Athletes Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan are expected to become the first Queensland same-sex couple to legally tie the knot.
Australia’s same-sex marriage legislation came into effect on December 9, and the couple wasted no time giving their required one month’s notice of their intention to wed.
They’ll marry as soon as they legally can – at midnight on Tuesday, January 9 – at the Summergrove Estate in the Tweed Coast Hinterland, close to the Queensland/New South Wales border.
The couple are planning to hold the reception with family and friends at 11:30pm, before their midnight nuptials with a fireworks display as a backdrop.
“Yes, the fireworks are for us; yes our friends and family being there is for us, but what’s really special about it is it’s a celebration for everyone in Australia who has supported same-sex marriage and all the same-sex couples who can now get married,” Craig told the Daily Mercury.
“It’ll be a special moment to know that we’re a part of that and it’s an awesome step forward for Australia.”
The couple met three years ago, and got engaged in March 2016 with a beachside proposal on the rocks in Byron Bay, which the couple filmed with a drone and uploaded online.
“When we met, Craig was a champion athlete, with strict everything; his life was scheduled down to the minute,” Luke told the Daily Mercury.
“I was a crazy go-getter who was spinning in circles trying to find which way to go.
“Craig and I rubbed off on each other just the right amount. I’ve really discovered who I am and what I want in life through his unwavering support and love, and he’s loosened up a bit – he only schedules by the hour now.
“We’ve grown so comfortably and contently together. I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it, and I don’t ever want to.”
Craig has been a sprinter for 12 years and represented Australia in the 4x400m relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He hopes to compete at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in March, and will carry the Commonwealth Games Queens Baton through the couple’s hometown of Mackay that month.
A year ago, Luke followed his accomplished fiance into a career on the track and also dreams of competing at the Games.
The couple told the publication because of their sporting commitments this year they’d delay their honeymoon until the end of the year.
