Toowoomba weddings: Jondaryan woman Claire Elliott weds Andres Tamayo Zepeda at St Anne’s Church

A former Darling Downs woman has gotten married in the same church her great-great-grandfather built more than 170 years. Read her incredible story here:

Tom Gillespie

2 min read

July 25, 2024 - 6:00AM

Toowoomba Chronicle

Claire Elliott and Andres Tamayo Zepeda married at St Anne's Church in Jondaryan on July 6, 2024. The church was designed and built in 1859 by Ms Elliott's great-great-grandfather JC White. Photo by Traci Castle of Studio Republic

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When Claire Elliott said “I do” to her husband within the walls of St Anne’s Church at Jondaryan, she was not only honouring the community she grew up in but her ancestors that helped build it.

“I felt like I did a whole 360 in my life, bringing Andres (Tamayo Zepeda, husband) back there solidified who I am and showed him who I am,” she said.

“You can feel the history through the walls, I felt all my ancestors were there with us, it was incredibly powerful and memorable for the family.”

The former Darling Downs musician and small business owner tied the knot on July 6 inside the heritage-listed church designed and built by her great-great-grandfather JC White — the man behind the iconic Jondaryan Woolshed.

The church, erected on the grounds of the old homestead, was first built in 1858 but relocated closer to town in 1893 following a massive flood.

Ms Elliott said she still had vivid memories of spending more than 20 years growing up in Jondaryan, where her family had settled for five generations.

“There was a lot of freedom, there were four kids and we’d tie up ropes and swing into the Oakey Creek and set up a slippery dip into it,” she said.

“We rode horses a lot. I remember it being freeing, we would ride for hours and hours.

“Growing up with a lot of history, mum had created a little museum inside the old station store (and) I grew up with a love affair of Australian history and a real appreciation for it.”

The wedding was just one half of a cultural exchange Ms Elliott shared with her husband Mr Zepeda, a Mexican man whose ancestry is native American.

She said the ceremony in Puerto Vallarta earlier this year helped the pair draw comparisons between their respective heritages.

“We had a ceremony in Mexico, honouring his family traditions,” Ms Elliott said.

A historical photo of St Anne's Church in Jondaryan, which was designed and built in 1859 by JC White.

“The ceremony in Mexico was surreal, it was symbolic of the sun and moon and stars – we had smoke ceremonies and there was the eating of chilis.

“It made me feel enormously proud and I saw it as an ancestral turning point.

“Andres is engaged in antiques (and) he lost it when he saw the Jondaryan woolshed, he was in his element.”

After starting and selling a successful Sunshine Coast cafe, Ms Elliott first went over to Mexico to visit her sister who had relocated there with her own husband.

After spending more time there performing at music festivals, she eventually met Mr Zepeda through mutual friends.

Claire Elliott and Andres Tamaup Zepeda married in two separate ceremonies, one in his home country of Mexico and another St Anne's Church in Jondaryan.

“We’d been friends for seven years before we decided to become a partnership — we’d had an attraction but we hadn’t been available at the time,” Ms Elliott said.

“He proposed to me in Puerto Vallarta — we were at a Spanish tapas restaurant and he designed me a beautiful engagement ring with gold and diamonds on the side, and an Australian opal, which was a symbol of my rich Australian history.

“He dropped that in my champagne glass.”

The couple plans to return to Mexico in a couple of months to open a cafe and art gallery in Puerto Vallarta.

Ms Elliott said Jondaryan was a source of inspiration for her new song Burning Down, which she released under her stage name Luna Sterling.