Apple's 'First Dance' advert features real Aussie same-sex couples getting married

Apple's new 'First Dance' advert features Australian same-sex couples getting married after marriage laws were changed, including activists Ron Van Houwelingen and Antony McManus.

The new Apple advert 'First Dance' features footage from the first legal same-sex weddings in Australia.

The new Apple advert 'First Dance' features footage from the first legal same-sex weddings in Australia. Source: Apple

Tech giant Apple have released their latest advertisment for the iPhone X, exclusively featuring same-sex couples. 

The emotional ad, titled 'First Dance', shows a range of Australian same-sex couples getting married, accompanied by an acoustic version of 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS, performed by Courtney Barnett.

The footage in the advert, shot wholly with the iPhone X, is actually from some of the first legal ceremonies that occurred after the legalisation of same-sex marriage last year. 

The legalisation of marriage equality happened on 9th December 2017, and due to couples having to give a month's notice for intent to marry, the first same-sex marriages began happening from January 9th this year.

One couple that featured in the advert is Ron Van Houwelingen and Antony McManus, who SBS featured earlier in 2017 as one of the many Australian couples who had been waiting years to become legally married.

Ron and Antony (L) at their commitment ceremony in 1993, and their official wedding day in January 2018 (R).
Ron and Antony (L) at their commitment ceremony in 1993, and their official wedding day in January 2018 (R). Source: Supplied

The pair have been together for 30 years, and both spent years working as activists for the campaign to legalise same-sex marriage. The pair had their first personal commitment ceremony in 1993, and had 15 or 16 (they lost count) "fake" public marriage ceremonies as a peaceful way of protesting the exclusion of same-sex couples from Australian marriage laws. 

You can watch the Apple advert featuring Ron and Antony, as well as a number of other same-sex Australian newlyweds, here:


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2 min read

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By Chloe Sargeant



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