‘Gastro on your wedding day, not fun!’: Emma Sheppard’s Mexican wedding upset

Donkeys, surprise songs and one particularly nasty bug to iron out ... musician Emma Sheppard takes us inside her Mexican wedding.

Jane Armitstead

@JaneArmitstead

4 min read

May 13, 2025 - 5:38AM

QWeekend

The wedding of Emma and Liam Sheppard in Mexico. Picture: Samsonova

Lifestyle

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Musician Emma Sheppard pulled off the ultimate surprise for her husband during their Mexican wedding.

Emma, who plays bass in the sibling band Sheppard, wrote her first song, called Once In A Lifetime Love, and played it to her husband, Liam, during the reception.

It’s a first for Emma, with her siblings Amy and George normally the songwriters of the group. But Emma kept up the sibling tradition with both Amy and George writing songs for their respective partners for their weddings. It was one of the highlights for the couple who tied the knot on January 6 this year at Villa Del Oso in Sayulita, Mexico in front of 44 guests.

It was the couple’s second wedding celebration after they held an elopement-style event in March last year in Brisbane.
The plan was always Mexico but due to the health of Liam’s dad, who has Alzheimer’s and couldn’t travel overseas, the couple had a small celebration in their hometown. The couple, who conveniently share the same last name, have been together for six-and-a-half years.

The sunset was one of the standout moments of the day, Emma says. Picture: Samsonova

How did you meet? In 2018 at the gym. I noticed Liam at the gym when he was doing his induction with my brother-in-law, Lachie, who worked there at the time. After getting back from being away for a few weeks on the road, I mustered up the courage to start a conversation with him. I felt like I bombed it but I persisted by going to all the same gym classes that he would go to. I eventually invited him to a Sheppard show on the Gold Coast and he ended up asking me out on a date after that.

The proposal? He organised the proposal on my 30th birthday in front of all our family and friends. It was during our stay at Sea World Resort during our two weeks’ residency at Movie World. The staff at Sea World resort made it such an incredible event for my 30th and then Liam got on one knee and made it the best night ever.

Hen’s night? I had a hen’s weekend in Palm Cove in North Queensland. My bridesmaids organised a margarita marathon and boat days.

Buck’s night? Moreton Island.

Emma Sheppard with her bridal party. Picture: Samsonova

First dance song? We had our first dance with the mariachi band we hired and I walked down the aisle to All My Love by Coldplay.

How and why did you choose your wedding venue? We always wanted to get married in Mexico and I was in the sauna at our gym in Nashville and a lady overheard me talking about Mexico. She suggested that I check out Sayulita, so Liam and I booked a flight and we loved it. The venue was the most breathtaking villa we had ever seen and we knew that’s where we wanted to get married.

What was the budget for your wedding? We didn’t have a budget, we just tried to save money where we could as everything had to be paid in US dollars so it was more expensive than we’d hoped because of the exchange rate.

How did you choose your wedding outfits? After I had my first wedding in Brisbane and the most perfect dress from Bloom Bridal in Newstead, I really didn’t know how I would top it. I knew I wanted something more casual than the first so I searched online and found my dress from Selezza London.

What was the most stressful part of wedding planning? Dealing with money.

The couple we walked in after the ceremony to music from a mariachi band. Picture: Samsonova

Any unique or surprising details about your wedding? The most stressful part was trying to transfer our money from AUD to USD. Banks and Wise did not make that easy for me! We had mariachi which we walked in with after the ceremony and did our first dance. I then did an outfit change to something more casual and cooler and then we walked in with a donkey!

Did anything unexpected or funny happen throughout the day? I actually had norovirus which is a gastro virus. Yeah, gastro on your wedding day, NOT FUN! Luckily it was mild and I was able to make it through the day without any accidents, ha.

What was the standout moment of the day? I think the stand out was sunset hour, the mariachi were playing and there was the most incredible sunset you could ever imagine.

Any standout moments from the speeches? I wrote my first song and ended up playing it for him after all the speeches. No one knew except my siblings and everyone was so shocked!

The wedding of Emma and Liam Sheppard in Mexico. Picture: Samsonova

What would you do differently? I would have changed the schedule to have the wedding towards the start of our trip and not the end. Unfortunately our work schedule didn’t allow for that but other than that it was perfect!

Top wedding hack? Destination weddings are the best because you get to spend more time with the people you love.

Best advice for other couples planning a wedding? Try not to get caught up on the little things, so many things didn’t go to plan on the day but ended up being better than expected. Everything happens for a reason so just relax.

The Bride

Emma Sheppard, 31

Profession Musician

Parents Linda and Greg Sheppard

Bridesmaids Amy Sheppard, Kathleen Sheppard, Patrick Walker, Anna Prakash

Dress Selezza London

Make-up and Hair Graciela Saldivar

Flowers Floramimo Floral

Engagement ring Mendel & Rose

Wedding planner/stylist Sunset Soiree