One of Australia’s big independent players in the Mortgage business threw a huge wedding for his son who was marrying his long term male partner over the weekend, reportedly spending $300,000 on the event. He can afford it. He’s worth hundreds of millions. We were just talking about it in the office and one of my colleagues (all of them are straight) asked if there was any point given that it wasn’t legally recognised?
To an extent, I agree. Is there any point having a wedding ceremony if that union isn’t legally recognised or is it kinda like giving a kid a toy without batteries on Christmas morning? Well, yes and no. Sure, you don’t get any additional benefits at this stage here in Australia which I hope to hell we manage to change in the near future so that same sex marriages are legally recognised and sanctified.
Here is where the hopeless hopeful romantic in me kicks in. Of course it’s bloody worth it. God knows that if I ever find Prince Charming (his valiant steed seems to be more like a lame Shetland pony) and we want to spend the rest of our lives together, I want the world to know I’m committed. Partly because it’ll be a darned miracle if it ever happens and partly because I want to stand up in front of people the way my sister and friends have done and show how much I love him.
There is one more reason that it’s important that same sex weddings happen despite them not being recognised. If we don’t show that people are interested in doing it, then we’ll never change the laws. If those courageous people called the 78′ers hadn’t marched up Oxford St and shouted for respect and acknowledgement for homosexuals, would we ever have got to where we are now?
Just to clarify: The video below is not the couple mentioned at the start, but I thought this was a very sweet video.
Clinton & Callum from Soda Films on Vimeo.
Elaborate weddings are a silly waste, recognized or not, IMHO. If someone is ridiculously wealthy then sharing the wealth by a big party is OK, but it is folly to go into debt for that party or spend money best spent on hearth & home. If we get full recognition of marriage here in Illinois, my partner of 10 years and I may have a modest gathering of friends to celebrate, but the whole Bridezilla phenomenon rather misses the point. It’s the marriage, not the wedding, that really matters.
I note that my parents had a modest wartime wedding in normal clothes (a blue dress & an army uniform) with a small contingent of friends & family, they managed 47 happy years before Dad died.
Here is the article:
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/private-sydney/grooms-the-best-men-at-symond-nuptials-20130216-2ek8x.html
Where was the tissue box warning? Wonderful Video.