BRYAN + JACOB by Francesca Floris and Laura Stramacchia

Tell us how you meet each other? 

Bryan: We’ve been together for 4 years now. The first time we met was actually in Beijing when Jacob was doing his internship year in China throughout his Bachelor degree. I was working in Beijing at that time. 

Jacob: We met at a local cafè in Beijing, kind of randomly I would say. From the first moment I saw him, I had a strong feeling this person was different, different from anyone I had known in this country. Something about him is pulling me closer and closer and we clicked immediately and committed our relationship pretty much right away.

Tell us about the proposal? 

Bryan: We didn’t have a very heteronormative proposal. It was somehow all agreed in our hearts. He did once ask me whether I wanted to be the proposer or the one to be proposed. I told him I’d rather initiate if it’s possible. But then it’s kind of not needed because we knew what we already wanted.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

Bryan: I am originally from Beijing, but grew up in many different places like Tokyo, Australia (Perth), New York, and Amsterdam. I come from a very local and Chinese-muslim background family. My parents are both from Beijing, and both work for the Chinese Government (my mum is already retired), and I am the only child, obviously. I currently work in the Finance Industry in Beijing and Zurich. 

Jacob: I was born in Cagliari, Sardinia and grew up in Cagliari until high school. After I went to Glasgow, Scotland for studying, then came to Switzerland for my university degree. Lucerne, Switzerland is where my husband and I currently live and reside. My parents are from Sardinia and they still live there at the moment. Ever since I was young, I felt a strong cultural link with China which will eventually have a considerable impact on both my professional and private life.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…

Bryan: In the beginning we thought beach weddings could be a bit cliché, but then we are definitely not a conventional couple who want a traditional type of wedding. In terms of the theme of the wedding we created a “drama” theme for everyone, just to express their most extravagant self in their own ways. It was exactly what we wanted since we (as in homosexual couple) get to choose our very own way to interpret what a wedding would be like. We wanted to be free, liberal, and full of warmth and love.

Jacob: Since I am an architect/designer myself, it was pretty fun designing all our graphics for the wedding. Also it shows our sincere dedication for all the guests who came from across the world. I hand drew all our table cards, welcome guest lists, and menus. We prepared our guest lists into all their according native language, just to show our deepest respect. We also attached their national flower on top, since I am a big fan of flowers. When it comes to table cards, we named our tables based on the different wind directions in Latin. Since Bryan has a cat and my house has chickens, I drew both of them onto the menus, also to remind ourselves they are part of the family. We made our menu into one English version mixed with Italian and French words, and one other Chinese version. Bryan helped with all the wordings and our guests really liked our small efforts.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Bryan: Since outfits for gays are more difficult than any other life choices we could possibly encounter, my mum helped both of us – she has always had a very sharp and forward eye. We originally picked two outfits from Gucci, kind of matching (the green one Jacob is wearing during the wedding, and a golden one that kind of has the same silhouette). However, the golden one was out of stock globally (we even called the Gucci headquarters in Florence), we were a bit torn on what’s left and how we could make them matchy outfits. Over one dinner in Beijing, my mum was hinting to us that we might not need two identical suits. Since we came from completely different backgrounds, why bother having the same outfit? After this conversation, I just knew his Alexander McQueen suit was exactly what I was looking for and it fits my personality completely.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

Bryan: During the registration, we both tried so much not to burst ourselves into tears since our vows were way too emotional for anyone to handle. Our witness was crying so much, and I saw so many of our friends and family wet their eyes. In that case, my mum was very glad she wasn’t able to understand our vows (they were in English), she was joking to us that if she knew what we were saying, she’d probably need an hour going back to the hotel to redo her makeup afterwards. Also our lunch and our parties were just so right. We could feel the warmth from everyone. They really enjoy our day and we tried our best to talk to every single guest. Some of them flew thousands miles just to celebrate this moment with us. We couldn’t be more grateful. 

Jacob: Mine was actually the surprise video Bryan made for me. It was a complete surprise and I was so emotional seeing all those photos we had from traveling in different countries. I was so touched by him and all the effort he made. Also it was done by our favorite song “Your Song” by Elton John (Or actually the lady gaga version that we more often listen to). For me, it was a moment I’d never forget in my life.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Love yourself – If you can’t love yourself how the hell can you love somebody else. Amen! And your partner, create a family around you, in whatever form that may be, that makes you both happy and fulfilled, nurture it everyday with kindness and spread the love.

Ceremony location: Palazzo Civico di Cagliari / City Hall of Cagliari / Reception location, catering and cake: @frontemare / Photographer: @frantzisca and @wedding.laurastramacchia / Celebrant: Francesca Tuveri / Planning, Flora and Entertainment: @weddingsardinia / Suits: @alexandermcqueen (Bryan) and @gucci (Jacob) / Shirts: @gucci / Rings: @sabbadini_jewels / Shoes: @yproject_official (Bryan) and @gucci (Jacob) / Jacob’s Bowtie: @gucci / Bryan’s Bracelet: @emanuelebicocchi / Feather brooches: @anndemeulemeester_official / anndemeulemeester.co