LGBTQI+

Marriage Equality Day celebrated in stunning shoot at Paxton Wines

The shoot celebrated how far we’ve come since the marriage equality bill passed in 2017, and to mark how important the anniversary is to the wider community.

Image credit: Jewel Chenoweth

With Summer just around the corner and the sun returning to South Australia, wedding season has finally arrived and love is truly drifting through the air.

This December 7 marks four years since the groundbreaking referendum changed Australia’s history, where the bindings of marriage to strictly be between a man and woman dissolved. What has followed since has been a true celebration of love, in all shapes, sizes and gender.

To celebrate the historical equality milestone, and the love and ceremony’s that have followed, a stunning photoshoot was hosted at Paxton Wines to commemorate the anniversary of the life-changing day. The day saw some of South Australia’s best creatives collaborate their skills and talents to mark the momentous anniversary.

Orchestrated by award-winning celebrant Vicky Flanagan and award-winning stationer and stylist Jenna Collier from Wonderland Invites, the day in itself was as magical as every wedding that had occurred since the legislative change. The shoot celebrated how far we’ve come since the marriage equality bill passed in 2017, and to mark how important the anniversary is to the wider community.

“As a modern celebrant I am so thankful every day that my couples put their trust in me to tell their unique and wonderful love stories, but we know that the LGBTIQIA+ community have another layer to their stories that can be both exciting, but quite often that layer involves sadness, exclusion, loneliness, and misunderstanding,” says Vicky.

“So this, along with having friends and family that are a part of the LGBTIQIA+ community, meant that the day that marriage equality was made legal in Australia was one of the best days ever for me both personally and as a celebrant.”

The two models, Adam and Corey, were wed earlier this year by Vicky herself in a stunning ceremony. Here, the acclaimed celebrant recited the Legal Monitum, where since 2017, the words historically changed to ‘two people’ instead of ‘man and woman’ – encompassing the inclusivity and equality powerfully vested now in marriage.

“Corey and so many others I know and have met through my work came out around [2017],” says Vicky. “It was such a significant milestone in their lives and the lives of so many since so I wanted to celebrate everything about them and enhance their own uniqueness.”

All the creatives, producers and suppliers involved in the shoot were either LGBTIQIA+ or strongly aligned with the values that Vicky, Jenna and the movement hold. Collaborating with the likes of Cristina Tridente from Couture+Love+Madness and photographer Jewel Chenoweth.

“As cis-het women, we wanted to raise up and listen to the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, which is why we were so supportive of everyone’s craft and encouraged suppliers to play to their own creativity; we wanted everyone to own the narrative,” continues Vicky.

“I loved that the focus of marriage shifted, with the true meaning of marriage being highlighted. It’s between two humans that love each not just two people of specific genders,” says Vicky.

Running ceremony’s exclusively through their initiative VENYU, Paxton Wines offers Australian couples a place for an intimate wedding and venue, nestled amongst overhanging gum trees and the sloping vineyards of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

With an in-house bar, and Paxton’s both a kid and pet-friendly venue, the beloved winery is the perfect place to hold your nuptials. Just 45 minutes from the CBD, the McLaren Vale winery is home to elegant and vibrant weddings year-round, with their rustic cellar door and lush lawns hosting love-filled nuptials set against Paxton’s stunning backdrop.

Find out more about Paxton Wines VENYU here.

Visit Paxton Wines via, Budgens Road, 68 Wheaton Rd, McLaren Vale SA 5171

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