Hillsong United frontwoman Taya Smith got married on Thursday in a ceremony officiated by bandmate Jonathon "JD" Douglass just a few months after she surprised her fans with her engagement.
Smith and her new husband Ben got married on March 22, according to a series of Instagram photos shared by attendees, who congratulated the new couple.
Among those who celebrated the happy occasion was Douglass, who said that officiating a wedding ceremony was "something I count as a high honor," but was "beyond words" to involve "people who you love and have become an older brother to."
"Loved being a part of your special day @tayasmith and Ben love you guys sooo much!!!!" Douglass said in an Instagram post, as reported by The Christian Post.
Hi guys. We got married yesterday and it was the GREATEST; I highly recommend it. It was like that because of Jesus & the people He has placed in our life for such a time as this and we are blown away by all the love, support & kindness. But I can’t do my first post as a MRS. without first giving the biggest T H A N K Y O U SO VERY MUCH to @lizmartinezbridal for beautifully gifting me THE DRESS. I’ll never forget the moment I stepped out from behind the curtain, nervously holding my breath as I hadn’t seen the dress in the mirror and didn’t know how I felt. My best friend’s mouth was hanging open but I couldn’t tell if it was good shock or bad until @k_fielding started to cry and I knew maybe it was good shock ha. I stared into the mirror trying to take it all in but it was all sealed the moment @hannahhobbs passed me my veil and I had the ‘oh my lanta this is my dress" data-caption="null" data-credit="null">
Hillsong United lead singer Joel Houston joined in on the celebration by sharing a photo of the wedding, along with the caption: "And then ... this happened! The most beautiful of days, amongst the most wonderful of people, celebrating the most phenomenal of occasions, and so say all of us!" Smith, who was known to be private about her personal life, had previously shared a series of photos leading up to her wedding. In one of her social media posts, she was seen wearing a white dress in a photo captioned "Let's go. Mrs G." The New South Wales native was also seen in an earlier photo of herself holding up her wedding dress, which she said was "especially" made for her special day. Smith surprised her fans back in December when she announced her engagement on Instagram, where she was congratulated by more than 60,000 followers. She also caused a stir back in April when she shaved her hair off, prompting strong reactions from fans who objected to the new hairdo, as well as from ones who liked her new look. The singer later explained that the decision to shave her head was not a spiritual issue, but that her hair was simply too damaged and she wanted to start anew. The Australian-based Hillsong Worship has helped shape praise and worship over the last two decades with its catalog of songs that are being sung by an estimated 50 million churchgoers worldwide each week. Smith, who has been the female face for Hillsong music for the last few years, has said that she is in awe that God had taken a group of people from different walks of life and brought them together to make use of their gifts to make an impact. "God is completely in control and He interweaves things if you completely surrender and trust Him. He actually has good things for you and you can trust Him," she said in a previous interview.
