HE left fans in awe with his footballing skills and now Port Adelaide great Gavin Wanganeen has left his closest friends and family pleasantly shocked after marrying former Miss World contestant Pippa Hanson.
"We didn't want a huge thing, we just wanted something small with our close friends and family where we could have fun," Gavin said of the ceremony at Kent Town's Tin Cat Cafe on Thursday.
The guest list was 30 of those closest to the couple, with some under the impression they were going to a party to celebrate Pippa's 33rd birthday.
"The whole thing was pulled together in two weeks," Pippa said.
Indeed, it was only two weeks ago when Gavin, 39, popped the question in a Melbourne cafe where the pair had their first date.
"We actually first met in South Africa four years ago when we were both there for work, and then out of the blue I saw her again on Boxing Day in 2009 and it was like she kept popping up everywhere," Gavin, a former Power captain, said.
However it was only in the past 12 months that the couple began dating, with Pippa moving back to her home town of Adelaide from Melbourne last October.
"I know the 'love at first sight' thing is something everyone says but there were sparks from the beginning," Gavin said. "The thing that I noticed about Pippa was that she had a really beautiful heart."
Pippa wore a gown by Melbourne designer Jane Hill and Gavin's children Mia, 12, and Tex, 8, from his first marriage, took on the duties of bridesmaid and best man at the ceremony, which the couple both described as "incredibly emotional and beautiful".
Such was the spontaneity of the wedding that the couple are still contemplating where to honeymoon - and when.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7zZqroqeelrlwv86uq6FlkarAtb7ApaCaZ6CkxKa%2BjKidZqSfq7Jus8CvZK2hlah6tbTEZqKnp6Rku6bD0maqraeirnyigZVxm2ycZ2yydISTcW5uaGRmgqOFlJtrcXFnmLGkgw%3D%3D