“We both studied music at the same university but ran with different crowds. We were dating other people too so didn't give each other much attention. It wasn't until both our separate relationships fizzled out around the same time, and we ended up living next door to each other that we started giving each other the eye.”

For their first date, they spent an evening cuddled up on the couch together watching “The Bodyguard”, duvet wrapped around them.

Before too long, Dan and Phil got engaged in April of 2016. “There were no rings, no grand gestures. We talked about our dreams and fears of getting married, and simply decided to do it by mutual agreement. Very unceremonious, but so real and honest.”

Their wedding celebration was held in The Faversham of Leeds. “It's a converted townhouse and gig-venue. It was just so well suited to us. It had a colourful conservatory for the ceremony, a relaxed room with comfy sofas, and a huge bar and dance floor. It contained a stage, and a sound and lighting rig ready to go. We were allowed to keep the party going until 4am!

We didn't really have a theme, just a central idea to stay true to ourselves as individuals whilst amplifying our shared history. We had a BBC Radio DJ, who is a close friend of ours. He curated a bespoke playlist to play while guests arrived.

We decorated everything ourselves. The centrepieces were a collection of souvenirs and meaningful trinkets we collected over the 8 years we've been together. We created a light installation over the dance floor using fairy lights and umbrellas. Our food menu celebrated the best of Filipino and Yorkshire cuisine. Guests could choose from marinated slow roasted belly pork with noodles, or fish and chips. We had 3 cakes because we couldn't decide on just one. An old colleague of Phil’s, Kate Kaprowska made them. She's an amazing baker who had auditioned for the Great British Bake Off!

Our first dance was to ‘Casino Royale’ by Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, a silly little tune that we like to dad-dance to when no one is around. We had a costume change halfway through the night into traditional Filipino barongs (ceremonial shirts). Phil's barong was hand stitched and made from pineapple fibres. We also had live bands perform including a Beach Boys tribute act, an electro swing group, and a surprise reunion of Phil's old funk/soul band. We even had karaoke in the other room, and a lip sync performance to Whitney Houston! People keep saying to us that it was the best wedding they had ever been to. It was so much fun, and so personal to us.”

Phil described the wedding as “pure joy from start to finish. There were so many lovely, poignant, exciting moments throughout the day that we couldn't do anything else but smile from ear to ear. There were about a million different thoughts. It was quite overwhelming really, but in a good way. We savored every second. Especially the moment we walked down the aisle hand in hand, to rapturous applause with an a cappella version of ‘Wouldn’t Be Nice’ by the Beach Boys. I get goosebumps every time I hear that song now.”

Dan and Phil now live happily together as husbands in Leeds.

Ceremony Venue: The Faversham, Leeds

Photography: Matt Simm

Cake:The Vanilla Velvet Bakery