Floods didn’t stop this couple from tying the knot on the Liverpool Plains

They say every cloud has a silver lining. For Louise and Scott Ferrier, after floods nearly halted their wedding, the silver lining was a stiff drink and a bloody good dance floor. Lou and Scotty were married amid last October’s rising floodwaters on Louise’s family farm on the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales. The week of the wedding started with sunshine, which lured the family into a false sense of security.

“Decisions needed to be made a week out,” says 31-year-old Louise. “We had a tough decision to make on the Sunday before. Tears ensued! We stuck to our guns, confident there would be two major access roads open. There’s nothing like being married on a property that’s been in your family for more than 150 years.”

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With 60 millimetres of rain falling on Thursday night and an imminent deluge from Coolah Tops, creeks ran their banks and gullies ballooned, brown and fat. The nearby towns of Gunnedah and Quirindi were cut off, while Narrabri and Moree saw some of the worst floods ever recorded.

But country folk won’t be deterred, and 130 guests made their way past the surging waters — some taking double the time to get there as they were rerouted again and again. “For those who got stuck, we made a Zoom link for them to watch the ceremony. Every guest has a story; that’s pretty amazing.”

There were the pitfalls: no caterer or bar staff meant a scramble at the 11th hour, while the celebrant was facing her own flood crisis and finally married the pair in an intimate ceremony after Friday’s main event.

In true rural spirit, everyone else pitched in. “We wish the unnecessary stress that was placed on loved ones wasn’t so, however one thing you can’t control is the weather. There’s no point dwelling on the what ifs. It simply was the most magical and unique day, despite the chaos!”