Say “I Do” with Flash Romantics and Get a Tattoo To Mark the Big Day

Picture your wedding day. Now imagine it taking place in a very sparkly and colourful venue in Melbourne's north, complete with a fabulous marriage celebrant and finishing with you and your beloved getting tattoos.

Enter Flash Romantics – the brainchild of Studio Take Care ’s Sass Cocker and Renee the Celebrant (aka Renee Thompson). At the time of Flash Romantics’ conception, Cocker was running Brunswick's Little Gold Studios, a tattoo shop. The idea was born when Cocker started to think about the sentimentality that often comes with getting a tattoo.

“I had met Renee before, and I loved what she did,” Cocker says. “And I just thought, imagine if we could put the weddings and tattoos together in a fun event.”

In December 2022, the first instalment of Flash Romantics took place, with six weddings taking place on the day. Touted as “shotgun weddings for our fellow queers, our left-of-centre lovers and our non-traditional romantics”, the day was a huge success. Since then, there have been five more Flash Romantics events, with another three to take place this year.

The idea is simple – get hitched and get a tattoo (courtesy of Nick Gauci from Boy Blume) to mark the occasion. Flash Romantics exists to fill a gap – offering up the type of ceremony that works for the couple, rather than sticking with tradition. A certified celebrant, Thompson can perform a legally binding marriage, but also offers the option of a non-legal love ceremony, a polyamorous commitment ceremony, or whatever else suits.

“For anyone who doesn’t necessarily need that piece of paper but really wants to celebrate, or maybe wants to get tattoos, do some rings, have a party or whatever,” Cocker says. “It’s a cute way to still recognise that love, say whatever vows they want, and just do it their way.”

Each Flash Romantics event runs like a “well-oiled machine”, thanks to a devoted team. On the day, Cocker and their partner Bobby Rankin are the logistics team. Rankin gets the couples settled with a glass of champagne (or a cocktail of choice), Cocker takes polaroids and the duo make sure everyone is where they need to be. As the celebrant, Thompson ensures everyone is comfy and ready to go when it’s their turn.

“People come in pretty nervous on their wedding day, but [Renee] just gets them laughing straight away. Sometimes she’s taking shots with the couple, popping the champagne … she’s always the life of the party,” Cocker says.

After the ceremony, Gauci sits down with the couple to do their tattoos. They can choose from his flash sheet or work with him to do a small custom design.

“One couple got matching croissants, because they ate croissants together on their first few dates. One couple, who had a sausage dog, got the sausage dog tattooed on. It’s already a really special day, but the tattoos add something … It’s a quiet moment with just the couple and Nick in the room, and it’s very special.”

And of course, no wedding is complete without a photographer and videographer. In this case, photographer Charlie Brophy (Ceremony by Charlie) and videographer Ben McFadyen (These Wild Eyes). “Charlie helps people relax … she has this ability to really capture everyone. And Ben is incredibly generous … everyone just really cares about what we’re doing.”

A Flash Romantics wedding costs $3000. Couples can bring up to 16 guests, so the occasion is kept small and intimate. Following each ceremony, the couples get their tattoos done and then the rest of the day is up to them.

For now, Cocker and the rest of the team are deep in planning future Flash Romantics events, as well as working on an expansion of their brand – Rainbow Romantico – bringing larger weddings with more guests, more dates and more add-ons. But for now, Flash Romantics has filled a gap left empty by the traditional wedding industry.

“I love weddings now,” Cocker says. “I was quite pessimistic about it all before … I think I now understand and appreciate what a ceremony does. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a chance to stop and notice something and appreciate it, and have it witnessed by other people. I think that’s a powerful thing. Why would I not celebrate my love?”

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This article first appeared in Domain Review, in partnership with Broadsheet.