Fred Osman said ‘I do’ just before he won the bareback-riding championship buckle at Mount Isa Mines Rodeo

A red dirt arena might not be the traditional setting for a wedding ceremony, but when Kyla Dolen and two-time Australian bareback-riding champion Fred Osman exchanged their vows at the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rodeo at Mount Isa, the backdrop could not have been more perfect.

The 36-year-old Canadian cowgirl met her husband more than a decade earlier when she worked as a jillaroo at Omicron, a 202,342 hectare cattle station owned by Fred’s father, John Osman. The property is located at Queensland’s Cameron Corner, near the New South Wales and South Australian borders.

“The first year I worked there, I barely saw Fred as he was working away, but the second year, he was there full time during the muster and that’s when I fell in love,” says Kyla, who grew up on a ranch in northern Alberta, Canada. “I knew I loved him, but I also knew I was going to have to move on. It broke my heart to leave Australia that year.”

Kyla returned home and, although they didn’t see each other for 11 years, she could not forget Fred. “I had just finished doing my pilot licence and decided to message Fred to see if he knew of anyone looking for pilots in Australia, as he had lots of connections through his outback life,” she says.

After Kyla got back in touch, Fred decided to go to Canada for a visit and the pair were forced into lockdown together when COVID-19 hit. “What better way to test how good you are as a couple,” says Kyla with a smile. Luckily, they passed the test, living and working together for a local rancher. Fred had to make a trip back Australia, but he wanted Kyla to know his intentions before he left, so he proposed spontaneously. “I wasn’t sure he even meant it at first as he didn’t have a ring, but the poor guy was sincere and of course I said yes. The ring came later, and it was definitely worth the wait!”

After moving back to Omicron station, the couple celebrated their nuptials last year in front of hundreds of witnesses at the main arena during the rodeo’s lunch break. Despite the full-capacity crowd looking on, it was an intimate ceremony that paid tribute to their rural roots.

To add to the uniqueness of the day, the wedding rings were carried down the aisle by a beautiful horse

called Sonic, owned by their friends, Dave and Sharna Worsfold. “After quadruple-knotting the rings in his mane, of course the longest part of the ceremony was watching Fred try to untangle them without dropping them in the dirt,” says Kyla.

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

If you ask her why they chose to marry at the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo, Kyla says the real question is: why not? “Getting married there really was a dream come true. I knew it would be livestreamed for my family in Canada who couldn’t be there, and Fred’s family are always looking for an excuse to watch him ride, so we were killing two birds with one stone,” she says. “All the entertainment, food and beverages were already there and taken care of, as well as most of Fred’s good friends. That’s all we needed.”

In true cowboy fashion, Fred topped off their incredible day by taking out the open bareback com-petition to defend his 2021 champion title, just half an hour after saying ‘I do’ on that same red dirt arena. Heading home with a new buckle and a beautiful bride, it was a double win worth celebrating.

IN DETAIL 

Cake: “Our cake was hand made by a family friend, Leah Chapman. It was chocolate with white icing and had a teal Aztec design and flowers on it,” says Kyla.

Celebrant: Tash Hydon is available for weddings in north-west and Far North Queensland.

Dress: Kyla decided to order her dress online through Etsy from Stylish Bride Accs. “It was a bit risky ordering a dress online only a couple of months before the wedding, without ever having tried it on, but they rushed the order through for me and were amazing. I loved my dress,” says Kyla. “It was a tad too big on me but thankfully there was a seamstress in the little local town that we had been travelling through. It was incredibly lucky, as we were headed to Mount Isa rodeo a week later.”

Flowers: The flowers were also ordered online from Jessica Rose Floral Design, based in Traralgon, Victoria. “I had a native bouquet and matching buttonhole for Fred. They shipped the flowers directly to the house we were staying at in Mount Isa,” says Kyla. “It was such a beautiful bouquet and arrived
on time and in perfect shape.”

Food: “The wedding food was all taken care of by our amazing friends, Randell and Ray Ferguson. We had seafood, finger food — everything you could imagine,” says Kyla. There wasn’t a formal supper or speeches, and instead was just a laid-back reception in the Ferguson’s backyard. “Ray is an amazing cook and makes most of his food outside over an open fire.”

Hair: Kyla’s hair was styled by Sally Renee Collective Hair Lounge in Mount Isa. “Sally personally did my hair at 4am,” says Kyla. “What crazy bride gets dawn photos? She was such a trouper and did a perfect job. It was exactly what I wanted for my big day.”

Engagement ring: Kyla’s ring is a pear-shaped diamond with small diamonds on either side and a rose gold band from Michael Hill. There are also two pink sapphires hidden on each side of the band from Lake Argyle in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Wedding band: Purchased online from Vinny & Charles, located in Perth, Western Australia. “It is rose gold with diamonds — they did an amazing job matching it to the ring,” says Kyla.

Makeup: Kyla’s makeup was done by Courtney Yapp from All About Face Beauty. “Courtney was also up at 4am to make me beautiful and did a perfect job — I felt like a princess.”

Menswear: Fred’s jeans were from Ariat and his tan vest was purchased online from Politix menswear.

Music: “We didn’t hire a band or anything fancy,” says Kyla. “I walked down the aisle to ‘One Woman’ by Randy Rogers Band and while I threw the bouquet to the Mount Isa rodeo crowd, they played the song ‘Cowboy Killer’ by Ian Munsick.” Their first dance was to ‘All Your’n’ by Tyler Childers.

Photographer: Sarah Conlan was Kyla and Fred’s wedding photographer. “Sarah was up at dawn to take our photographs with the beautiful sunrise and get that perfect lighting for shots around the rodeo grounds before it got too busy,” says Kyla. “I love our photographs and she did such a great job.”

Styling: “We didn’t have a stylist but obviously we went with a laid-back country theme,” she says. “Even my garter was made by our friend Ray Ferguson the day before the wedding and was hand-plaited leather from his saddle-making shop.” The decorations for the ceremony were by Andii Mihay Events, based in Mount Isa.

Venue: Kyla and Fred married in the famous red-dirt arena at Mount Isa Mines Rodeo, in far north-west Queensland.

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