wedding – Michmutters
Categories
Australia

Cowboy takes home a bride and a buckle after double win at Mount Isa rodeo

When Canadian woman Kyla Dolen first met cowboy Fred Osman she admits she was instantly infatuated.

“I had moved out on a backpacking visa and had got a job helping out at his dad’s station,” she said.

“After working with him I was very twitterpated and in love with him.”

That was 12 years ago.

Now, she’s married her dream man.

A bride in a white dress with long brown hair walks alongside her groom wearing a blue shirt and cream vest holding a cowboy hat
Thousands were in attendance on the final day of the biggest rodeo in the southern hemisphere.(ABC North West Queensland: Larissa Waterson)

The couple tied the knot on Sunday, paying homage to Fred’s stockman roots as they said “I do” in front of a crowd on the red-dirt arena of the Mount Isa Rodeo — the biggest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

In true cowboy fashion, just an hour after his vows, Mr Osman, 36, went on to win the bareback ride, defending his 2021 champion title.

“I don’t know what I was more nervous about, getting married or winning my fourth buckle here,” he said.

A bride and groom stand at a triangle timber alter on red dirt ground with a colorfully dressed celebrant holding a microphone.
The two said their vows on the arena just before Fred won the bareback competition.(Supplied: Mount Isa Rodeo)

A long road to rodeo romance

A year ago, Mr Osman popped the question to Ms Dolen while on a hike in Canada, right before he flew back to Australia.

“It was dodgy as. I didn’t have a ring or anything at the time so I just nicked one of her other little rings and did it with that,” he said.

“But I just wanted to make sure, because we were doing a lot of flying between countries, that she knew what my intentions were.”

A bride in a white dress with long brown hair holds her grooms hand in an outback landscape.  He wears blue shirt and cream vest
The couple met 12 years ago and have been together for the past three years.(Supplied: Mount Isa Rodeo)

After COVID-19 lockdowns forced the couple into a 10-month long-distance engagement, Ms Dolen had had enough.

“My dream wedding was always to get married in Canada in the mountains,” she said.

“But after COVID and everything, I didn’t know when we were going to get back to Canada. And I’m lazy and I don’t like planning things. And I didn’t want to plan a wedding. So I was like, why don’t we just get married at Mount Isa?

“He was already going to be here riding in the rodeo and his family was coming to watch him ride so it was just so easy.

“And I wanted him to be excited about it as well and have a venue that he was excited about.”

A shot of the bouquet toss taken from the crowd.
Kyla tossed her bouquet into the crowd where one lucky single girl caught it.(ABC North West Qld: Larissa Waterson)

At the noon lunch break on Sunday, Ms Dolen walked onto the Mount Isa Rodeo arena in a sparkling white two-piece gown and cowgirl boots, her family watching via live stream from Canada.

A bride holds a bouquet and walks through metal gates onto red dirt.  She's accompanied by a man in a suit and cowboy hat.
Kyla enters the Mount Isa Rodeo arena from the chutes in true cowgirl fashion.(ABC North West Qld: Larissa Waterson)

“It’s been awesome. When you really love someone, it’s really hard to just pick the small things you love about them — it’s just the whole entity of that person that you’re drawn to,” she said.

“He’s my best friend and I just can’t imagine doing life without him anymore.”

Three riders on horses in desert setting
Kyla and Fred (center and left) first met on his family’s station.(Supplied: Kyla Dolen)

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Categories
Sports

Ash Barty posts wedding day photo on social media of her and her husband Garry Kissick

Retired tennis superstar Ash Barty has married her longtime partner, Garry Kissick.

The 26-year-old exchanged vows with her golfer partner in a private ceremony in Queensland earlier this month.

Barty reached the pinnacle of world tennis as number one during a decorated career on the WTA tour.

She won three grand slam victories — the 2020 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021 and a hometown success in this year’s Australian Open.

She announced her retirement from professional tennis in March at the age of 25, shocking the sporting world

Barty posted a wedding day photo on her Instagram account on Saturday night, with the simple caption ‘Husband & Wife’.

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Categories
Sports

Tennis legend Ash Barty shares loved-up photo after she marries long-time boyfriend Garry Kissick in intimate wedding in Queensland

Australian tennis legend Ash Barty has married her long-time partner Garry Kissick in a private and intimate ceremony in front of close family and friends.

The former No.1 and her golfing boyfriend shared their vowels at a secret venue in Queensland earlier this month after she returned from a trip to the British Open.

Guests who attended the beautiful day included fellow great Pat Rafter, former doubles partner and friend Casey Dellacqua, ex-player Alicia Molik and junior coach Jim Joyce.

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Those who were lucky enough to be invited to the wedding were told by the notoriously private couple to avoid posting any photos to their social media.

Barty took to Instagram on Saturday night to announce the news she had tied the knot with Kissick, 31, with a loved-up photo of the newlyweds.

“Husband & Wife,” the 26-year-old captioned the sweet picture.

The down-to-earth Aussie looked stunning in a custom-made hater-neck style Suzanne Harward designed wedding gown with her hair tied back into a low bun.

Kissick appeared dapper dressed in a black tuxedo with a matching bow tie.

The lovebirds were all smiles as they gazed into one another’s eyes set to the backdrop of what appeared to be in a tropical location near the rainforest.

Tennis stars across the planet and Australian athletes flooded the comments section to share their congratulations to the new husband and wife.

“Yes, you two – congratulations,” former Australian wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott wrote on the post.

“Amazing!! Wishing you lots of love and happiness,” surfing pro Mick Fanning said.

“Congratulations. Happy and love forever,” former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden added.

While former number one Australian golfer Adam Scott simply commented on a love heart emoji.

Casey Dellacqua, Rennae Stubbs, Caroline Wozniacki, Julia Goerges, Kiki Bertens, Maddison Inglis, Caroline Garcia, Lizette Cabrera and Johanna Konta were some of the past and present tennis players who shared their well wishes.

Kissick proposed to Barty in November after she capped off a spectacular year on the court where she won Wimbledon and four other WTA titles.

The three-time Grand Slam champion met her now husband in 2016 at Brisbane’s Brookwater Golf Club where he has worked.

Barty, who is a keen golfer, was visiting to play a round on the greens when the pair immediately clicked and began dating.

Their relationship did not go public until she brought Kissick to the John Newcombe Awards, where she received Australia’s highest tennis honour, and rumors began to swirl she was officially off the market.

He has toured with Barty around the globe since her career suddenly exploded and while she steadily climbed to the top of the world’s rankings.

In March, the Aussie stunned the sporting world when she announced her retirement news only two months after she won the Australian Open.

The 25-year-old posted an emotional six-minute video of a sit-down interview with close friend and former doubles partner, Casey Dellacqua, to reveal the news.

“There’s no right way or wrong way, this is perfect for me to share it with you to talk to you about it, with my team, my loved ones, that I will be retiring from tennis,” Barty emotionally said as she tried to hold back tears.

“It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, it’s hard to say but I’m so happy and I’m so ready.”

Barty believes she does not have the “physical drive” or the “emotional want” to continue the successful career since her tennis comeback in 2016.

The eleven cricketer turned tennis champion described being “physically spent” and felt it was time to “chase other dreams” she wants to conquer.

“I just know, I am spent, physically I have nothing more to give. That for me is success, I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis.

“I’m really happy with that. For me that is my success.”

She has been enjoying her time off spending more time with family, including her children she speaks fondly of, and friends.

The sports lover sparked suggestions she would make a return to the world stage through golf after she participated in the Icon Series and then later attended the British Open to watch Aussie Cameron Smith triumph.

“You guys just can’t accept that I don’t want to play professional sport anymore,” Barty told 101.9 The Fox while promoting her children’s book series.

“I love golf, it’s a hobby of mine. It will not be my profession, I have no intention of making it my profession but I hack around once a week if I can — and I play off four.

“There’s no need, there’s no desire for me to play professional sport, particularly golf. I love it as a walkaround with my girlfriends and friends but yeah, not for me.”

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