Ali Reid | Law Graduate
Simon Nitkiewicz | Traffic Engineer

Writing to a law graduate over email has a very 'to the point' language and at the same time comprehensive style. Combine that with organising to be the photographer for the wedding and you really have a good dialogue dance going. Since day one of being contacted by Ali and Simon I knew I wanted to shoot their wedding, because I knew it was going to be very uncomplicated and full of the right things that count in a celebration like this.

The Pixel Trade with the two of them started in a slightly jet lagged state. I had just got to Australia from a trade in Berlin and was feeling the half global leap, physically and mentally. Luckily we had a few days before the wedding to catch up and by the time I had to be super sharp, I was slipping on fences and dodging cow shit to capture their celebration. 

                 Interview with Ali & Simon

Describe your most memorable adventure as a child

A: Although I played outside a lot as a child my most memorable adventures always took place in virtual realms like Gaia and Hyrule from Final Fantasy and Zelda.  Real life pales in comparison to a world where you can fly air ships or ride giant yellow birds.

S: Sadly my memory is horrendous, I have few memories of my childhood. In my early teenage years however there was a school bus trip from Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne, Port Fairy and several places along the way. I had never really been that far away from home without my family and the markets of Melbourne and exploring new places was something new and memorable.

Where did the two of you meet? 

A: We met unsurprisingly in a trade channel of a game called World of Warcraft.  I needed an enchanter to add a fiery glow to my sword so it would do extra damage and Simon had the recipe I needed.

S: Trading in Ironforge. Ali required enchanting services that I could provide.

 What is the most embarrassing thing about your partner? 

A: Hands down his dancing - absolutely appalling.

S: Ali is not embarrassing, she is very aware of social situations and rarely if ever does or says anything to embarrass herself. However, this awareness does allow her to embarrass me severely by revealing facts about me or something I've done or said (only to her) to other people. 

What did getting married mean for you? 

A: Legally marriage is a contract terminable upon one years notice. That's what it is at it's most cynical. For me however it was something more. It was about becoming a part of a family and publicly declaring our commitment to annoy each other for the rest of our lives.

S: Marriage is recognising the eternal feelings that we have for one another. It is giving more than expecting in return and always being there for one another. Marriage is sharing the bad and the wonderful moments in life and never being truly alone.

What advice would you give to couples who are engaged?

A: Nothing will ruin your relationship unless you let it.  Trust is essential as is self improvement. Continually strive to be a better person for yourself and for your partner and don't let familiarity breed contempt. 

S: Keep experiencing new things, create as many memories together as you can. And more practically just be aware of your partners needs and take nothing for granted, it's not overly complex but that one took me a while to figure out.

When was the last time you felt defeated by something in life? 

A: Never! Unless you're talking about momentary defeat where you succumb to the possibility of failure but resolve to succeed anyway. That's how I felt last semester before my accounting exam.

S: It wasn't the last time but I being rejected from studying the course I wanted to in Uni for having insufficient grades really made me feel defeated at the time.

If you could do anything tomorrow for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

A: I think if you do anything enough it becomes a chore so I'd choose to do something different every day for the rest of my life.  

S: I don't day dream about the one thing i would do for the rest of my life, I'm a bit more boring. I just want to be good at what I do and ensure that Ali and myself have a happy and fulfilling life together.

What is something you haven’t told someone in a while? 

A: Originally Mario was bald.  Have I blown your mind?

S: I haven't told my father how much i care about him and respect him for a while. We're not very emotionally open : /.

Describe your most memorable adventure as an adult. 

A: My most memorable adventure as an adult was going to meet Simon in person in Melbourne for the first time.  We talked for hours, went to the aquarium, ate copious amounts of food and laughed a lot.

S: The stress, happiness, excitement and anxiousness of getting married. Oh how sweet it was.

If you had to recommend a favourite music album, what would it be? 

A: I can never listen to the same artist for a while just like I can't eat a lot of the same food.  If I had to choose I'd probably recommend 'Black the Sun' by Alex Lloyd and 'Deloused in the Comatorium' by The Mars Volta.

S: I honestly couldn't right now, for the last few years music has been white noise used to facilitate my studies by blocking out the world around me allowing me to focus on learning. That's probably a shame.