HORSHAM father Wayne Lentsment was unable to walk his daughter Sarah down the aisle at her wedding on Saturday.
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Instead, he had the job of presiding over the wedding ceremony.
Sarah Lentsment married Rodney O'Shannessy in his grandparents' garden in Horsham in front of family and their bridal party.
The ceremony, kept a secret from other friends until the 'engagement party' that night, went off without a hitch - as distinct from the proposal.
Mr O'Shannessy's proposal to his then girlfriend made headlines after the ring dropped into the ocean, twice.
He was down on one knee when he accidentally dropped the ring through the cracks of Geelong's seaside boardwalk.
Luckily the media was on hand to help and soon, with the story told across the state, a dive team searched for and found the ring.
But as the team handed over the ring, it fell back into the water.
Mrs O'Shannessy said the couple, now of Wyndham Vale, had no ring-related incidents during the wedding ceremony.
"The best man Mark Hunter was given charge of the rings,'' she said.
"Rodney joked with guests later that evening that he applied glue to his hands before the ceremony so there wouldn't be any ring-related issues.''
The newlyweds starred on Channel 10's Wake Up morning program to share their ring story.
Mrs O'Shannessy said the couple went to Melbourne for a live cross for the program.
"It was pretty cool to have our ceremony, surprise and party go off so well and to have our marriage announced so publicly after having kept it a secret so long,'' she said.
But despite the publicity their romance has received, Mr and Mrs O'Shannessy are just happy to be together.
Mrs O'Shannessy said the couple felt loved, with guests travelling from as far as Darwin to join the 'engagement party'.
She said having her father marry the pair was a special experience.
"We were able to personalise our ceremony to really suit exactly what we wanted.''
Mrs O'Shannessy said her mother Pauline and daughter Jade walked her down the aisle and gave her away.
Another personal touch was Mr O'Shannessy's ring - blue and platinum in honour of his 'truest love', the Geelong Football Club.
Mrs O'Shannessy thanked everyone who supported the wedding.
"We couldn't be happier with the day and evening, or with the decisions we have made in our lives that led to this moment, and the decision to spend the rest of our lives together,'' she said.