The best man at Brittany Higgins’ lavish French-themed wedding used his speech to make jokes about David Sharaz’s first marriage and Lisa Wilkinson’s Logies disaster.
Mrs Higgins married her long-term boyfriend in front of about 80 guests at The Valley Estate on Saturday afternoon, a sprawling luxury Gold Coast property rumored to have cost more than $100,000.
After an intimate ceremony in the chapel, guests enjoyed a European-inspired dinner, Mr Sharaz’s sister performed a musical number, Édith Piaf’s 1945 song ‘La vie en rose’ was played, and Mrs Higgins He shared a dance with his father.
Applause erupted as the speeches began, with words from the parents, the groom and maid of honor Emma Webster, who affectionately nicknamed Mr Sharaz “bridezilla”.
Daily Mail Australia understands there was laughter and when best man and MC Alan Horner joked that Wilkinson, who was not invited to the wedding, said she was sorry she wasn’t attending but was worried about making a speech.
However, it is also understood The room fell silent when he made an ill-timed joke about how he wasn’t invited to the groom’s first wedding to Alexandra Craig in 2018.
Pictured: The wedding table as Brittany Higgins’ father gave his speech (right, with partner Kellie Jago)
Pictured is the wedding party, including best man Alan Horner (back row, centre, with moustache). Bridesmaid Emma Webster is second from the left. David Sharaz’s sister is standing directly behind him.
Sharaz married political consultant Alexandra Craig at Canberra’s Yarralumla Brickworks in 2018, but the couple filed for divorce a few years later.
Ms. Craig did not comment on her ex-husband’s nuptials on Saturday, instead posting a photo of their outing to a frozen yogurt franchise called Yogurberry.
The groom’s hands shook uncontrollably as he said his vows during Saturday’s ceremony, but his speech after dinner was much more controlled.
He said Mrs Higgins was the love of his life and she looked beautiful in her designer dress.
However, his speech ended with a strange confession about how he prepared the speech the night before while watching a movie and never finished writing it.
After an intimate ceremony in the chapel with a string quartet playing ‘Love Story’ by Vivaldi and Taylor Swift, the newlyweds headed to the reception hall, hand in hand, to introduce themselves as husband and wife for the first time.
Despite reports that helicopter noise delayed the ceremony by 45 minutes, it is understood that everything went on time and there were no long delays.
Lisa Wilkinson is pictured giving her 2022 Logies speech, which caused Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial to be delayed.
David Sharaz is pictured before the wedding ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
Brittany Higgins shared a dance with her father, Matthew Higgins, at Saturday’s reception.
Guests had two main course options, including stracciatella with prosciutto and melon, dried olives and a balsamic reduction, or split prawns with seaweed butter and foraged sea herbs.
Main meals included chicken breast with potato galette, tomato confit and shallot sauce, or beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes, mushrooms and black garlic juice, all served with roast potatoes and rocket salad.
Dessert was a selection of popcorn bars with salted peanuts and caramel popcorn, along with a lemon myrtle meringue pie with fresh whipped cream.
Throughout the event, there was no mention of Ms Higgins’ rape in 2019, nor her future defamation cases brought by her former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds.
Guests said the venue was extravagant, but the event itself wasn’t over-the-top or cheesy: The couple didn’t spend several thousand extra dollars on a stack of champagne or an oyster bar.
They said it felt like a new beginning for the happy couple after a tumultuous few years, after they became the center of attention when Ms Higgins went public with her rape allegations.
She said her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Parliament when they were both junior political staffers in 2019.
He had denied it, but in April a Federal Court judge determined, on a balance of probabilities, that Higgins was raped.
Pictured: The menu from Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz’s Gold Coast wedding.
Pictured: Guests entering the chapel on Saturday afternoon, before the ceremony.
Pictured: Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz will get married on Saturday
On Friday, a day before Higgins married Sharaz, Lehrmann filed an appeal to overturn the sentence.
In December last year, the couple bought a castle in the south of France with the $2.4 million the Commonwealth awarded them as compensation for the way their rape allegations were handled.
They are believed to have moved permanently to get away from their celebrity status in Australia.
Higgins’ wedding date was revealed in the Washington Supreme Court last week amid Linda Reynolds’ defamation case against her for social media posts that she claims damaged her reputation.
Outside court last week, Ms Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, said he made an application to obtain a copy of documentation relating to a trust account in her name.
The application will attempt to determine who is the administrator and who to sue if Higgins says he cannot pay damages if he loses the case.
Last month, Sharaz withdrew from Ms Reynolds’ defamation suit against him because he could not afford it.
He has been ordered to pay Ms Reynolds’ legal fees. If she declares bankruptcy, she may not be able to return to France.
After the sentencing in April, Higgins posted a statement on Instagram saying she felt vindicated: “I was raped.” No trial would ever change this truth.’
She added: “I lived with the shame, humiliation and fear of what telling my story would mean for my life and career, like so many other victim-survivors.”