Mahalia Barnes' Thailand wedding

Elephants, dancers, drummers, fireworks and lotus flowers were just some of the support acts when rock icon Jimmy Barnes proudly gave away his daughter Mahalia at a spectacular beach wedding in Thailand.
But most important of all to the acclaimed singer and her groom, musician Ben Rodgers, were the family and friends who had travelled so far to celebrate their love. Emotions ran soul deep during a day of festivities at the Hua Hin resort, where tears of joy flowed readily. Devoted mother of-the-bride Jane Barnes sobbed and even Working Class Man Jimmy had a surreptitious sniffle.
‘Oh, I knew Dad would bawl his eyes out. He’s very sensitive and sentimental, but people don’t expect it,’ laughs Mahalia, the Cold Chisel legend’s eldest Tin Lid.
If her dad’s tears lived up to expectations, the rest of the wedding surpassed her wildest dreams. It was romantic, intimate, lavish yet also relaxed. ‘What’s to be stressed about? Look at where we are!’ The chilled-out bride wanted to tie the knot in a way that would reflect her mixed Thai and Aussie heritage, at a place that’s seen so many happy memories, from family holidays to both her parents’ 50th birthday parties. And from the second the sun rose over the Gulf of Thailand, in a blur of pale pink and green, everything went according to her mum’s meticulous planning.
Well, almost everything.

– Jane didn’t know the bride and groom would swap spoken wedding vows for a rousing version of Endless Love, accompanied by uncle Mark ‘Diesel’ Lizotte! ‘I must admit that was actually my idea,’ says 27-year-old Mahalia. ‘I thought Endless Love was quite appropriate, but still a little bit of light humour. We knew it would make some people laugh and some people cry.’And it did, although the tears started hours earlier at dawn with a traditional Buddhist blessing of the happy couple by nine saffron-robed, shaven-headed monks.
Mahalia looked serene in a lotus-printed pastel green gown by caftan queen Camilla Franks.
Her bridesmaids – sisters Eliza-Jane and Elly-May Barnes and India and Alex Opitz – wore slightly darker dresses featuring a similar pattern. And even the couple’s baby Ruby, just seven months old, had a matching outfit.
Later, at sunset, Mahalia and Ben were married Aussie-style on the beach by long-time family friend Annabel Birmingham, whose children grew up with the Barnes family.
Ben, his best man Darren Percival and groomsman Mitchell Rodgers (Ben’s younger brother) walked to the flower-decked wedding pavilion down a path of banana leaves bordered with lotus blossoms. Jimmy and Mahalia staged a more dramatic entrance – strolling down the sand behind an exotic procession of graceful Thai dancers, noisy percussionists and even a couple of elephants.
Mark Lizotte, who is married to Mahalia’s beloved Aunty Jep, sang a beautiful rendition of John Lennon’s Love. The bride’s younger brother Jackie gave a Bible reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and Annabel declared the couple husband and wife.
Ben’s mother Lisa told the newlyweds: ‘Be true to each other, and listen to each other. It’s going to be a fun ride.’ A heartfelt Jane Barnes added: ‘I love that Ben makes Mahalia laugh and that he loves my daughter. I love that you both want to make each other better people, and I’m sure that you will grow old together.
‘Mahalia, I want you to know that when you came into my life you brought me the same joy that Ruby brings to you, and that has never changed.’
Then, as the stars came out, it was time to party in the candlelit gardens of the beautiful and historic Baan Bayan Hotel. A Thai banquet was served and there was Thai music and dance, cheered on wildly by celebrity guests such as music supremo Michael Gudinksi – who doubles as Mahalia’s godfather – singers Jade MacRae and Kate Alexa and rapper Phrase.
Sweetly, the night’s entertainment also featured a duet from Mark Lizotte and his daughter Lily, and a song and dance routine – choreographed by drag artist Amelia Airhead – performed by talented junior members of the extended Barnes tribe. Mahalia’s Aunt Kaye Mahoney and MC for the evening, actor Jared Houseman, who flew from New York to be at the wedding, contributed a fun quiz testing exactly how well the newlyweds knew each other.
Both doting dads made speeches. Ben’s father, RAAF Group Captain Robert Rodgers, fondly reminisced about his days as a would-be rock star, when his band once played support at a Cold Chisel gig.
‘I watched Jimmy drink a bottle of vodka on stage and realised I didn’t have the stamina for that, so I joined the airforce instead! I’m not Buddhist, but I think that goes to prove life is circular...‘I was on duty in Iraq when my wife rang me to say that Ben was bringing a girl home, Mahalia Barnes. Lisa was really excited, not because of Jimmy but because she was always
a big Tin Lids fan. Sorry, mate. ‘We saw a big change in Ben. As soon as he met Mahalia this new calmness came over him and for that we loved her immediately.’
Shy as ever, it was Jimmy’s turn to seize the spotlight. He said: ‘When I first thought of Mahalia having a fella I thought I would have to wring his neck, but Ben is everything she needs. He’s her friend, and that’s the most important thing.’ A pause for thought and then he added: ‘By the way, this is the best day of our lives. Jane and I have three more children and I’m sure their weddings will be the best days of our lives too.’
The bridal waltz – ‘More of a shuffle, really,’ 26-year-old Ben confesses – was accompanied by Jimmy, family and assorted friends belting out Wilson Pickett’s I Found a Love.
With the rafters still ringing, there was an explosion of multi-coloured fireworks on the beach and DJ Pierre Baroni set the groove with his amazing soul collection.
‘It was like a flashback to a ’60s movie,’ grins Mahalia, whose nearest and dearest cooled off by dancing in the pool until 3am. ‘It was a really beautiful day, thanks to Mum and Dad who made it all happen. So many of our family and friends travelled so far to be with us. We were overwhelmed.’

Photos: Ted O’Donnell and Pierre Baroni

[See Mahalia Barnes' wedding photos here]