Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has married his partner of five years, Jodie Haydon, in a secret, private ceremony at The Lodge.
Mr Albanese is the first Australian prime minister to get married in office, after proposing to Ms Haydon on Valentine’s Day last year.
Anthony Albanese is the first prime minister to get married while in office. (Supplied)
The prime minister and Ms Haydon were married by a celebrant from NSW’s Central Coast, and they wrote their own vows.
“We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon said in a joint statement.
The wedding plans, including the date and location, were kept top secret due to potential security and disruption concerns.
Ms Haydon was walked down the aisle by her parents, Bill and Pauline Haydon, to Ben Folds’ The Luckiest.
Her five-year-old niece, Ella, was the flower girl, and the prime minister’s dog, Toto, was the ring bearer.
Jodie Haydon’s niece Ella was a flower girl at the wedding. (Supplied)
The bride wore a dress by Sydney designer Romance Was Born, while Mr Albanese’s suit was from MJ Bale.
The wedding bands were from Cerrone Jewellers in Leichhardt, Sydney.
Ms Haydon’s brother, Patrick Haydon, and the prime minister’s cousin, Helen Golden, were witnesses.
After the ceremony, Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon walked back down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).
Anthony Albanese and his son, Nathan Albanese, pose with Toto the dog.
(Supplied)
Their first dance was set to be to The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra.
Notable guests in attendance included cabinet ministers Jim Chalmers, Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher and Richard Marles, and actor Rhys Muldoon.
Guests were served beer in custom cans made by Willie the Boatman, an Inner West Sydney brewery.
Guests drank beer from personalised cans featuring images of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon. (Supplied)
All expenses related to this event are being paid for privately by Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon.
The prime minister and Ms Haydon will go on a honeymoon in Australia from Monday until Friday of next week.
Wedding held off until after election
Plans for the wedding had been put on hold until after the May election, with Mr Albanese also revealing in June that the couple had planned to honeymoon for two months had he not been reinstalled as prime minister.
Instead, the couple is expected to limit the honeymoon to about two weeks.
Jim Chalmers and his wife Laura Anderson arriving at The Lodge. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The pair met at a business dinner in 2020 while Mr Albanese was opposition leader.
Ms Haydon has previously recounted realising she was in love with the Labor leader after he was involved in a serious car accident in 2021.
Joe and Jill Biden hosted Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon at an official State Dinner at the White House in Washington in 2023. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)
She has featured during both Mr Albanese’s 2022 and 2025 election campaigns and accompanied the prime minister to high-profile events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and a 2023 White House state dinner hosted by former US president Joe Biden.
Mr Albanese proposed at The Lodge following a 2024 Valentine’s Day dinner at Canberra restaurant Italian and Sons, posting a picture the following day on social media with the caption, “She said yes”.
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Months later, Mr Albanese sparked questions about his longevity in politics after buying a $4.3 million clifftop property overlooking the ocean on the Central Coast, where Ms Haydon grew up.
He told media at the time Ms Haydon was a “proud coastie” and “when your relationship changes, your life changes” but that he intended to be in his current job for a “very long” time.
He was reinstalled as prime minister after Labor won the May election with a thumping majority.
The Copacabana property where Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon intend to move into in future. (Supplied: Domain)
The wedding is Mr Albanese’s second, after his 19-year marriage to his first wife, former NSW politician Carmel Tebbutt, ended in 2019.
He has one son, Nathan, from his previous marriage.
Penny Wong was on the guest list for Anthony Albanese’s wedding to Jodie Haydon. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Leader of the opposition Sussan Ley congratulated the couple.
“Congratulations to Anthony and Jodie! I wish them every happiness as they continue building their lives together,” she said.