Inside Miranda Kerr’s controversial family wedding
For most couples, a wedding is a romantic time of great joy, but for Matthew Kerr, brother of supermodel Miranda, and his husband, Jimmy Wright, it is also an act of defiance. Shonagh Walker met the couple at their Hunter Valley farm.
The gold lettering on the white banner above the wedding party said it all: “We decided on forever”. As a sentiment, it perfectly encapsulates the love that goes hand in hand with a marriage. Yet, on this particular day, the words carried an even deeper significance.
The ceremony unfolding beneath the banner – in which Matthew Kerr, 31, younger brother of model Miranda Kerr, wed his long-term partner James “Jimmy” Wright, 38 – was both controversial and exceptional, combining an act of civil rebellion with an act of commitment and mixing it with a liberal dose of international celebrity.
With 280 people celebrating their union on the lush grounds of Leaflee, the couple’s bed and breakfast in the NSW Hunter Valley, Matty and Jimmy Kerr stole an hour away from the crowd, shared a drink together and reflected on their decision to marry.
“Our faces ached from smiling and our hearts were bursting with love and excitement for what we’d achieved and what was still to come,” says Matty, whose mother, Therese, officiated at the ceremony (his sister, supermodel Miranda, 33, was head groom’s maid).
“It was a precious moment of quiet, for just the two of us, in five days of chaotic fun and festivities,” says Jimmy. “We just chilled out and enjoyed a cuddle and time alone. It was so nice to know that all the craziness was going on outside and it felt really special that the buzz we could hear was all for us.
“It was then that it really hit home – we were married! We’d been joking for ages that we were already married. When you have a farm and a house in the country, and a lease on a restaurant together, the bonds of commitment are already there. But there was something incredible about having this many people at our house being witness to it all. It made it real. Everyone we loved was outside.”
Destination wedding
Friends and family flew in from all over Australia and across the globe to see Matty and Jimmy exchange vows.
“It was important for us on many levels to have the wedding here, in our home town,” says Jimmy. “We’ve been welcomed and supported so warmly by the community, so we wanted to repay them by bringing our loved ones to the Hunter Valley. We had cocktail parties, wine tastings and a New Year’s Eve celebration at our restaurant, Nanna Kerr’s Kitchen [named after Matty and Miranda’s grandmother].
“Our hearts were bursting with love and excitement.”
“We wanted to showcase the region as the perfect destination for same-sex marriage. When the laws finally are changed, or indeed even before they are, it’s our aim to make sure that the entire LGBTI community knows this is a safe and accepting destination.”
“The boys”, as friends and family affectionately call them, had expected Australia’s laws on same-sex marriage to have changed by the time they made their union official on December 30, 2016. It was important to the couple they went ahead, regardless.
“A few people asked me if whether our getting married is any different to a man and a woman getting married,” reveals Jimmy, who’s adamant that,
“it absolutely is not. Love is love.
“Within a year of meeting, Matty and I had committed not just to sharing our lives, but taking the risks we’d always wanted to take in life. In June 2014, we both quit our safe and stylish Sydney existence for life in the country and self-employment. The last 18 months have been a roller-coaster. We have literally put everything on the line, materially and emotionally. After starting two restaurants together and surviving, you know your relationship can pretty much cope with anything.”
Jimmy’s smile fades momentarily and he grows serious on the issue. “Until same-sex marriage is legalised, community-backed celebrations like ours will continue to happen,” he says. “The slackness of our legislators on this issue is fast causing state sanctioned marriage to become laughable. It bears no resemblance to what’s really going on in our communities.”
Time for change
“I find it stunning and disappointing politicians won’t listen to the people voting them in,” says Janine Middleton, co-chair of Australian Marriage Equality. “They’re completely out of touch with where Australians sit on this issue. Polling has shown 66 to 72 per cent of the country support marriage equality. Our politicians aren’t quite there yet.”
Australian Marriage Equality fought hard to have the proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage killed off.
“Many in the heterosexual community were confused about why the LGBTI community didn’t want a public vote. They thought that by going to a vote the matter would be settled once and for all, one way or another,” Janine says.
“However, despite the incredible cost to the Australian taxpayers – $200 million or more – the plebiscite vote would not have been binding. Some politicians who do not support marriage equality were still going to vote ‘no’ once it reached Parliament.
“LGBTI people pay their taxes; they can be in the armed forces or emergency services. They buy homes together, have kids together and go on holidays together, yet they can’t marry. They are already living this life and it just needs to be legal.”
Pokolbin Pride
“We can’t understand why the politicians just can’t pass the bill,” says Matty. “Australia wants marriage equality! That’s why we launched Pokolbin Pride in October 2016.
It is the Hunter Valley’s first LGBTI festival and it’s happening again this October.”
Matty’s sister Miranda lent her full support to the festival, as she did their nuptials. At the launch of the 2016 festival she said, “Equality is something I believe in and I’m proud of the work my brother and Jimmy are doing by creating the Pokolbin Pride festival. Every step counts.”
She echoed these sentiments on their wedding day with her reading (see below), later telling The Weekly, “I’m thrilled for Matty. He and Jimmy are taking a stand for marriage equality and I was so honoured to stand beside him on his wedding day. I’m getting married this year and my marriage is legal. Why shouldn’t his be?”
Family matters
Indeed, the wedding was a true family affair, with brothers, sisters, cousins and best friends comprising the wedding party, cousin Jeff Wilson taking the official photos, mother Therese officiating and the entire Kerr and Wright clans planning every detail.
“Mum hand-sewed the table runners, she did the candles and the flowers, and we catered the food ourselves using recipes from Nanna Kerr’s kitchen. It was a big hit,” says Matty. “Family from both sides came a few days before and helped dress the house with fairy lights and they all arrived the next day to help clean up.”
Jimmy laughs and winks, “Yes, the guests clearly missed the memo about taking a big black garbage bag full of rubbish with them as they left.”
In true Kerr style, the day went off swimmingly, with Therese’s role as celebrant and Nanna Kerr’s speech two of the highlights.
“Being the celebrant for the boys was such an honour,” Therese told
The Weekly on the day. “It allowed me to show the world just how incredibly proud I am of the boys. I know if my mum and dad were alive, they would be equally as proud to see these two beautiful souls coming together.
“Nanna Kerr’s speech had the entire crowd in tears, as she reflected on what amazing young men these two are and how touched she was they named their restaurant after her. She also touched on the importance of marriage equality. It’s something we feel strongly about.
“As a family, we have this public profile and the blessing of that is we can, hopefully, be a catalyst for change in this respect.”