REALITY TV STARS SAY ‘I DO’
It was a recipe for a marriage made in heaven when these two TV favourites fell in love
2011 champion Bella JakubiakJ
Married At First Sight’s James Webster went on TV to find his perfect partner but left heartbroken and still very single – until he met My Kitchen Rules winner Bella Jakubiak in what can only be described as a fairytale ending.
Just 12 months to the day after their first date, the couple tied the knot in a traditional church wedding that couldn’t have been more different from when James “married” TV wife Michelle in 2015 for the Nine reality show. His onscreen “bride” dumped him soon after the cameras stopped rolling, going back to her ex-partner, who she later married.
But that romantic nightmare was a dim memory for James
on a beautiful spring morning this month when he married Bella in a traditional Catholic wedding at St Mary’s in the NSW rural hamlet of Bungendore. It was so beautiful, both the bride and groom had tears in their eyes as they exchanged vows.
“I knew I loved him before we went on our first date,” says Bella, 34, who first chatted to James on Facebook. “I made him wait about a month before taking me out, so we got to know each other well prior to dating.”
Smitten James, 40, insists it was “love at first bite” for him.
“The first time Bella cooked for me, I knew it was love,” he says, adding that their whirlwind romance caught them by surprise.
Bella and James sidestepped all the wedding professionals to plan and create the perfect celebration of their love.
“It really was the wedding of our dreams,” Bella says.
Arriving at the church 20 minutes late, Bella looked stunning in a gorgeous lace Iris gown by Lisa Gowing, beaming from ear to ear as her father Wojtek led her down the aisle to Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah.
A visibly emotional James looked elated when he greeted his gorgeous bride, with the pair wiping tears away from each other’s eyes during the touching ceremony.
Upon saying “I do”, both James and Bella were quick to seal their marriage with not one but three kisses, before sashaying down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
The reception took place at James’ family farm, Shingle Hill Estate in Gundaroo, with the bar, furniture and a Polish food cart lovingly handcrafted by James.
The menu was handpicked by Bella and included a vodka, oyster and caviar bar, Polishstyle buffet and a cheese tower in lieu of a cake.
“It’s so important for me that, although I am becoming a Webster, I’ll always be a Polski through and through,” explains Bella, who won MKR with her sister Sammy in 2011.
“Our day was so personal and represented us,” she says. “We couldn’t have had it at a function centre and had the option of beef or chicken – that’s just not us.”
Bella says their wedding was so perfect, it has inspired them to start a new business hosting and planning rural weddings for other love-struck couples.
“It will be amazing to do a job that makes people happy!”
‘The first time Bella cooked for me, I knew it was love’