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Matildas players past and present have quietly celebrated the wedding of striker Emily Gielnik.
In a low-key, mid-week affair, Gielnik married her long-time partner Temica Sayer on Wednesday.
“Truly the best day of our lives,” the pair posted on Instagram along with a short video of their big day.
After representing the Matildas more than 57 times, Gielnik was one of the hard luck stories this year, failing to make the final squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She was also a member of Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League in England before suffering an ankle injury that ended her season in March.
World Cup squad members Ellie Carpenter and Teagan Micah were just some of the confirmed names at the wedding, along with Chloe Logarzo (who was another selection heartbreak story) and former Matilda Amy Chapman.
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Temica Sayer and Emily Gielnik tie the knot. Credit: InstagramIt was a perfect day for Emily Gielnik and Temica Sayer’s wedding. Credit: InstagramThey were happy for the wedding to be a low-key affair. Credit: InstagramEllie Carpenter pulls a face for the crowd in a ‘photo booth’ moment at the wedding. Credit: Instagram
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But otherwise the beautiful ceremony was very low key.
The wedding was a big step for Gielnik, who has previously been quiet about her relationship.
In a recent documentary (Matildas: The World At Our Feet) Gielnik explained her Croatian mother believed “being gay was frowned upon”.
“So I never saw how I was going to come out and tell my family,” she revealed.
“So I tried everything to live this lie for years. There was a lot of dark times.”
She said football was “the saving grace”.
The documentary also showed vision of her proposing to Temica.
“I reckon I’ve done the flight 40-45 times from Australia to Europe,” she said.
“This was one of the rough ones. There were no sleeping pills that were going to alleviate what was going on in that flight. I was overthinking a fair few things.
“I’m nervous thinking about it, I’m sweating (but) I’m ready to marry the girl of my dreams.”
She said Temica helped her make her feel OK about her same-sex relationship and she deserved to be married.
“It should have been a long time ago but better late than never,” Gielnik said.
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