Australian cricket star ties the knot in secret ceremony
After the pandemic played havoc with their wedding plans, cricketer Jess Jonassen and Sarah Gooderham chose to elope and wed in Hawaii.
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Australian cricket star Jess Jonassen married her longtime partner in a secret beachside wedding in Hawaii. Jonassen eloped with her partner of 11 years Sarah Gooderham on April 6 for a stunning intimate ceremony at Magic Island, Waikiki, Oahu, with just the celebrant, photographer and wedding co-ordinator present.
It was third time lucky for the couple whose original wedding plans for May 2020 were derailed by the pandemic and then again the following year due to the Big Bash series.
As the years passed, they ditched the dresses they had bought for their 2020 wedding and opted for a more casual and comfortable look.
It was a quick stop to Chermside to pick the outfits between cricket commitments for Jess after being home for four days, returning from India where she was playing in the WPL, before they left for Hawaii. The couple surprised their friends with the news of their secret wedding the following day and later celebrated with their closest friends and family at The Lawn in Kangaroo Point.
How did you meet? Jess: We met online. I was 19, recently out and wanted to build my confidence in talking with other people. I reached out to Sarah and didn’t get a reply for a few hours. I was a bit down about not getting a response, then suddenly my phone buzzed and we haven’t stopped talking since. Sarah’s from Portsmouth in the UK and had only been in Australia and living on the Gold Coast for two weeks when we first started talking. In the beginning I left anything cricket related out of our conversations because I wanted her to get to know me for me, not what I do.
Tell us about the proposal We’d been together for six years before we got engaged. We had discussed getting married and agreed I would be the one to propose because I’m a few years younger than Sarah and she wanted to ensure that I was ready for marriage when the time came. I went ring shopping with my sister and brother-in-law in January 2018 and proposed at the end of February. That afternoon I said I was taking her out for an early birthday dinner as I’m always overseas for her birthday in March. Our friend Brodie Grogan is a photographer and hid in the bushes, secretly taking shots of the proposal. Then we went and had dinner by the water. It was such an amazing day in our lives.
Why did you choose to elope? After having to cancel our wedding twice, the vision for what our future wedding day would look like changed. No longer did we want to have a “big wedding” – it all became a bit too tricky. It also came down to the cricket playing schedule. With only a small time allocated for holidays, we thought our holiday to Hawaii would be the perfect opportunity to quietly escape and get married at the same time.
How did you choose your outfits? We found our wedding dresses when we were originally meant to get married in May 2020, before our wedding got cancelled because of the pandemic. By the time our actual wedding came around three years later, we couldn’t imagine ourselves wearing the dresses anymore. They’re actually just sitting in the cupboard at home! Because we were getting married in Hawaii, we liked the idea of wearing something laid-back. We didn’t want to wear the exact same thing, but to be co-ordinated, not a match. The chinos we got from Goondiwindi Cotton are the most comfortable pants ever. I want to wear them all the time! We were co-ordinating what we would wear when I was in South Africa for the World Cup, then I went straight to India for the WPL, so we didn’t have much time to work it out. When I got back from India, I only had four days back at home before we had to leave for Hawaii. So in those four days, we went to Chermside and picked out what we were going to wear on the day.
Why did you choose Hawaii? When we first scheduled our wedding in 2020, we were going to honeymoon in Hawaii. We ended up getting flight credits, but they were due to expire at the end of 2023, so we thought we’d take the chance and book a holiday to Hawaii. During the Big Bash season last year, I said to Sarah, “Why don’t we get married while we’re over there?” and she said, “Why don’t we?!”.
How did the day unfold? We got ready together and had hair and make up at midday. It was really special to experience that together. Then we had about an hour to ourselves before the ceremony, so we sat on our balcony and had a drink. We got picked up in a white limousine at 2.45pm, and the ceremony started at 3pm. We had our photos taken then enjoyed dinner at The Signature, a lovely steak restaurant on top of Ala Moana Hotel, Waikiki.
What were your emotions on the day? We were both quite relaxed. We were only a little nervous when we got in the limo because it was that moment when it clicked for us that it was finally happening. During the ceremony we both just got lost in the moment and were entirely present. We were in a public place overlooking the water and people were walking by in the distance, but it felt like it was just us two in that moment.
Who knew about the elopement? We told our mums prior to the wedding and they were completely fine with it. They both wanted us to do what was right for us and what made us happy, considering what we’d been through with Covid cancelling our wedding and my father’s passing. The day after we got married, we called our immediate family and everyone was over the moon. The rest of the world found out when we posted our photos to Instagram.
What reaction did you get?The day after the wedding I called my sisters at the same time to tell them the surprise. They were both so happy and excited for us. Getting married was inevitable so I think they suspected it was going to happen in Hawaii.
Best advice to couples planning to elope? Just because you choose to elope, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your marriage with your loved ones. We planned a party at The Lawn in Kangaroo Point to catch up with family and friends and celebrate this huge life milestone together.
The Bride
Jessica Jonassen, 30
Profession Australian cricketer and Brisbane Heat WBBL captain
Jacket Connor
Trousers Goondiwindi Cotton
Rings Michael Hill. I have a wedding band but usually wear a silicon ring when I’m training. Sarah has a diamond engagement ring and wedding band.
Celebrant Ryan Keali’i Souza
The Bride
Sarah Gooderham, 34
Hair and make-up Weddings of Hawaii
Jacket Connor
Trousers Goondiwindi Cotton
Flowers Arranged by the team at Weddings of Hawaii
Cake We didn’t realise a cake was included but the wedding planner organised a vanilla cake and champagne for us to have at the end of our ceremony which we loved.
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