Libby returned to her parents’ home to celebrate her marriage to Jack

On Libby Combes’s 27th birthday, her partner Jack Rudd suggested they visit the Goodradigbee River, near the small New South Wales village of Wee Jasper, for a spot of fishing and a picnic.

They came home engaged. Then, in November 2024, the pair tied the knot at St Mary of the Presentation Catholic Church in Mudgee, in the Central West region of New South Wales. Libby’s parents hosted a cocktail reception in the garden at Lue station, a working sheep and cattle property 20 minutes east of Mudgee near the village of Lue.

“The garden was established by my great-grandmother many years ago and my parents also had their wedding there, so it’s really special,” says Libby. “It’s always been my favourite place, and Mum and Dad had so much fun getting the garden ready for the reception. They were just over the moon to be able to have it there.”

Libby and Jack had some of their closest family members and friends helping them pull together their special day. “Mum was like a woman on a mission. She did most of the planning and organising. I would have been lost without her.”

A close family friend, Chicky Hampshire, travelled from Sydney to serve up delicious canapés for the cocktail reception. “I’ve known her since I was born and when she agreed to cater for the wedding we were over the moon,” explains Libby. “She makes the most amazing food.”

Annie Mort, another close family friend, acted as the coordinator on the day, allowing Libby, Jack and their families to be in the moment and enjoy themselves without worrying about the logistics.

For the stunning photos captured throughout the day, Libby and Jack turned to Emma Cross, a photographer and event manager from the Riverina region. “She’s so talented and creates such a great vibe on the day,” explains Libby. “Apart from being a brilliant photographer, she just made the day feel so relaxed and guided us through the entire thing, making sure everything ran smoothly.”

The guests danced the night away thanks to the musical stylings of The White Tree, and many returned to the property the next day for a recovery barbecue.

It was just four weeks out from the ceremony, and Libby finally found her dream dress on the Rachel Gilbert website. The 28-year-old bride had an appointment booked to try on a selection of dresses at the popular dress and bridal boutique, when she spotted another dress online.

“So when we arrived the next morning, I asked the shop attendant whether I could try that dress on as well,” explains Libby. “I think it was meant to be. I didn’t have to have it altered or hemmed, it just fitted perfectly.”

“It was a very different style to what I had planned to wear, but it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever worn.”

Like the story of the dress, Libby and Jack’s history was serendipitous. The couple first met at a hotel when they were both attending boarding school in Sydney. A few more chance meetings at country races and other events throughout the year and the pair were soon inseparable.

After a gap year that saw Jack travel to Canada to work on a cropping property, while Libby spent time working and travelling in the UK, the couple returned to Sydney to attend university together. When Libby completed her law degree and Jack finished his engineering degree, they rented a small hobby farm in Jugiong, near Harden in the South Western Slopes of New South Wales, and began their careers.

The pair have since moved to Jack’s family property, Mount Pleasant, at Bobundara, 30 kilometres south of Cooma in the Monaro, where Jack is working locally as a contract farmer and Libby is continuing to work as a solicitor.

“We haven’t lived near either of our families for the past four or five years, so it’s lovely to be so close to Jack’s family now,” says Libby. “The Monaro has a different kind of beautifulness to it: it’s just breathtaking. And it’s so nice to be so close to both the snow and the beach.”