A Corryong couple desperate to marry before they lost everything in the devastating 2019 bushfires say the nightmare is over and their dream of wedded bliss is about to come true.
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Beef farmers Tahnia Whitsed, Darren Lebner and their 13-month-old daughter Sadie Lebner have a fresh start in their lives after winning a $27,000 wedding boost at the Albury-Wodonga Bridal Fair on Sunday, July 2.
The couple, who moved into Mr Lebner's father's homestead after his death, lost everything when bushfires razed their home, including the Lebner family heirlooms.
While their home is being slowly rebuilt, the couple's planned wedding had been "put on the backburner" through a lack of time and funds.
"Now that's all changed," Ms Whitsed said. "Our wedding wasn't going to be until September next year, because we couldn't afford a wedding.
"Now we're getting married in two months - it's just like a dream come true.
"The wedding plans had sort of been on the backburner because we just couldn't afford it - today has been just amazing."
Ms Whitsed said the couple had planned to save for a modest wedding on the family property.
"It was just going to be a thing on the farm but now that it's all catered for we'll get married here in Albury, whatever it allows us to do," she said.
"We've already decided on a wedding venue, it'll be at 2640."
Ms Whitsed said she penned the couple's story in "25 words or less" after she was nominated for the Bella Events Albury-Wodonga Bridal Fair prize.
"We lost our house in the 2019 bushfires, so we put that down, then they just went through all the entries and selected us," she said.
"I just said that we're both hard working farmers and lost everything in the fires and we can't afford a wedding because we've been building up from what we lost."
Mr Lebner said during the fires they didn't lose any head of cattle "but we lost our house and everything around us".
"It was pretty devastating, but this has come at just the right time," Mr Lebner, who was planning to "kick back with a few beers tonight" to celebrate, said.
Ms Whitsed said she received a phone call on Wednesday night letting her know they were among the top three finalists.
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"I didn't sleep on Wednesday night, and it's been very stressful, well not stressful, just ... a long few days waiting until today to find out," she said.
"It pays for the makeup, the wedding cake, photography, rings, bouquets, a getaway for our honeymoon - it's amazing.
"We'll just resettle on the farm now, hopefully no more fires but we're a lot more prepared now.
"The wedding is limited to 40, so we might just have a party at the farm afterwards so we can invite people who might miss out on the actual wedding."
