Wedding bells for Mark Knowles

After winning the Hockey World Cup, Kookaburra Mark Knowles has flown back to Rockhampton to get married.

Grant Treeby

WHEN Mark Knowles stepped off a plane last night at Rockhampton Airport, his gold medal was tucked away in his bag, as he had his eye on a different type of prize.

Waiting for him, after a three-week absence, was fiancée Kelly Dwyer, who embraced the gold medal winner the second he walked through the arrival doors.

He may have won gold at the hockey World Cup with Kookaburra team-mates in New Delhi on the weekend, but he’s about to win again.

Mark and Kelly will marry in Yeppoon on Saturday in the biggest sports celebrity wedding since Anna Meares’s big day.

It’s sure to be a month to remember for Mark, 26.

Kelly, sister of Mark’s team-mate and reigning world’s best hockey player Jamie Dwyer, arrived in Rockhampton yesterday.

Today the couple will start putting together the final touches for their big day.

“I am writing a list of what to do,” Kelly said.

But the one thing she hopes she doesn’t need to do is be on a cyclone weather alert.

“For there not to be a cyclone – that’s what I want.”

After getting engaged last year, Kelly said they have been planning their wedding for a while, but started getting serious last October.

Making arrangements from Perth, Kelly said she made the most of a trip home to Rockhampton last Christmas to arrange things like the flowers and cake and do hair and make-up trials.

Gathering Chinese lanterns and fairy lights to decorate their marquee, Kelly said they wanted to put their own spin on the wedding,

“There is no colour theme; there are just lots of colours.”

And Kelly won’t be wearing traditional white, instead choosing a light-coloured gown – but she wasn’t giving anything more away.

Kelly is looking forward to spending time with her two bridesmaids, sister Jodie Dwyer and friend Angela Black as well as the 120 guests.

“It will be good to catch up with family and friends.”

But even before that, Kelly had been eagerly anticipating Mark’s arrival in Rockhampton last night.

When he arrived he was still on a high from the win, only having a short stop-over in Perth.

The Kookaburras win was Australia’s first World Cup victory in 24 years.

Kelly said with Mark’s hectic schedule, they hadn’t seen each other much at all this year, and were looking forward to a few days together.

“We need to go through our vows,” Kelly laughed.

Before the wedding, Kelly said there would be a few games of golf leading in to what she hoped was a relaxed, fun weekend.

The couple will then head to Byron Bay on their honeymoon, before they both jet off in different directions, Mark heading to his base in The Netherlands and Kelly back to work in Perth.