Prime Minister marries Jodie Haydon on Saturday at the Lodge
The couple married in a ceremony on the NSW Central Coast, where most of Haydon’s family still lives, and the couple wrote their own vows.
Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest” was played as Haydon was walked down the aisle by his parents, Bill and Pauline Haydon. His five-year-old niece Ella was the flower girl, the Prime Minister’s dog Toto was the ring bearer and Albanese’s son Nathan was among the guests on hand to celebrate the day.
The guest list included Albanese’s closest political allies; these included senior ministers Penny Wong, Mark Butler, Katy Gallagher, Don Farrell, Tony Burke, Richard Marles, Jim Chalmers, Tim Ayres, Jenny McAllister and associates, as well as NSW state MPs John Graham and Jo Haylen, who once worked for Albanese.
Dave Skinner with Minister for Finance, Minister for the Civil Service, Minister for Women and Minister for Civil Services Katy Gallagher (front) and Laura Chalmers with Dr Treasurer. Jim Chalmers (behind) arrives at The Lodge for the wedding of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
ALP national secretary Paul Erickson and his partner Dimity Paul and the prime minister’s private secretary Tim Gartrell were also present but the event was a relatively small affair due to a limited guest list. No other world leaders, past or present, attended.
Also spotted among ministers, powerful bureaucrats and close family members were Albanese’s childhood friends, who grew up in council housing in inner-city Sydney, including Sherie Dewstow and Rod Burns.
The pair were among a number of Albanian childhood friends who made a surprise visit to Canberra in 2022 at the start of his first term in parliament as prime minister, returning to Canberra on the first day of his second term as prime minister earlier this year.
No Coalition members were seen among the guests, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was quick to offer her best wishes.
“Congratulations Anthony and Jodie!” helped in a statement released shortly after the news broke. I wish them happiness as they continue to build their lives together.”
After exchanging their vows, witnessed by Haydon’s brother Patrick Haydon and the Prime Minister’s cousin Helen Golden, the newlyweds walked down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s iconic hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”
Their first dance was to Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight”.
Haydon wore a long-sleeved flowing white dress by Sydney designer Romance is Born, while the prime minister wore a suit from Australian menswear store MJ Bale, while the wedding rings were supplied by Cerrone Jewelers in Leichhardt, Sydney, where Albanese has an engagement ring designed for Haydon.
Dimity Paul and Australian Labor Party National Secretary Paul Erickson arrive at The Lodge.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The Prime Minister and Mrs Haydon will now spend a five-day honeymoon in Australia from Monday to Friday at an undisclosed location.
The wedding capped a historic year for Albanese, after the prime minister’s Labor Party won a landslide election victory in May with a record-breaking 94 seats in the lower house.
Albanese paid tribute to his fiancée on election night, saying he “probably didn’t expect this to happen in your life half a dozen years ago.”
“I’m so grateful for your support, friendship and love. You make me so happy, that’s important, you have my heart, I love you and can’t wait to live our life together,” she said.
Albanese proposed to Haydon on a balcony at The Lodge on Valentine’s Day in February 2024, following an intimate dinner at Italian and Sons, nearly five years after the couple first met in 2020. Sydney-born, Central Coast-raised partner Australia’s 31st prime minister has rarely given interviews or spoken publicly about the relationship.
Anthony Albanese with his son Nathan and ring bearer Toto ahead of the ceremony in Canberra today.Credit: Mike Bowers
The couple met at a business event in Melbourne in 2020, when Albanese was opposition leader for a year. His election victory in May 2022 thrust Haydon, a pensions executive in the industry, into the spotlight as he accompanied Albanese to the NATO summit in Spain and several other trips, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the coronation of King Charles and a state dinner hosted by former US president Joe Biden.
Their relationship hit the headlines in October last year when 2GB’s Ben Fordham revealed that Albanese had bought a $4.3 million cliff-top house on the NSW Central Coast, near Haydon’s family, as the couple’s post-political home.
Albanese and Haydon are Catholic and enjoy similar music; They walk the prime minister’s dog Toto, watch the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL team and play pool at The Lodge.
Penny Wong, one of Albanese’s closest political allies, married his long-term partner Sophie Allouache last year after nearly two decades of dating. Details of the ministry wedding were kept under tight wraps, as were Albanese and Haydon’s wedding. Held at Bird in the Hand winery in the Adelaide Hills.
