ABC breakfast host Craig Zonca marries his best friend
They’re one of Brisbane’s favourite radio couples, and now Craig Zonca and his ABC bride Jessica Hinchliffe have made it official, tying-the-knot with a countryside marquee reception. SEE THE PICTURES.
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They’ve long been ABC radio’s hottest couple, and breakfast presenter Craig Zonca and reporter Jessica Hinchliffe are now also husband and wife.
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The couple, of Coorparoo, in Brisbane’s southeast, tied the knot this month at
St Joseph’s Cathedral, Rockhampton, followed by a marquee reception at the Hinchliffe family property Rockdale, at nearby Bouldercombe.
Jess and Craig met in 2007 when they started working together at the ABC and have been inseparable ever since.
Jess walked down the aisle in her mother’s 30-year-old wedding gown after enlisting Brisbane designer Isabella Longginou to redesign it.
They celebrated with 125 friends and family members, but chose not to have a bridal party.
“Jess is my best friend, my biggest supporter and I feel extraordinarily lucky to have her in my life making me a better person each day,” says Zonca, who will be back on air on October 7.
How did Craig propose?
On the Hinchliffe family property in my grandparents’ back yard. Craig was so nervous he almost passed out earlier in the day while doing farm work. He had been carrying the ring for a few days waiting for the “perfect” moment. It may not have gone exactly to plan but I was certainly caught by surprise.
First dance?
Instead of a first dance we chose to perform a first song. Jess has always loved Louis Armstrong’s version of La Vie En Rose, so we did our take on that.
Honeymoon?
We’re heading off to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc, which will see us trek through France, Italy and Switzerland over 10 days. Then there’s some time for a little rest and relaxation at Lake Como and Cinque Terre in Italy before returning home and back to the 3am alarm. We don’t like to rest much!
What made this uniquely your wedding?
All the connections to the family. We were married in the same church Jessica’s grandparents were married in over 65 years ago, as well as holding the reception on the family property that has been in Jess’s family for more than five generations. The marquee was on the site where the property’s tennis court once stood, which was originally built in the 1950s.
Special memories?
Jessica’s close friend Hannah Acfield (performer from Melbourne) sang Stand By Me in the cathedral, accompanied by one of Craig’s best friends, Ben Wilson — tears! Also, we were married by Father Andrew Hogan, who Jessica was school captain with at high school at The Cathedral College — they’ve remained friends ever since. Craig even played a set with his old band to get everyone up and dancing!
Funny moments?
We originally wanted to have the marquee in the middle of a paddock way out the back of the property, but due to severe drought in Central Queensland we realised quickly that our guests would have been dancing in a dust bowl, so we moved it closer to the homestead where we could water a patch of green grass. There have been many rain dances done by friends and family over the last six months in the hope of some wet stuff.
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