Our Wedding Story: Fairy lights and machinery in an Aussie barn

Jill Magee and Wes Jilley

Jill, from Castlebar, Co Mayo, moved to Australia five years ago. In 2012, she was living in Kununurra and working on a farm planting sandalwood bulbs when she met Wes, a mechanical engineer.

"When I asked Wes his surname he was a bit reluctant to tell me. It was 'Jilley,' he eventually told me – 'your name with an -ey on the end'. I've been affectionately called Jill Jilley, JJ or Jilley ever since," says Jill, a local government property officer.

Their first date was two days later and Wes proposed in March 2015. On March 4th, 2016, the couple married in a civil ceremony on the Jilley farm – in a spot under a tree known as the “Block”. It’s where Wes proposed and where his 93-year-old grandfather, Pop Jilley, has been chopping wood for as long as he can remember.

The celebrant was the groom’s cousin Sarsha and the bride’s mother Denise read the Irish blessing “May the road rise to meet you”. Jill’s father is John and her sister Jennifer was bridesmaid along with friend Nicola and new sister-in-law Robyn.

The reception was in an old machinery barn close to Wes’s childhood home. Jill is sure that this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Wes’ parents, Keith and Alison, and both families.

“The shed had so much character and family history – not to mention that it’s the perfect space for a big party. We added fairy lights and candles, old machinery and equipment where possible, used an old family fishing boat as a big beer cooler, and made signs out of old farm fencing and log tables from fallen trees. I think the Jilley family, including Pop Jilley, were proud to display their farm in all its beauty.”

The first dance was to a remix of Chris Isaak's Wicked Games but the couple agree that family friend Tomas Langan, who flew from Ireland, "absolutely stole the show" with his singing and piano playing.

The Jilleys live in Kununurra with their dog Alfie and “still love it”.

Photographer: Life Photography, lifephotography.net.au

Sarah Geraghty