The Townsville wedding where the groom galloped to the altar

A gentle breeze caresses the long, thin leaves of native ghost gums on a crisp winter’s afternoon in the north Queensland bush. Gathered beneath the outstretched branches, the crowd can hear a rhythmic galloping in the distance. Vibrations from pounding hooves rumble through the earth.

Seven horses and their riders burst through the timber line onto the arid flat. A cloud of white dust lingers behind the groomsmen as they barrel towards 145 astonished wedding guests. In the mix of bays, browns and blacks, one grey gelding stands out. Sonic, an eight-year-old Quarter Horse, is one of groom Ben Terry’s favourite competition horses, a natural choice for him to ride on this important day.

After the riders dismount, the horses are tied to a hitching rail they men had made together the previous day, before positioning themselves beside a homemade arbour adorned with peach and white flowers, where they wait for the bride to walk down the aisle.

It’s like a scene from an old Western movie: this grand arrival was unforgettable for those present when Ben, 26, married Amy Meehan, 27, on her family’s cattle property, Ulmarra.

Family and friends came from everywhere to camp on the 240 hectare property between Townsville and Charters Towers, in their caravans and gooseneck trailers. Holding the wedding at home meant a lot to Amy, who works as a nurse in the emergency department at Townsville University Hospital. “It was important to us to have it there,” she explains. “In addition, it also meant we were able to chip away at things over the months leading up to the wedding.”

LISTEN: Melinda O’Donoghue is known as the Outback Wedding Dressmaker. Article continues below.

Ben, who is an electrician, also chose Ulmarra as the place to propose a year earlier, while the pair picnicked and watched the sun go down on the sandy banks of Reid River. Ben, who competes in rodeos on weekends, popped the pivotal question with a round solitaire engagement ring he’d bought seven months earlier. He had decided to hold off until after their daughter, Frankie, was born.

Amy recalls how thrilled she was at the prospect of finally being able to share the last name of the two people who had stolen her heart. “Ben and I had talked about marriage for a long time, so I was very patiently waiting for the moment,” she says.

On the big day itself, the spectacular equine entrance was masterminded by Ben, despite Amy’s worries about the horses playing up during the ceremony. “My concerns were needless — they couldn’t have been better behaved! Rodeo and horses are a big part of our life, so it was really beautiful having them around.”

IN DETAIL

Bridal party
Maids of Honour: Brylee Meehan and Amber Hilditch
Best Man: Kruze Clarke
Bridesmaids: Lacie Clarke, Rachael Cheers and Brianna Harvey
Groomsmen: Cody Schaefer, Joel Hilditch, Tom Terry, Darcy Meehan and Jace Land

Cake
The cake was baked by bridesmaid Brianna and her mum, Kathryn. It was a two-tier chocolate mud cake with Oreo buttercream icing and a lemon buttercream filling.

Celebrant
Anne Franzmann, Townsville. “Anne is a friend of a friend of ours and was absolutely fantastic,” says Amy.

Dresses
Bride’s Dress: Amy wore the stunning Stevie dress in ivory by Made with Love. Initially, Amy thought she would wear something fitted at the bust with a flowing skirt, but the bride-to-be just couldn’t look past the opulent floral lace of the Stevie gown, even if she did have to try it on four times before purchasing, just to be sure!

Veil: Amy’s three metre Carly veil was also from Made with Love.

Jacket: Amy’s bridal denim jacket with pearl detailing was purchased from Miss Poppy Design, personalised with ‘Mrs Terry’ embroidery on the back.

Bridemaids’ Dresses: All bridesmaids wore the Ivy Midi Dress by Chancery, bought from The Iconic.

Flowers
The flowers were from Blossom Shoppe in Charters Towers. “My original wedding flowers were held up due to delays at Melbourne airport the day before my wedding,” says Amy. “Gayette worked tirelessly for 24 hours, sourcing flowers from different florists all around north Queensland to come up with what couldn’t have been more perfect and fitting for our theme. She certainly is one of the best in the business.”

Food
During the afternoon drinks, there was a grazing table, while the main meal was a roast dinner with three different meat options, made by The Golden Roast.

Hair
The bride’s and attendants’ hair was styled by Cheriese Francoise from Beloved Bohemian.

Jewellery
Engagement Ring; Round solitaire diamond ring in yellow gold, from Prouds the Jewellers.

Wedding Bands: The bride and groom each have plain gold wedding bands. Amy’s is from Michael Hill while Ben’s ring was purchased from Angus & Coote.

Make-up
Casey Bowie Makeup, Townsville. “Casey had done a friend of mine’s wedding as well,” explains Amy. “She is incredibly talented. I was amazed by what she created for myself and my bridal party.”

Menswear
Jackets and Shirts: New Park Suit Hire & Menswear.
Hats: Resistol Wildfire straw hats, from Shep’s Outfitters, Atherton.
Jeans: Wrangler 20X Competition Jean, from Sheplers.
Groom’s belt: Outcast Custom Leather.

Music
Kelli Shun Music, Charters Towers. “Kelli made our night so much fun,” says Amy. “She is so easy and casual to work with.”

Photographer
Vicki Miller Photography. Vicki had previously shot the couple’s family photographs when the their daughter, Frankie, was born. “There was no chance I was going to have any other photographer,” says Amy. “On the afternoon of our engagement, I even messaged Vicki to find out her availability! She knew exactly what our style was and what we wanted. The photos have exceeded our expectations ten times over. I will never be able to thank her enough.”

Styling
The couple didn’t have a stylist or wedding planner, although Amy credits her two maids of honour as being a huge help. Many of the props were also homemade by loved ones. “Ben made the bar, bar tables and arbour in the months leading up to the big day,” says Amy. “Everything was set up the day before the wedding, with the help of our family and friends. We are blessed to have such great people around us — none of it would have been possible without them.”

Venue
The couple wed at Amy’s parents’ property at Reid River in north Queensland, approximately 60 kilometres west of Townsville.

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