Florist LouLou Moxom admits she had no idea she was preparing a bouquet for the Prime Minister’s wedding — and it came as something of a shock when she saw the flowers on the news.
A mysterious bloke called David had ordered the bouquet, telling the renowned Canberra florist they were for a “backyard wedding”.
“As far as I knew, it was the bride’s fabulous brother, David — and I don’t even know if that’s his name now,” she said.
She now realises the bride and groom’s names were pseudonyms.
“I just got this inquiry, and it was for this small little backyard wedding. His sister Marie and her betrothed, Matthew,’’ she said.
But when David started asking for a complicated teardrop bouquet, Ms Moxom began having doubts about whether this really was a backyard wedding after all.
“Oh my god. I was getting a lot of communications from David and it was getting a bit sort of like — this is not a backyard wedding,” she said.
“What is going on? He sent me a picture of this little snippet of the dress and said the dressmaker — and Marie — would really like a teardrop bouquet.
“And I’m thinking, first of all, who lets the dressmaker decide what the flowers should be? And then I’m thinking, ‘I hate making them, no.’
“So I was very much like, ‘Look, I don’t really do them, I’m so, so sorry,’ and almost gave them the opportunity to go to another florist because I didn’t want to disappoint the bride.
“And then David came into the shop with chocolates, gave me a hug and said, ‘Look, I’m so sorry — you just do you. We’re just so happy you’re doing the flowers.’
“So I think it was the chocolates, and I was like, I’m going to give you your teardrop bouquet as a surprise. Now thank god I did.”
When David arrived to pick up the flowers, he must have liked them — because he cried in the shop.
But she still didn’t know who the flowers were for.
“I’m sitting at home, because this weekend is known as one of the biggest wedding weekends of the year — everybody gets married this weekend.
“We had six weddings. I was still doing weddings yesterday, and I was just exhausted. I sat on the front deck having a well-earned glass of adult grape juice.
“And my friend sent me this photo and went, ‘Is that your bouquet?’ And I was — yeah, you can imagine the response.
“It’s still a pinch-me moment. It’s still sinking in.”
The florist said it was a great moment for local small businesses.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wed his long-time partner Jodie Haydon in a spring wedding at his official residence, The Lodge, on Saturday afternoon.
A huge cheer was heard around 4:20pm from guests at the wedding in Canberra.
Attendees included Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his wife, Laura Chalmers, frontbencher Tony Burke, Health Minister Mark Butler, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and ministers Tim Ayres and Jenny McAllister.
Around 4:45pm, the sounds of Stevie Wonder’s 1970 hit Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) drifted outside The Lodge.
Others present included Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell, communications director Fiona Sugden, ALP secretary Paul Erickson and his partner Dimity Paul, who works in the PM’s office.
Her five-year-old niece, Ella, was a flower girl, and the Prime Minister’s dog, Toto, wearing a frock, was the ring bearer.
The newlyweds wrote their own vows. Ms Haydon wore a dress by Sydney label Romance Was Born, and the PM wore an MJ Bale suit. Their wedding bands were from Cerrone Jewellers in Leichhardt.
Their first dance was to Frank Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight.
All expenses for the event were paid privately.
Amid increasing threats against public officials, Mr Albanese confirmed “people will be aware once it has occurred”, explaining the heavy AFP security presence on site.
“But it will be a wonderful day, and it’s a day primarily to celebrate and commemorate our love for each other in front of our family and friends,’’ he said in the lead up to the wedding.
Describing his new wife as “just fantastic”, he said it was a truly happy day.
Read related topics:Anthony Albanese
