The couple tied the knot at Kate's family's property, surrounded by family and friends.
PHOTOGRAPHY FIONA JANE DENNEY
Sign up to our mailing list for the best stories delivered to your inbox.
Sparks flew when Kate Harding and Jake Nelder met while mustering cattle on the Harding family property seven years ago.
WORDS KATE NELDER PHOTOGRAPHY FIONA JANE DENNEY
Jake was working as the head stockman on a neighbouring property, Margaret Downs. His employers had cattle agisted on my parents’ property and, when it came time to muster the paddocks, they asked me to help out.
Jake and I met on the tail of a mob of cattle and there were definitely a few sparks from the get go. We crossed paths again a few weeks later at a neighbour’s 21st birthday party. I later found out that Jake had made the trip just to see me.
But it was at a party my family threw for my parents’ 50th birthdays, my sister’s 21st and my 18th that things really kicked off. We didn’t move very far from each other’s side the whole night and it went from there.
In the early years, we spent our days off working on each other’s properties so we could see each other, because we usually didn’t get days off at the same time.
LISTEN: Melinda O’Donoghue is known as the Outback Wedding Dressmaker. Article continues below.
Then Jake got his helicopter licence and has been working as a mustering pilot since 2017. I stayed and worked on stations in the area, taking on the full-time job as overseer at Wyworrie Station at the beginning of 2018. That means our relationship involves a lot of distance. It’s not uncommon for us to go a month or so without seeing each another.
The few days leading up to the wedding were pretty hectic. Mum and Dad had about 60 people staying at Gorrie and there were another 30 or so at my place, so it was a bit of a madhouse. It was a big job feeding everyone and finding beds for them. Mum was absolutely incredible, as she always is, looking after everyone while also helping me get everything organised.
The morning of the wedding was really nice because it was a relief to be able to slow down and enjoy the day. The girls and I cooked bacon and eggs and pancakes for everyone staying at my place: Jake’s family and the bridesmaids and groomsmen. We had to send the boys’ breakfast over to the workers’ donga where they’d been banished so that Jake and I wouldn’t see each other before the ceremony.
“The wedding day was fantastic. Both the ceremony and reception were full of emotion and lots of fun. It was a wonderful day.”
We only had to wait about 10 minutes, because Dad was flying me to the ceremony in his chopper.
The wedding day was fantastic. Both the ceremony and reception were full of emotion and lots of fun. It was a wonderful day.
And now we’re excited for our future. Both Jake and I are really passionate about cattle and working on the land and we can’t wait to raise a family out here.
IN DETAIL
Dresses
Bride’s dress: (River Crepe by Made with Love) I loved my dress! The lace detail in the bodice was stunning but the simplicity of the crepe skirt meant I didn’t feel like it was too over the top. I had the front split added because I wanted to wear something elegant that I could also dance in all night.
Veil: Detachable tulle wings from Made with Love.
Bridesmaids’ dresses: The girls and I all loved the style of these dresses by Shona Joy. They looked great on everyone and were really comfortable to dance in. I loved their earthy tones, which looked amazing at the ceremony surrounded by the eucalypts and native grasses.
Menswear
Jeans Ian stonewash jeans by Cinch, from W Titley & Co.
White dress shirts and bow ties by Connor.
Leather suspenders from Natural Leather.
Hats High Roller felt hats by Circle L.
I left Jake in charge of the boys’ get up and I think he did pretty well. The dress code was what we call ‘Territory Formal’ so jeans fit the bill perfectly. We wanted to have the boys wearing earthy colours, too, so the leather suspenders were the perfect touch.
Flowers
We were really lucky to have a family friend do the flowers for us. She sourced most of them from markets in South Australia, where she lives, and drove them up for us. We wanted lots of Australian natives with pops of colour to complement the girls’ dresses and the location. Premium silk ribbons on the bouquets were from The Whole Bride.
Venue
My family property, Gorrie Station, on the Sturt Plateau, Northern Territory.
Food
We supplied, butchered and cooked all the beef and lamb ourselves. We then had Dragonfly Catering and Events from Katherine do a beautiful selection of roast vegies, with creamy potato gratin as well as cauliflower and broccoli gratin.
Cake
Our lovely neighbour Jenna made the cake for us.
Music
We just used a digital playlist for most of our music. My sister played a song while we signed the register and then during the speeches my sister and dad played a song they’d written.
Celebrant
We were so lucky that a close family friend, Sam Dawson, is a celebrant and was able to marry us. It was so special having someone we knew perform the ceremony.
Photographer
Fiona Denney from Fiona Jane Photography took our photos. Fi is also a close friend of ours and she’s amazing at what she does.
Jewellery
Earrings: All were from Peggy & Twig: The girls had the Audrey, Ava and Willa styles while I wore the Frankie style.
Engagement ring & wedding band: My engagement ring was the Olivia and my wedding ring is a custom-made Thea band, both from Cushla Whiting in Melbourne.
Bridal party
Maid of Honour: My sister, Amy Trembath.
Best Man: Jake’s younger brother, Cody Nelder.
Bridesmaids: Meg Ryan, Margo Sullivan and Sally Heynen.
Groomsmen: Jake’s older brother Heath, Neil Miller and Harry Lawton.
Subscribe to Graziher and never miss an issue of your favourite magazine! Already a subscriber? You can gift a subscription to someone special in your life.
To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
The couple, who met in 2013, had to postpone their Wagga Wagga wedding three times due to the pandemic.
Horses are a big part of the couple's lives, so it was only natural that the groom decided to make an entrance fit for an old Western.
The couple married on 15 May, 2021, at Earlando, 2500 hectares of private Whitsunday coastland, 50 kilometres north of Airlie Beach in Queensland.
Jackie is passionate about rural communities and wants to champion the local vendors she used on her special day.
When she first started the event in 2019, Jackie had no idea it would turn into a national network for rural women to connect, collaborate and celebrate.