Despite the weather being wet and overcast, there was a sudden lull in the rain and a clearing of the clouds as Daryl waited for his gorgeous bride to appear.
“I think the gods were looking after us,” laughs Dearne, who stepped onto the aisle with a glowing smile to find the sun peeking through the clouds. “Everyone said we must have done something upstairs!”
The clearing of the skies for the duration of the outdoor ceremony was one of many magical moments as cricketer Daryl wed Dearne, a personal trainer who he met in India while training for the Indian Cricket League three years ago.
“It was an amazing day,” says Dearne (36), who moved from her native Australia in 2008 to live with Daryl (32). “I got to marry the man of my dreams, and then to have all the most beautiful people in our lives there at the same time as well was just amazing.”
Daryl agrees it was the presence of friends and family that made the day extra special, although he only had eyes for the love of his life as she entered the leafy Tuscan-style courtyard. “She looked so beautiful,” he says proudly, adding he didn’t feel nervous at all. “It was a really warm feeling, seeing her for the first time.”
In fact, the nerves didn’t kick in for either of them until the time came to repeat their vows after celebrant Julia Cameron. “I was trying not to stuff up, and follow what Julia was saying, so there was some quite intense concentration,” Daryl explains.
“I was the same because I was thinking, ‘Uh-oh, pregnancy brain,’” says Dearne, who’s expecting the couple’s first child in June. “‘Julia’s going to say two words and I’m going to forget it’ – but I didn’t! Afterwards I thought, ‘Thank God I got through that.’”
With more than 100 close family and friends gathered in a marquee around them, Daryl and Dearne promised to stand by each other throughout all their tomorrows, and to continue a relationship of love, tenderness and laughter. “Dearne is marrying Daryl for his big eyes, beautiful smile, and because he’s damn hot!” Julia added. “And Daryl is grateful that Dearne has agreed to put up with fantasy baseball for another year.”
The short but intimate ceremony was a personal triumph for Dearne, who did much of the planning and preparation for the wedding in just five months, while Daryl was playing overseas. And the bubbly blonde wasn’t only battling time to get everything done – Dearne’s surprise pregnancy meant some hasty replanning of the big day.
The bride-to-be told dressmaker Jane Yeh she would be requiring more alterations than first thought when
it came to her stunning gown.
“Thankfully my dress style worked perfectly,” says Dearne.While the gown was easily taken care of, Dearne suffered from severe morning sickness throughout the first two months of her pregnancy. “I’d go to appointments and would be looking for a garden to be sick in,” she admits with a giggle. But just as the weather cleared for Dearne’s big entrance, her sickness also disappeared in the nick of time. “I was so excited because in the last week before the wedding I was feeling better again!”
While getting engaged, married and starting a family all in the space of a year may sound like a daunting prospect, this loving couple say they couldn’t be happier with the way everything has turned out.
“It’s actually quite nice,” explains Dearne, “because when you have a major event or milestone, you sometimes go on a bit of a downer after, but now we go straight into the excitement of having a baby.”
Children are already an important part of their lives, and the presence of Dearne’s nieces – Maisie (2) and Lyla (2 months) – and Daryl’s nephew Kobi (5) at the wedding was a special factor for the parents-to-be.
“My sister Rebecca and Kobi live in Brisbane so I don’t get to see him a lot,” says Daryl of his handsome young nephew, “but we always spend a lot of time together when we can. He was my little shadow at the wedding.”
Adds Dearne, “We’re both really family oriented so having everyone there meant the world to us,” explaining that almost half of their guests travelled from around the globe to attend.
With so many having come so far, Dearne and Daryl were glad to see that after their first dance – “which was more of a shuffle,” says Daryl – everyone hit the dance floor and partied the night away.
Daryl even added to the entertainment with a quick strum of the guitar, but says he got too embarrassed when everyone suddenly went quiet and waited for him to sing, “I played a couple of bars of Ten Guitars, then took off!”
For Daryl and Dearne, the rest of the night was treasured time spent with their loved ones. “If I ever imagined my wedding day,” says Dearne, “I always thought the people would be the most important thing, regardless of the weather or venue. Having everyone there really made our wedding.”
“It was so great,” adds Daryl. “It was everything I’d imagined, and more.”
- Michelle Coursey
