AFL player Darcy Gardiner ties knot in epic wedding, including six hour dancefloor
Brisbane Lions player Darcy Gardiner and long-term partner Sophie Kebbell tie the knot in party-filled black-tie celebration that lasted until the early hours of the next morning.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane Lions player Darcy Gardiner and long-term partner Sophie Kebbell celebrated their black-tie wedding in a stunning ceremony in Victoria.
The Brisbane couple, who have been together for 13 years, tied the knot in front of 170 guests at Woolbrook Homestead at Inverleigh, near Geelong, on New Year’s Eve, followed by the reception under a marquee on the lawn.
How did you meet? Sophie: On New Year’s Eve in Victoria when we were 16, and we have been together ever since! We lived apart for many years while I studied in Melbourne and he trained in Brisbane. I even did an 18-month stint in the UK before moving to Brisbane six years ago, when we started our life together.
The proposal?We got engaged on New Year’s Eve (our 12-year anniversary) on the beach, at Peterborough, where we have spent most of our summers together with my family.
How did you choose your wedding venue?
My parents were friends with the original owners of the homestead and suggested it when we got engaged. We hadn’t even visited before we booked it, but it exceeded our expectations. Because the homestead itself is so beautiful, we opted for restrained styling – I didn’t want to distract from the backdrop we had. We had blue, green and white flowers throughout that matched the gardens. We also loved the venue because we could sleep many of our guests there. We maxed out the homestead and then got glamping tents for our bridal party and friends who had travelled far.
How did you choose your wedding dress?
I never saw the appeal in trying on a heap of wedding dresses in bridal boutiques, so, I opted to buy online from Net-a-Porter, and have it tailored. I bought the first dress I saw. The Emilia Wickstead cuts are so timeless and I felt a million dollars. I had Claire Home make sleeves which were detachable. She also made me a neck tie, which I added when the sleeves were removed at the reception.
What were your thoughts when you saw the bride? Darcy: I was more excited than nervous standing up there. It was super emotional watching Soph walk down the aisle, but by the time she got to the top I just thought, “How amazing is this!”
What was the most stressful part of wedding planning? Because we didn’t have a planner, the two weeks in the lead-up to the wedding were the most stressful in getting together all the finer details. We made our menus, name cards and seating chart, so getting that together while co-ordinating the vendors was quite full on in the final days.
Any unique details about your wedding?
My grandmother grew many of our flowers. It was so special to know that they had been grown and arranged so lovingly by her. She co-ordinated with the florist, so the types and colours were very similar.
What was the standout moment of the day?
I loved everything about the day. I had such fun with my bridesmaids getting ready. The ceremony was so emotional but then the reception just super fun. The dancefloor
went from 9pm to 3am, without any lulls. Celebrating the countdown to the new year with our best friends was simply the best.
What was a wedding non-negotiable for you?
We wanted to be able to celebrate with all our friends and family, so having a small wedding wasn’t really on the cards. We had so many people fly from interstate and overseas, so showing them a good time was non-negotiable.
Best or most surprising wedding gift?
My bridesmaids gifted us our videographer. Steph prepared a highlights video which was ready the very next day, and it’s one of our most treasured things from our day. We cannot wait to see the rest.
Bridesmaid/groomsmen protocol?
My bridesmaids chose their dresses, I gave them a loose colour palette. Groomsmen all had black suits, so we just bought them bow ties. We also covered the girls’ hair and makeup and accommodation.
What would you do differently? Not a lot. Our day was relaxed, which is reflective of us.
Top wedding hack?Think about, then write down, the three most important things to you about your wedding. We wanted for us, and our guests, to have the best night ever. The recipe for this: good company, good food and beverage, great music. Tick, tick tick.
Best advice for other couples?
Don’t feel like you need to follow every single wedding trend. Try and stay true to you as a couple and cut out things that make you feel uneasy and aren’t authentic to you. We also split up the speeches. We did maid of honour and best man speeches at cocktail hour, which gave it a little more purpose than just standing around for an hour. Our guests loved this and it meant more time for dancing.
The Bride
Sophie Kebbell, 29
Profession Interior architect
Parents Lisa and Mark Kebbell
Bridesmaids Sophie Morphy, Lizzie Slattery, Alex Plumptre, Camilla a’Beckett, Indi Kebbell, Scarlett Daniell, Olivia Stone
Dress Emilia Wickstead
Hair Gloss & Glow
Make-up Maddi Nicholls
Flowers Torquay Florist
Engagement ring Ashley Douglas Master Jeweller
Wedding planner/stylist None – as a designer, I was able to manage this
The Groom
Darcy Gardiner, 29
Profession AFL player (Brisbane Lions)
Parents Janice Gardiner, Chris Gardiner
Groomsmen Lewis Taylor, Scott Dixon, Harris Andrews, Linc McCarthy, Nathan Fenby
Suit Michael Innis Menswear
Entertainment Stock Standard Music
Videographer Stephanie Wood (Silly Little Films)
Celebrant Elizabeth Graham
Caterer Smith & Co
Cake White chocolate blueberry cake
More Coverage
Originally published as AFL player Darcy Gardiner ties knot in epic wedding, including six hour dancefloor
Dutton puts energy giants on notice
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has come out swinging against the energy giants, vowing bills would fall under his government and accusing gas exporters of “gaming the system”.
Airshow to resume as pilot remains critical
The airshow where a pilot was critically injured on Friday after his aircraft lost control during an aerobatic performance will resume on Saturday.