Tags replaced confetti and an Oztag ball replaced flowers in the wedding photos of two Fairfield Oztag representatives, whose love story literally kicked off with an Oztag whistle.
The newly wedded couple, Andrew and Malisa Trinh tied the knot at what looked to be a beautiful ceremony on Saturday June 6, 2020.
Fairfield representative, Andrew Trinh explained how the game of Oztag has played such a major role in his relationship with Malisa.
“We met at Carrawood Park at the first Fairfield City Oztag competition,” Andrew said.
“I joined Malisa’s mixed team because one of her players got injured. I ended up being a permanent replacement and that’s how I got to know her.”
“Our friendship sparked from there and a year or so later, we started dating. Up until our wedding we were together for six years,” he said.
The two, self-proclaimed ‘Oztag Tragics’ are heavily involved in the Oztag community. So much so, they spend four nights a week at Fairfield competitions.
“We’re right in there. We help run the competitions, we ref, and we play,” Andrew said.
“We both play State Cup and Nationals. We’ve gone to City Country tournaments, World Cups and Oceania. I’ve even coached some State Cup and City Country sides,” he said.
Image credit: Andrew Trinh
When asked about the wedding photos, Andrew explained that the Oztag twist was completely spontaneous.
“It wasn’t planned at all. We had a lot of our mates there that have played or still play Oztag. So as we were taking photos with the guests, one of our close friends, Rob, grabbed a fresh set of tags and a brand new ball out of his car,” he said.
Before they knew it, the group of Oztaggers had gathered, tags in hands and in pockets – celebrating a relationship that evolved with their common love for the game.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was pretty much the epitome of our relationship. With our friends and how we met,” Andrew said.
But it didn’t end there. Andrew had one last surprise for his wife, Malisa.
“As a little wedding gift for Malisa, I engraved the coordinates of where we first met on the inside of both of our rings, to signify the Oztag fields at Carrawood Park,” he said.
The couple were initially quite upset amidst the global pandemic and its impact on weddings. However, restrictions were eased a week before the big day, allowing them to have up to 20 guests at the ceremony.
Although it was much smaller than they originally anticipated, Andrew and Malisa always had their hearts set on signing those papers.
“We were always going to go ahead and get married because that day is an important day for us – it’s our anniversary,” Andrew said.
“We were going to have a big Asian wedding which is normally four or five hundred people, so Covid definitely took a bit of pressure off,” he laughed.
Unable to hold a reception, the couple have postponed their celebrations to next year when borders open and family can attend from overseas.
Australian Oztag wish the happy couple all the best and many years of tagging ahead.