OUR BIG GAY STAR WARS WEDDING!
Theforceis strongwith thesetwo!
On a sunny Christchurch day at Riccarton Racecourse, a long-awaited sci-fi fantasy came to life as two lovestruck men locked eyes and said “I do”, exchanging rose gold wedding bands. Engraved with references from
StarWars, the rings read, “I love you” and “I know”.
“It’s from TheEmpire
StrikesBack,” enthuses new groom Hayden McKee, 23, who married the love of his life Phil in an extravagant
StarWars- themed ceremony. “In the movie, the original idea was that Princess Leia would say ‘I love you’ and Han Solo is supposed to say it back. But Harrison Ford didn’t think that’s what his character would say, so he replied, ‘I know.’”
Still feeling like they’re in a galaxy far, far away as they chat with Woman’sDay, the happy couple gush about the tender affair they’ve dubbed their “big gay StarWars wedding”.
“StarWars is a common passion of ours and we wanted a spectacular wedding rather than boring g black-and-white or a rustic theme that everyone else has. We wanted something g different.”
As Phil glided up the aisle e towards his beaming beau to the orchestral sounds of the e romantic StarWars tune “The Throne Room”, it was everything they’d hoped for. r.
When the Cantabrian pair met through Tinder almost five years ago, it became apparent very quickly that they shared a major interest, as they talked for hours about their all-time favourite films.
“One of the main things you ask on a date is what their i favourite movie is, so right from the beginning, we were both quoting StarWars, which was cool,” explains Phil, 24, a hospitality worker.
Hayden – a die-hard Darth Vader fan – says the pair initially bonded over midnight movie dates and an early morning wake-up to watch the long-awaited seventh instalment, The ForceAwakens. “Every movie is a chance to explore a new world and take you away from f your boring b i life,” lif ” says the teaching graduate, who proposed to Phil in Athens in 2016.
Their wedding was far from mundane thanks to a lightsaber-wielding celebrant, who married the duo dressed as a noble Jedi.
While the couple decided against dressing in costumes themselves, they did choose lightsaber-coloured suits, with Hayden scrubbing up in red and Phil representing the lighter side of the force in blue.
A squad d of f stormtroopers also raided the grounds of the racecourse to greet guests and Phil’s bridesmaids wore perfect Princess Leia buns.
The cake was an epic multitier concoction of banana, vanilla and chocolate – each layer depicting a different character: R2-D2, Chewbacca and a stormtrooper.
“We even put little action figures on all the tables with blue or red lights in glass jars filled with stars,” Phil tells.
After the couple shared
some of f their h i favourite f i S Star
Wars quotes as part of the ceremony, Hayden expressed his devotion through a few well-prepared anecdotes.
“I’ve told you many times I always wanted to be a father and I hope we’ll be able to say that classic line to our son, daughter or puppy – ‘I am your father.’”
Hayden described Phil as the clone to his trooper, the rogue to his squadron and the Jedi to his temple.
“You are the C-3PO to my R2-D2 R2 D2 and d the h light li h to my saber,” he gushed.
Just when guests thought they’d seen it all, another big surprise awaited them after the buffet dinner.
“We were very lucky to have a drag show at the end of the night, which was pretty bloody awesome!” Hayden tells. “We had local drag queens come in and do some lip-sync songs and Phil, who’s an up-andcoming drag queen, debuted his character too.”
Phil explains, “I thought it’d i ’d be b nice i to do d my fi first-ever performance at my wedding.”
Proud of his movie-mad new husband, Hayden shared some encouraging words. “I promise to support you with any decision you make in life, even if it’s to be a big, famous drag queen. I’ll be the test dummy for your make-up and hair skills, even if it makes me look like Chewbacca.”
According to Phil, their guests described the wedding as the greatest of the century. “They said it’s the best they’ve been to! ! It’s ’ actually ll probably b one of the first themed gay weddings New Zealand has had.”
Heading off on a two-week honeymoon to Sydney, the couple made sure to add the
StarWars exhibition to their holiday must-do list.
Hayden’s wedding speech sums up the pair’s relationship perfectly: “A long time ago, there was a boy who felt alone and like he’d never experience true love. But the Force had different ideas. The Force brought me to you.” #