Neighbours Golden Couple:

Libby Kennedy and Drew Kirk

"Honey high jinks!"

Drew and Libby are in for a surprise when they escape to sun- drenched Queensland.

The wedding of Drew and Libby goes smoothly, which can only mean one thing- there's trouble on the honeymoon! It comes in the form of a face from their past. "Libby and Drew get to the resort in Queensland, and who should be there but her old nemesis Geri Hallett," Kym reveals. "She's been sent by the local newspaper to do a story on them!" Will meddling Geri ruin the honeymoon? You'' have to tune in to Neighbours to find out!

"I wanna Kiss the Bride!"

'Och aye, I do!'  Libby and Drew tie the knot in a romantic ceremony...

Goin' to the Chapel... Neighbours' on-again, off-again couple Drew and Libby finally get hitched - in Style!

In the television wedding of the year, Drew Kirk and Libby Kennedy finally make it to the altar in Neighbours.

The bride is resplendent in white, the groom wears a kilt and everyone has a smile on their face. It's the wedding Neighbours fans have waited three years for - and TV WEEK can reveal that Drew Kirk and Libby Kennedy make it to the altar without a hitch, although the occasion is a real tear-jerker!

For actors Kym Valentine (Libby) and Dan Paris (Drew), the long-awaited exchange of vows caps off a series of ups and downs for the popular characters. "It's what all the fans have been waiting for,' says Dan. 'Drew and Libby are meant for each other. It's taken them time to get their act together and they've had many setbacks, but once people see the wedding they'll realise it's been well worth the wait."

Happily, Libby's best friend Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) puts her own recent feelings for Drew aside and agrees to be bridesmaid. And viewers are in for another bonus with the arrival of Drew's colourful family, including his boisterous Uncle Fergus (Tommy Dysart). "It's a very romantic ceremony, especially because of the Scottish theme which ties in with Drew's ancestry," Kym says. "It looks as though their wedding is going to be hijacked by the family, but in the end it's perfect."

While there are no major dramas, there are a few interesting moments in the lead-up to the nuptials. "The night before, Drew's family get together with the Kennedys and they do the ritual eating of haggis," Dan explains. "I won't go into graphic detail, but haggis is the kind of dish that turns a lot of stomachs, including Drew's! Thankfully, he's all right by the next morning. You don't want to have food poisoning on your wedding day!"

With the sun shining, Libby travels to church in a vintage car with her father Dr Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) and Steph at her side. Fashionably late, Libby walks down the aisle and marries the man of her dreams. "Libby and Drew are both ecstatic," Kym says. "It all goes to plan. There's never any doubt that they will say 'I do'. I had tears in my eyes. So did Alan and Jackie [Woodburne, who plays Kym's screen mum Susan]. My tears were real, but I don't know about theirs - they're such good actors!"

While Neighbours scriptwriters have saved viewers from any surprises at the altar, there are plenty at the reception. Scottish bagpipers are employed to entertain, but the biggest performance of the day comes from Drew himself. "Drew and his Uncle Fergus sing a traditional Scottish song," Dan says. "Drew's terrified, and so was I!"

Dan has been 'too afraid' to watch his efforts on video, but hopes viewers will get a laugh. He also confesses that the performance almost didn't happen! "When the writers asked me to sing, I had more than a few reservations," he says. "I'm no Celine Dion. I sing in the shower, and even then I don't get much positive feedback! I didn't want to ruin the episode by making a fool of myself. In the end, I had a bit of coaching and thought, 'Why not? I've taken all my gear off for Neighbours when we did the send-up of The Full Monty, so how much worse can this be?' It's certainly a wedding to remember."

Nerves and exhaustion aside, Kym and Dan agree that tying the knot is the highlight of their years in the Network Ten series - and there were moments when the wedding felt real. "Too real!" Kym admits. "For starters, Libby's dress is my dream dress - so if I ever get married for real, it will pale by comparison. [Melbourne designer] Shane McConnell did an amazing job, and I contributed one or two ideas, too. My mum Janey, my little sister Shayne and my manager Julie Torrance were also part of the gathering at the church, which added to the effect. My mum has always wanted me to get married, so she was overcome!"

Playing a screen groom was a new experience for Dan in more ways than you might think. "I've never been to a wedding, and I've only ever been in a church once before - when my father died," he says. "I had nothing to compare it to." He also felt a touch insecure about Drew's attire for the big occasion. "It's one thing to sing at a wedding, but another thing altogether to have to wear a dress!' Dan laughs. 'There was a lot of discussion as to whether or not I was wearing any underwear, but I'm not telling."

One thing Dan is happy to share is his thoughts on marrying in real life. "It's not likely," he says. "My partner Tanya and I don't see marriage as that important to our personal development. It's just not a big deal to us." And what about Kym? "Maybe one day," she teases. "I'd like it to be informal - but coming from a Maltese family, I doubt that will be the case. My mum will make it huge!"

"Neighbours Tie the Knot"

 Neighbours, friends and now husband and wife- two of Australia's favourite soapie stars finally say 'I do'

There won't be a dry eye in households around the country when Neighbours favourites Libby Kennedy and Drew Kirk finally exchange vows in TV's fairytale wedding of the year. The gorgeous pair (played by Kym Valentine and Dan Paris) will have viewers reaching for the tissues when they pledge their love for each other in the episode airing on February 21 on Network Ten.

Although she was only acting the part of a bride, Kym says she found the experience particularly moving and emotional. "My mum and sister actually came down from Sydney for the wedding and sat in the church as extra," she reveals. "Mum got a bit teary through the whole thing. It got to me a bit too, especially with Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne, who play my parents on the shoe- we've worked with each other for so long. As I was entering the church, Alan gave me a little kiss and said 'I'm so proud of you, baby girl.' It came right from the heart."

The magical episode involved an enormous amount of planning. Kym had a lot of input into the type of gown her character Libby wears in the ceremony. "Melbourne designer Shane MaConnell designed the dress. I wanted something elegant, something classic," Kym explains. "We wanted to create a fairytale princess dress and a romantic white wedding viewers will love. It had to be traditional- we couldn't disappoint our viewers."

However, designing her character's dress has created a problem of sorts for Kym. "Because Shane helped me design the dress and it was made for me, it's exactly what I like," she says. "It's perfect- if I get married one day this is the dress I want!" Libby's $4950 gown is an original Shane McConnell design and is made of beautiful white Thai silk. The bodice is encrusted with Swarovski silver and green crystal beads. The full A-line skirt billows into a traditional-length train, and the veil is a two-tiered cathedral-length design also encrusted with Swarovski crystals. This magnificent creation would make any bride feel like a princess on her big day.

Click on the images for a larger view!!!

"Every girl dreams of being a bride"

With preparations for her on-screen wedding back on track, Neighbours star Kym Valentine test-drives some gorgeous wedding gowns from Melbourne designer Shane McConnell

As far as Neighbours fans are concerned, the wedding between Libby Kennedy and Drew Kirk is the most eagerly anticipated event of the coming year on TV. After many ups and downs, it's back on track... well, for the time being anyway! Regardless of whether or not Libby actually makes it to the altar with her handsome beau, Kym is happily allowing herself to be swept up in the joy of it all.

To get a feeling for what it might be like to play a TV bride, Kym visited her favourite designer Shane  McConnell. From the moment she walked through the door of Shane's stunning Melbourne showroom and tried on his designs, Kym was overcome with excitement and a few pre-wedding jitters!

"Every girl dreams of being a bride," she says. "Although I'm not ready to get married in real life, it's fun to pretend. And it will satisfy my mum. She's always wanted to see me in a wedding dress!" Shane had no trouble coming up with a few gowns to suit Kym. "Kym is a designer's dream!" he says. "She looks absolutely gorgeous in everything."

Shane Says: "This is a strapless deep fuchsia silk gown with a fathered silk bodice and hand beading, falling into a full traditional train."

Kym Says: "I fell in love with the colour of this gown the first time I saw it. It's conventional for a bride to wear white, but I think it’s good to break with tradition every now and then."

__________________________________

Shane Says: "This is a candy pink coloured Thai silk gown with an A-line skirt and an angle draped bodice with a fully pleated center back train."

Kym Says: "This is another beautiful dress, I feel like Cinderella when I have it on."

__________________________________

Shane Says: "This is a strapless hand beaded silk chiffon gown with a semi A-line skirt. The gown is an ivory dress falling into a small train."

Click on the images for larger views!!

"Wedding Fever Hits Ramsay Street"

The wedding Neighbours' fans have waited for so long is just around the corner. Channel Ten sources have confirmed that after much heartache and disruption, Libby and Drew will make it to the altar. Although no-one is giving away the on-screen air date of this much anticipated event, it is believed Libby and Drew will be man and wife by the end of February 2001.

"They do make it to the altar and it's fairly smooth sailing unlike the wedding of Sarah Beamount and Dr Peter Hannay," hinted an on-set source. "But the same can't be said for the honeymoon!" Viewers will suddenly see Libby and Drew resuming plans for their wedding at the end of November.