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House Rules: Inside Ella and Sean’s beautiful wedding!

'I couldn't hold back tears'
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Their wedding may have been almost two years in the making, but as they finally exchanged vows on a windswept Tasmanian beach, House Rules’ favourite lovebirds from 2017, Ella Cuthbert and Sean Mackay, were sure of one thing: the best-laid plans can – and often do – go awry.

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WATCH the video below for the exclusive details of Sean and Ella’s beautiful wedding! 

For on the day of the gorgeous pair’s nuptials, which saw 140 of their loved ones heading to rugged Connellys Marsh on the state’s south-east coast for a glamping weekend, a hiccup became a major spanner in the wedding works.

“There were some tense moments,” laughs Ella, breathtaking in a bespoke Pallas Couture gown.

“Our guests, including my bridal party, were to be picked up by bus in Hobart to be taken to the wedding location about 50 minutes away – only for the bus to break down. We were then told that there would be an hour’s delay and, in the meantime, the rain started as well.”

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Thankfully, the happy couple, both 26 and paramedics, saw the funny side of their big-day dramas. And the Hobart-born and bred former high-school sweethearts couldn’t have been more overjoyed when they tied the knot – albeit 60 minutes later than expected.

“By then, the rain had cleared, the sun had come out and the weather was windy but pretty perfect for the half-hour ceremony on the beach,” says Ella.

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“And it just shows that you have to go with the flow. I had all my colour co-ordinated spreadsheets beforehand, but you can’t plan for everything. In the end, we just went with it and it all worked out.”

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Sean, who proposed to Ella in typically memorable style – aboard a gondola while holidaying in Venice – reveals emotions ran high at the wedding. In the best possible way, of course.

“I couldn’t hold back the tears when I saw Ella,” he says. “She looked absolutely beautiful.”

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To which Ella adds: “And I couldn’t stop crying either. Before the ceremony, when I was getting ready, my bridal party and I would just look at each other and lose it!”

Speaking of the wedding party, it wasn’t exactly small.

“We had a very large ‘I Do Crew’ – 22 in total,” laughs Ella.

“We have so many amazing best friends that it was impossible to choose between them, so we thought ‘Why not?’ My maid of honour was my sister Georga, and Georga’s fiance Calen was one of Sean’s groomsmen.”

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Following the ceremony, the guests dined on freshly-shucked oysters, delicious canapes, seafood paella and local grass-fed beef and lamb supplied by Ella’s stepfather Mark.

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house rules

“We had long tables and a sit-down dinner, with a 15-metre bridal party table for the ‘I Do Crew’,” says Ella.

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In the lead-up, Ella and Sean were simply in their element.


“There’s so much that goes into a wedding, but we wanted to do it all ourselves from the planning to the co-ordinating, styling and the setting-up,”  says Ella.

“We have our own styling and design business here in Hobart, so we really wanted it to be a fun thing that we organised together. We didn’t rush it, as we knew we’ll only be doing it once.

“Most of all, we wanted to have a big party with all of our friends and family at a place that’s very special to both of us – near my family’s farm where I grew up and where Sean and I have both spent a lot of time. The views are just incredible.

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“We had a big clear marquee set up on the paddock overlooking the headland and a glamping village, with some of our close family and friends camping with us for two nights for a festival-inspired wedding with a luxe beach boho theme. It was certainly a very big weekend!”

And Sean was completely blown away with Ella’s amazing efforts.

“She did such an awesome job,” he says.

“I got off the hook pretty well as far as all of the work went, as she did about 90 per cent of it.”

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As for the future, it comes as no surprise to learn that the couple have it all mapped out.

“Starting a family is definitely on the horizon,” says Sean. “First we’re getting a labradoodle puppy, and then we hope to have kids fairly soon. We’re also very keen to renovate another house.”

“It’s on to the next project,” says Ella, adding: “We can’t wait for what’s to come.”

For more, pick up the latest copy of New Idea on sale now!

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(Credit: New Idea)

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