans for these fell through last minute. Lucky for us, Jacob’s parents own a Wedding and Event Hire Business (DD Event Hire) in the Southern Downs. They took the additional stress of us and assisted us in finalizing these finer details. 

 

Talk to us about your experience finding the perfect outfits.

We knew we wanted something reflective of both of our personalities from the start. Our good friend Pat, who was also in our bridal party, owns a suiting business and has an atelier in Brisbane city. It was a no-brainer that we wanted him to design and custom-make our suits. From the very beginning, Jacob had always loved the idea of an emerald green velvet. I knew I always wanted a pattern but was never sure what. Pat sourced the most amazing velvets and printed silks from Italy for our suits to be made from. True to his word, Jacob wore a custom dinner suit in an emerald green velvet, and I wore a black on black printed silk set with a reflective floral pattern on both the dinner jacket and pants. 

Talk to us about the big day! We want all the details.

Nick: We were both so nervous. We woke at about 6 am. For me, that never happens- I love a good sleep-in. We went downstairs to meet our bridesmaids, who started hair and makeup early. As there were 12 in our wedding party, we needed to start early. We then went upstairs to have a champagne breakfast with both of our families. Needless to say, neither Jacob nor I ate very much that morning as we were both so nervous. 

After breakfast, we went downstairs to meet our vendors, who had begun arriving to set up the ballroom. I felt like a helicopter parent, constantly hovering around the room to ensure that everything looked exactly like the vision boards and floor plans we gave them. Finally, slowly but surely, the room started to come together- it looked amazing during the day. We were so excited to see what it looked like when it was evening, all candlelit. 

The morning seemed to go so slowly. We met with our bridesmaids and families for a light lunch before we all went to get ready. Jacob and I went back up to our suite at the hotel to get ready and spend some one-on-one time together. After we got ready, we met with our immediate and extended families at the rooftop bar at the Emporium Hotel for photos, etc., before we had to leave. This is where the day started to pick up. 

We were then chaperoned to our cars, which were Vintage Convertible Jaguars- that were waiting outside the lobby. We all drove to the Powerhouse, where we were greeted by our parents and celebrant, a good friend of ours. Entering the lobby of the Powerhouse we could hear all of our family and friends who were gathered on the main stage and mezzanine levels above. The music started to play, and we both entered, arm in arms with both our parents, who walked us down the aisle. 

After all the formalities, it was now time for us to recite our vows to one another. Neither of us had heard each other’s vows before. Our vows were very reflective of both of our personalities. Jacob’s were very succinct and to the point, with lots of humor. Mine was very longwinded. I spent three weeks writing them (I think this was the 4th iteration of them!) heartfelt and referenced our past, our families, and the commitment we were both about to make to one another. 

After our vows, it was now time to begin the celebration. We jetted off with our bridal team and Jackson to some of the destinations where we wanted to get photos. Lots of alleyways, rooftops, and street/cityscapes. By this stage, the sun had well and truly come out. Someone was looking over us that day. 

We then went back to the Emporium where we freshened up with our Bridal Party and finished the bottle of Dom we didn’t manage to finish before we left. We all entered the room and danced to our seats. Jacob’s family friends Greg and Fiona were the MCs of the night. We had speeches from either side of the family and close friends and closed out the night with lots of drinking and dancing. Luckily for Jacob and I, we were too busy entertaining our guests and hogging the photo booth that we woke up feeling fresh. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for many of our other guests!

 

What are your favorite moments?

I think both of our favorite moment was the drive to the ceremony. We had constantly received advice to take small moments to breathe and enjoy ourselves during the day. It had been pouring rain until the moment we got into our cars, the sky instantly cleared, and the sun came out. Both of us were feeling nervous, but it gave us a moment to sit together before the craziness and joy of the day consumed us, and we enjoyed each other’s presence. 

 

Do you have a standout vendor?

We could not have done what we did without the help of our incredible vendors. Nothing was too much of an ask, and they did absolutely everything to bring our vision to life. We knew we wanted to use local vendors for our big day. We may be bias but the way Jackson captured our day was something we could not have imagined. Being so caught up in the movements of the day, there were many things that we missed. But Jackson managed to capture them in a candid yet personal way that made it so authentic and a joy to look back upon.

 

Did you incorporate any family or religious traditions into the day?

We didn’t have any family or religious traditions on the day. We both had recently lost grandparents who would have loved to have been there celebrating our big day. They were big advocates of love, so we had pins made with their photos and wore them close. When I first came out, one of the first things that my grandma said to me was, “I always knew you were. You always have your hair done and always dressed fantastically.”

Dancing With Them Recommended Vendor

Photography and Videography by Jackson Grant Weddings

 

Legal Celebrant Celebrant At Your Service

“Illegal” Celebrant Roberta Kerr

Ceremony Powerhouse

Florist Kate Dawes

Music Nick Trovas Band

Reception Emporium Hotel

Suits Patrick Mackenzie

Transport Wheels to Weddings