22 » pink weddings magazine
i
was having a career gap travelling asia and australia and
was planning to go onto new Zealand when i was
introduced to allan through friends in sydney. We soon
started datng and our relatonship grew. i managed to
become sponsored by my employer and we moved in together.
a er two years in sydney we decided to move to
london. a year later we’d bought a flat together and had a
dog called daisy! a er nearly eight years together it felt like
the right tme to get married. We began searching for a
suitable place, and a company to take all the hard work out
of planning the wedding, and rocky Mountain Weddings
looked like the perfect fit.
as our families were on opposite sides of the world we
didn't think it would be fair to hold the wedding in london,
where only one side could atend. Gay marriage or civil
partnership is not legal in australia, so that wasn’t even an
opton. We were looking for something small and intmate,
as this was a very private and personal commitment to each
other – it was not about the guests or the party. neither of
us could face the drama of a big lavish formal event.
Our decision to be married in Canada was easy, as gay
marriage has been legal since 2005. Being able to get married
outside – without having a venue and a lot of fuss! – really
appealed, and you can’t do that in the UK. We chose Banff as
i’d been there once before and know that the scenery is
amazing. The town has the perfect balance of enough to do,
with great restaurants and shops, while being just a step away
from being able to retreat together into the mountains.
We decided to elope! Our wedding was a formal
commitment of our love for each other, and our
requirements were ‘something simple with no stress’. We
chose to be married by the river at Bow Falls, which was
beautful and proved perfect for great pictures – for us to
make peace with the family and friends we didn't invite!
The wedding was beter than we could have imagined.
We did have some reservatons as we are very private people,
and having never even held hands in public before, we were a
litle nervous. lauren from Banff Gay Weddings (at rocky
Mountain Weddings) arranged everything for us and meetng
her was like meetng an old friend. all our needs were taken
care of and we felt like we were married in front of old friends
as the celebrant and wedding photographer were brilliant.
Our day was relaxed and stress free and we had the personal,
fuss-free ceremony we wanted.
We didn’t need to be concerned as gay weddings are a
regular event in Banff. We felt so at ease and this relaxed us
– we were able to really enjoy our wedding. looking back, all
my concerns and nerves were not necessary and we would
go through it all again in a heartbeat!
Wedding planning: Banff Gay Weddings (part of Rocky
Mountain Weddings),
www.banffgayweddings.com
Photography: Eric Daigle Photography
Chris and allan
On top of
The thought of a big formal event was enough to send
Chris and Allan running for the hills. But as Chris
explains, a Canadian Rocky Mountain wedding proved
the perfect solution