Trent Harris and Tanya Duangsawat said they both happily agreed to marry on a “pleasant day of celebration” around the country.

Mr Harris would also be closely following in the footsteps of his parents, who were also married on Australia Day

“When I was tiny I always said to Mum and Dad that I want to get married on Australia Day just like you guys did,” Mr Harris said. 

“Because Dad is military he was always running around fulfilling his military duties and Mum was doing her own work, so they couldn’t get married on Anzac day, so it ended up being Australia Day.

“Dad’s birthday is on the 20^th of January, six days later he got married to Mum, so it is a very nice time of year for our family.”

Mr Harris said his parents “loved it” when they heard he would be getting married on Friday. 

“I semi-ran it past them but when we spoke about it properly they were thrilled,” he said. 

Mr Harris said Australia Day was one of his favourite days of the year.

“It’s such a relaxing time, it’s summer and everyone is happy,” he said. 

“It’s also important to stop and reflect about how lucky we are to live in such a great country.”

Mr Harris and Ms Duangsawat met online last year.

He recalled the “wonderful” moment where he saw his future wife for the first time at a bus station in Ararat. 

“She was from Melbourne, but she was a bit bored with the city so I invited her up to a Campbells Bridge barbecue fundraiser last year,” he said. 

“She came to Ararat Station and then she rang me and asked where I was and I was just over the road and there she was standing under the little bus stop and I was gone.

“I was head over heels as soon as I saw her – I went from being a little nervous to being giddy like a little teenage schoolboy.”

Ms Duangsawat was born in Thailand, but has been in Australia for the last three years.

She said she loved living in the countryside and seeing all the different species of wildlife.   

“I love the kangaroos and alpacas,” she said. 

“I don’t have to go to the zoo, at the farm in Campbells Bridge there are always kangaroos in the back – every time I go for a walk I find something new.”

The couple will get married at Stawell Catholic Church on Patrick Street on Friday morning and continue their celebrations with family and friends in the afternoon