Feels Like Home

When Cameron Wells and Ben Rush first met at a friend’s dinner in New York, there was wine, laughter and something else too, a quiet sense of knowing. “We’d heard about each other for months,” says Cam. “Our mutual friends kept saying we needed to meet.” Both had crossed the world from New Zealand and Australia, only to find one another in a bustling Greek restaurant in Dimes Square (in the City's Lower East Side). That night, at Kiki’s, something clicked. “Many litres of wine later, we swapped numbers and said goodbye,” Cam recalls. “That was just the beginning.”

Their first date came a few weeks later. A missed text led to a long wait at a Vietnamese spot on Orchard Street, and just when Cam thought he might have been stood up, Ben appeared. “I was waiting for a message to come downstairs,” Ben laughs. It was a cold, winter’s night, and as they walked to the subway together, Cam says, they realised that what was between them was something special. “On the corner of Delancey and Essex, we had our first kiss,” he tells me, with a smile.

“We’d heard about each other for months. Our mutual friends kept saying we needed to meet.”

Fast-forward nearly eight years, and they’re now living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with their miniature dachshund, Dingo. Their relationship has crossed borders, apartments and job changes, weathering a bout of separation brought on by Covid as well as various visa wobbles, but through it all, what has remained constant is laughter, support and a shared sense of adventure. “Every year is as good, if not better, as the one before,” says Cam. “We really have fun together.”

For Cam, it is Ben’s deeply caring and protective nature that he loves. “His patience and support have lifted me up and kept me going through so much over the years,” he tells me. “He’s incredibly creative… finding beauty in the detail he has a unique ability to curate meaningful moments.” Ben adores Cam’s confidence, resilience and uncanny ability to make him laugh. “I just love his heart,” Ben says. “It’s so big I can feel it beating when we hug.”

The proposal came during a trip to the Oaxaca coast of Mexico, a location they unexpectedly ended up in while issues around Covid and visas were sorted out. “It was our first Christmas alone,” Ben says. “We were surfing, drinking mezcal, just enjoying a slower pace.” On a sunrise walk in Mazunte, after a sleepless night, Ben and Cam took some time to talk about the challenges they had overcome in the previous year, and to dream about the future. After a pause, Ben turned to Cam and said, “Well... I’ve got something else for us to look forward to,” before getting down on one knee. “It was a complete surprise,” Cam tells me. “But the answer was always going to be yes." They kept the news to themselves for a few days, basking in the quiet joy of their decision. “We spent those days in a little bubble,” Cam says. “It was just us, on a cliffside in Puerto Ángel, before we shared it with anyone.”

“I just love his heart. It’s so big I can feel it beating when we hug.”

When it came time to plan a wedding, the process was a smooth one (given that Ben is involved in events as part of his creative job), with the goal being a celebration that felt like an extension of their personalities. For the location, they chose Milos, a remote Greek island they’d fallen in love with during the pandemic. “It felt like no one we knew had been,” Ben says. “It was untouched.” The couple wanted to create an immersive experience for their guests over multiple days. There, they worked with Storytelling Lab, an Athens-based event company for on-the-ground coordination. “We wanted it to feel like a vacation for our friends and family, not just an event for us,” Cam explains.

They designed a custom microsite as both invitation and travel guide, complete with editorial content which was developed by their friend Lili Bravi, with beautiful illustrations by her Mum, the renowned Soledad Bravi. Upon arrival, guests received oversized linen totes filled with Mythos beer, towels and printed magazines that detailed the week’s events. “We didn’t want waste,” Ben explains. “So we made sure everything we gifted was useful and beautiful.”

The celebration began in Plaka, with a party at Utopia, a bar usually crowded with tourists. That night, it was theirs, before they took the party across the square to Archontoula for dinner. “People were dancing on tables, in the streets. Locals were joining in,” says Cam. The next day was spent cliff-jumping and sunbathing at Sarakiniko, with coolers of beer and rosé. “It was the perfect contrast to the night before,” Ben adds.

For the ceremony, Cam and Ben chose the fishing village of Mandrakia, a beautifully quaint and quintessentially Greek spot surrounded by bobbing boats and with a long stone jetty that served as the perfect runway. As guests waited in the harbour, Cam and Ben descended through the town to Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good.’ “The location had so much drama,” Ben says. “It was like a film set.” Cam wore a custom ivory linen suit by Bode adorned with an exquisite Schiaparelli brooch that Ben had gifted him before their courthouse wedding in New York. It also boasted subtle, embroidered details inside the lining. “Ben had those secretly added,” Cam smiles. “It was such a beautiful surprise.” Ben wore a pleated, oversized suit from Amiri. “You wouldn’t expect suiting from a streetwear brand,” he says, “but it was perfect.”

Rather than appointing a traditional bridal party, the duo asked close friends to play special roles. Alissa, who had been advocating for their union from the start (and was actually there when they became engaged), officiated the ceremony, while Rebecca Wilson was their MC. Xavier Scanlon, their longest mutual friend, designed the menus and place cards, all hand-lettered with personal touches. A pear motif appeared throughout, a nod to a set of alabaster pears Cam’s mother had gifted them after their engagement — 'the perfect pair.'

They even arranged to swap out the town’s bright white lightbulbs for warm lighting, a nod to the duo's meticulous attention to detail. “Maybe it was a little over the top,” Ben laughs, “but it made all the difference.”

The celebration continued the next day with a poolside recovery party at Theia Villa, where the couple had stayed. Guests danced beneath the largest mirrorball their team could source in Greece, capping off a week that both grooms tell me felt like a dream.

Looking back, the pair describe the whole occasion as perfect, despite explaining that there were a few small things that they feel could have been done differently. “We just put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Cam says, “it was a significant undertaking from overseas all while continuing both of our busy work schedules,” he pauses, “so if there’s one piece of advice we'd give to other couples, it would be to not put so much pressure on.”

Now, Cam and Ben are casting their eyes to the future and building on the solid foundations that they have laid in New York. “We just got our green cards,” Cam tells me. “So right now, the dream is to eventually own our own home somewhere,” he pauses, “maybe a little house by the beach… a place to escape to.”

Because if there is one thing they have learned over eight years together, it is the way that they can weather any storm with resilience, connection and humour. “We really are each other’s cheerleaders,” says Cam. “When one of us is down, the other is there to lift us up.” They laugh often, travel well and revel in the everyday moments, “The small stuff is special,” says Ben.

This means walks with Dingo, Saturday morning playlists, time spent with friends and a love that continues to deepen with time. The wedding may be behind them, but the vision continues: a life full of connection, creativity, and the quiet, beautiful details that turn unassuming moments into something unforgettable.


This wedding was originally published in VEIL Issue One. Discover this celebration, along with many more inspiring weddings, editorials, and stories in the full issue. Purchase your copy here.