Guest list, playlist and wedding dress: how Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon could celebrate their big day

In a social media post on Thursday morning, Anthony Albanese shared a photo of himself and his partner, Jodie Haydon, with the latter showing off a new diamond ring. “She said yes,” the caption read.

The couple have since received messages of congratulations from around the world – from the New Zealand prime minister to Nigella Lawson. And the post signals that the first divorcee to become Australian prime minister may now become the first PM to get married while in office.

Here’s the where, when and how of Albanese and Haydon’s big day.

How did Albanese propose?

The couple shared a Valentine’s Day dinner on Wednesday night at Italian and Sons in Canberra’s inner north, where special menus were $135 a head. After returning to the Lodge, Albanese, 60, popped the question on one of the residence’s balconies. Albanese is understood to have specially designed the engagement ring.

“We are thrilled and excited to share this news and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together,” the newly engaged couple said in a joint statement. “We are so lucky to have found each other.”

The engagement ring as Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon hold hands at the Lodge. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPWho is Jodie Haydon?

Haydon, 45, grew up on the New South Wales Central Coast, the daughter of schoolteachers and lifelong Labor voters. She works full time as women’s officer for the NSW Public Service Association and lives in Sydney’s inner west – or did, until moving into Kirribilli House.

How did the couple meet?

Albanese’s beloved NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs had a lot to do with it. In late 2019, Haydon attended a national union conference in Melbourne, where Albanese was keynote speaker. After he was given some ribbing about the Rabbitohs, she called out “Up the Rabbitohs”. The then opposition leader later introduced himself to her as the only other Rabbitohs fan in the room, according to a News Corp interview. She then contacted him via Twitter and the pair met for a beer at Young Henrys Brewery in Newtown.

Will it be a church wedding?

It’s unlikely – he is a non-practising Catholic, plus a divorcee, plus he chose a civil affirmation when being sworn in as PM.

When will the wedding take place?

The next election is clearly a big consideration. A standard election of the House and half the Senate must be held before 24 May 2025. The election could be held as early as 3 August but the prime minister has stressed he expects the government to run full term.

The couple in the garden at the Lodge after announcing their engagement. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianWhere will it be?

It’s got to be in Australia and Albanese will probably want to avoid any impression of taxpayer dollars going into the wedding, which nixes the Lodge and Kirribilli House – and leaves some other possibilities:

Young Henrys Brewery, Newtown: “We are delighted to hear of Albo and Jodie’s engagement, and we extend an offer to host the pending nuptials at our brewery at mates’ rates,” Richard Adamson, the Young Henrys co-founder, says. “Regardless of whether that offer is taken, we wish the couple all the best.”

Marrickville Golf Club: “We used to see a fair bit of him when he lived 500 metres from the golf club, but now that he’s become PM we don’t see him as much,” the club’s general manager, Mathew Ward, says. “It’d be wonderful to have him for a little barefoot wedding at the local.”

Willie the Boatman brewery, Marrickville: The home of “Albo” 5.5% pale ale – that’s the beer taken care of, at least.

South Sydney Rabbitohs club, Maroubra: Since it had a lot to do with the couple meeting.

Kings Hall at Old Parliament House in Canberra can host 500 guests. An Australian Republican Movement dinner in 2019. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Marrickville Town Hall: Seats 250 for a banquet dinner. Hiring the venue for a full Saturday costs $2,560.

Marrickville Hardcourt Tennis Club: “We’d be thrilled. If he loves Portuguese food, we’d be only too happy to host a wedding for the PM,” Ron Browne, the consulting manager, says. The small kitchen can handle dinner for 120 people – and there’s plenty of availability, provided Albanese, an avid tennis player, works around the regular locals.

Marrickville Bowling Club: It’s better known for barefoot bowls than weddings, but if Albanese could plan around competitive bowls and live music bookings, he could invite 350 people to the bowlo.

Old Parliament House, Canberra: Convenient, thematically and commute-wise, plus space for 500 guests.

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What will the bride wear?

Something Australian – and elegant. “[Haydon] looked divine in Paolo Sebastian in Washington,” the Vogue Australia editorial director, Edwina McCann, says. “She’s very much a fan of his work … He would do an extraordinary job.

“She’s incredibly loyal to Australian designers and wears them particularly well.

“The feedback from the industry is that she is a pleasure to work with, always very grateful and very respectful.”

Jodie ‘looked divine in Paolo Sebastian in Washington … He would do an extraordinary job’ for her wedding, says Vogue Australia’s Edwina McCann. A Paolo Sebastian design at the 2021 Melbourne Fashion festival. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Haydon wore dresses by Karen Gee when meeting the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and to a Nato event in Spain. Carla Zampatti is another possibility.

There’s no official budget for this – Haydon’s outfits and styling are paid for out of her own pocket. A loaned or hired dress is not out of the question for the sustainability-minded bride, says one Labor insider.

What’s on the playlist?

The couple share a love of music – Albanese was a music ambassador for Record Store Day Australia and Haydon worked in a music store for years as a teenager. “He might even DJ at his own wedding,” says one Labor insider. On the playlist might be Joy Division, Hunters and Collectors, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Bruce Springsteen, the Pixies, the Jam, Midnight Oil and the Smiths.

And will Toto be there?

Surely Toto, Albanese’s cavoodle, will be invited. He’s described her as “loving, she’s loyal, she’s great company and she’s always so happy to see me”.

Ring carrier, flower pup, bouquet carrier – it’s all possible. Just ask Wedding Paws, which specialises in “making your pets a part of your special day”. Should the PM wish to outsource Toto’s management on the day, they have a range of dog wedding packages from $575, including on-site pet-sitting and attire – floral headdresses, bow ties and “best dog” collars optional.

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Albanese’s second wedding

Albanese has an adult son, Nathan, with his former wife and former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt. Her state seat at the time, Marrickville, overlapped with his federal seat of Grayndler. The couple married in 2000 and separated in 2019, a moment that Albanese said “came as a surprise” to him.

Peter Dutton congratulates Anthony Albanese on new engagement and upcoming ‘royal wedding’ – videoWho’s on the guest list?

Will the PM go big and stately – inviting everyone from King Charles to the US president, Joe Biden, and the Dalai Lama – or will the couple keep things low key? Our money is on the latter.

“He wouldn’t have to invite the whole cabinet but he might, for optics,” says one Labor insider. “But then it could turn into a cast of thousands.”

High on the list are MPs Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Don Farrell, Tim Ayres and chief of staff Tim Gartrell, plus the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and his wife, Anna, and his tennis pal Peter Fitzsimons and TV host Lisa Wilkinson. And, will Kyle Sandilands’s wedding invitation be reciprocated?

“Neither of them want fireworks and Russian caviar. They’re working class, they don’t have fancy taste,” a former Labor staffer says.

The food might celebrate his Italian heritage – and it’s likely the caterer will be local to Marrickville, possibly someone who has supported his campaigns.