‘Albo can’t steal our day’: The couples saying ‘I do’ on election day

Politics was the last thing on Catherine Buck and Joel Morgan’s minds when they locked in May 3 as their wedding date just over a year ago. They had found the perfect venue in Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay near Melbourne, and were excited about their autumn nuptials.

But just over a month before their ceremony, their big day’s date was overshadowed. After hours upon hours of planning and a few hefty non-refundable deposits, there was no way around it – the couple would announce their commitment to each other while the nation committed to its leaders.

Having a wedding the same day as the federal election? Catherine Buck and Joel Morgan aren’t worried.Credit: Simon Schluter

For some, sharing the date with the federal election could have spelt disaster. Can family members put political disagreements aside? Will guests be distracted? Can everyone vote and make it to the wedding on time? But for Buck and Morgan, who are more or less on the same political page, it was nothing to panic about.

“The election is obviously very important, but we’re only getting married once,” Buck says. “So, it will be on our minds, but we won’t be completely obsessed with it.”

Morgan says getting married on election day does mean they will need to be more organised than the average couple.

“We won’t have time to vote on the day, so we’ll have to vote early,” he says. “We’ve also told our families to do the same because they’re going to be needed on the day.”

Elizabeth Shaw, a Victorian-based marriage celebrant and MC who has worked at about 120 weddings, says it’s vital for couples to communicate with their wedding party and guests well in advance.

“Quite a few guests will need to leave their electorates for a wedding, especially if it’s a destination wedding,” she says. “Many couples are now using websites like The Knot, so you could add some information there.”

The same goes for vendors and suppliers. Shaw says they should allow extra time for heavier traffic and lengthy polling booth lines. She recommends checking in with photographers, DJs, florists, and other key wedding service providers to ensure they get to the venue on time.

Anyone going to a wedding on election day may want to consider voting early.Credit: Jason South

Shaw likens an election day wedding to one that clashes with the AFL grand final.

“Make a game of it,” she says. “Get people to bet on who they think will win in certain electorates … Get the MC to give updates on the election ... That way, they won’t need to look at their phones.”

William Miller and Maddy Wilson will marry at Yarramalong Valley, west of Wyong in NSW. They are considering hiring a television to show poll updates. Miller knows the election will be on their guests’ minds – especially Wilson’s family, who are mostly active Liberal Party supporters – so they’re leaning into it.

“They’ll be keen to watch the results, but it’s also their first daughter’s wedding, so I imagine they will give that more attention,” Miller says. “Albo [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese] can’t steal our day.”

William Miller and Maddy Wilson know their families will want to keep across the election results.Credit: Don Tiongkiao

Miller and Wilson will vote ahead of the wedding, despite a suggestion from Wilson’s mother to attend a polling booth in her white dress. “Time will not permit,” Miller says. “That’s very much not an option.”

NSW-based marriage celebrant and MC Gary Clementson says an election day clash could be a great way to make a wedding more memorable.

“You could do a photoshoot at the polling booths, kind of like how photographers do the ‘first look’ photos,” says Clementson, who is also the director of The Celebrants Society. “You could really make an event of it.”

He also suggests incorporating political questions into classic wedding games like the “shoe game”, creating a wishing well that looks like a mini polling booth, and offering “classy versions” of democracy sausages.

Neither Buck and Morgan nor Miller and Wilson feel the need to establish ground rules about behaviour. However, Miller jokes there are “enough cold [water] hoses at the venue to splash whoever may need it”.

Buck and Morgan intend to rely on their MC to keep things running smoothly. “We trust she’ll be able to control the crowd so that we don’t even have to think about it,” Buck says, adding this will allow them to focus on their nearly two-year-old daughter and Buck’s father, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Shaw says the election will be a topic of conversation on the day and recommends the dance floor is the perfect place to blow off any steam.

Clementson agrees, noting that strict rules not to speak about the election may backfire. Instead, instructing the DJ to turn the music up if tensions rise or asking speech-givers to avoid political comments may be better ways to keep the peace.

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