INVERELL provided a groom and wedding celebrant when the first episode of Extreme Weddings: Australia aired on television.
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The new reality show on Channel 7 had a local flavour to what was billed as the "million dollar wedding."
Inverell wedding celebrant Anke McMahon was part of the ceremony when Luke Williams married his partner Damien Kolbas.
Anke and Luke, both 35, have been friends since they met at Inverell High School as teenagers.
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The wedding featured Swarovski crystal décor, 20,000 flowers, an 11-tier cake, and more than a million diamanté hanging from the ceiling of the marquee.
![Inverell wedding celebrant Anke McMahon was part of the the first episode of Extreme Weddings: Australia. Picture by Inlighten Photography. Inverell wedding celebrant Anke McMahon was part of the the first episode of Extreme Weddings: Australia. Picture by Inlighten Photography.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/PMrCA3Rpn38pKDFxaenbSb/c1cd3ce2-f202-41c3-ac09-d500f2d5790d.jpg/r0_0_1440_1800_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
There was 100 glamping tents for their 320 guests with four days worth of festivities at Forster.
"It was a beautiful ceremony; there's always a little bit of extra pressure when you marry friends," Anke said.
"I had such a great time and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I'm not sure of the dollar figure but they definitely would have reached the million, if not more.
"It's not often that you get to be involved with such a big moment in someone's life and see it play out in front of your eyes."
"They donated all the flowers to hospitals and nursing homes and a few other places which was really nice."
Anke still lives locally and has been running her own business as a celebrant.
She had been patiently waiting for the television series to air, with the wedding held in March 2019.
"I got to see it along with everyone else for the first time," she said.
"I really love what I do and it's so special to be part of someone's big day.
"I'm lucky to be our to do it in our region and I still love a good old backyard wedding in Inverell as much as anything else."
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