The best man at Brittany Higgins’ extravagant wedding to David Sharaz at the weekend reportedly made a poorly-timed joke that fell flat about the groom’s first marriage.
About 80 guests attended The Valley Estate on Saturday for the French-themed wedding, which is said to have cost more than $100,000.
Those who attended the intimate chapel ceremony also enjoyed a French-style dinner as Mr Sharaz’s sister performed Édith Piaf’s famous ‘La vie en rose’, according to Daily Mail Australia.
During the dinner speeches, the maid of honour, senior government advisor Emma Webster, jokingly called Mr Sharaz a “bridezilla”.
The wedding guests reportedly laughed as the best man, Alan Horner, joked that he was concerned Lisa Wilkinson might make a speech, even though she was not invited.
He is said to have then joked that he was not invited to Mr Sharaz’s first wedding, to political advisor Alexandra Craig in 2018, but it did not receive the same response.
It is understood the room then went silent.
After a gourmet three-course meal, the couple presented themselves as husband and wife for the first time.
Last week, Martin Bennett, the lawyer for Senator Linda Reynolds – who is suing the couple for defamation over social media posts suggesting the politician and her staff tried to cover up the assault – said he had applied to get a copy of documentation in relation to a trust account in her name in case Ms Higgins cannot pay damages if she loses the case
In May, Mr Sharaz said he would not contest it as he could not afford an ongoing legal battle with Ms Reynolds.
A day before their wedding, Bruce Lehrmann, who was found to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities in Parliament House in 2019, filed to appeal the judgement that was handed down in April.
In December of 2023, Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins bought a chateau in the south of France with the $2.4 million she received in compensation from the Commonwealth over its handling of the allegations.
After the ruling handed down by Justice Michael Lee, Ms Higgins released a statement that said she had lived with “shame, humiliation, and fear” after going public with her rape allegation against Mr Lehrmann.
“The toxic culture in Parliament House was not something I just imagined,” she wrote.
“I felt compelled to tell my story.
“It is now time to heal.”