Wallaby star David Pocock gets hitched in simple ceremony under a tree to long-time partner Emma Palandri

David Pocock and his long-time partner Emma Palandri have tied the knot. It was no traditional white wedding either. In keeping with their shared love of nature, they exchanged their wedding vows under a tree.

David Pocock and Emma Palandri exchange their wedding vows.

He might be an old fashioned romantic, but Wallabies backrower David Pocock has never been much of a conformist.

So when he got married to his long-time partner Emma Palandri, it’s no surprise that it wasn’t the traditional white wedding.

There was no white dress for the bride. Or a tuxedo for the groom. Nor was there a church, or even family and guests.

In keeping with their shared love of nature, they exchanged their wedding vows under a tree, with only the celebrant there, then trundled off with an Esky.

It was only a day later that Pocock broke the news on social media:

Married my best mate yesterday 😊 pic.twitter.com/a4SDpbDys3

— David Pocock (@pocockdavid) December 2, 2018

The pair held a commitment ceremony in 2010 but said they wouldn’t formally tie the know until Australia had married equality, which was finally made law last year.

“I hope we can live into the words of Rilke: ‘The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust,” he posted.

“A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development.

“But once the realisation is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvellous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.”

Originally published as Wallaby star David Pocock gets hitched in simple ceremony under a tree to long-time partner Emma Palandri