David and Emily McMahon first met on Farmer Wants A Wife three years ago on his family’s apple orchard.
They have since built a life together on the fourth-generation farm in Stanthorpe, Queensland, where they went on to get married and welcome their first baby.
Now, as their daughter grows up on the same farm where their story began, the couple are excited to add another chapter to the McMahon family legacy.
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Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au, David and Emily revealed the four-year project to transform part of the property into a wedding venue is now complete.
David said the new French-inspired destination wedding venue called Lagnicourt represents a new arm of the business, sitting alongside the agricultural operation that has sustained generations of the McMahon family.
“Farming is still very much at the heart of what we do,” David said.
“Looking long term, diversification has always been a big part of our business and we all love the idea of bringing people to the farm.”
The idea also has a deeply personal connection for David and Emily, who met and fell in love on the farm during the 2023 season of Farmer Wants A Wife before tying the knot there themselves.
David’s brother Paul also married his wife Megan on the property.
“The farm is so special to us, so that definitely triggered some ideas,” David said.
“But the big basis behind it is having a diversification project that will hopefully strengthen our future in farming as well.”
For four generations, the McMahon family has worked to keep the farm going, navigating the unpredictable conditions that come with agricultural life.
“We’re very much at the mercy of Mother Nature in farming and you see it on the news all the time,” David said.
“You have good years and bad years.
“So the wedding venue will hopefully help us ride out the tougher times a little bit.
“We’re also really passionate about entertaining and bringing people to the orchard and letting people fall in love with what we call home.”
David has been central to the four-year Lagnicourt project alongside the wider McMahon family.
The family designed the venue themselves, without an external architect or interior designer, creating a purpose-built wedding destination about 2.5 hours southwest of Brisbane that can host up to 150 guests.
Two outdoor ceremony spaces are surrounded by the orchard, farmland, pine forests, native gums and a 600m dam, providing a backdrop for weddings and photography.
The first wedding is booked for September, with seven more already lined up for the year.
David hopes bookings will continue to grow, with the family forecasting an approximate profit of $200,000 to $300,000 in the venue’s first year.
For a farming business accustomed to the uncertainty of weather and seasonal conditions, that income could provide a valuable buffer.
David also hopes Lagnicourt will have an impact beyond the farm, bringing more visitors to the region and increasing demand for local vendors, businesses and accommodation.
“The venue will bring in a new crowd and it’s going to be an exciting future as well to see how that all unfolds,” David said.
“But it’s really a long-term project with farming still at the heart of it.”
The Lagnicourt name itself is a nod to the family’s history.
David’s great-grandfather, Clyde McMahon, served on the Western Front during the First World War and fought at Lagnicourt in France before returning home and establishing the family’s farming legacy in the Granite Belt.
More than a century later, that connection has been woven into the venue’s name and French-inspired design.
David is now the fourth generation to work the property, alongside his parents, Jeff and Rosemary, and brother Paul.
“It’s a really important project for our family so, when couples arrive, they’re met by one of the members of our family and we really walk through the whole process with them,” David said.
“We hope they really feel that drive and support from our end.”
For David and Emily, seeing the first couple say “I do” in the same place where they fell in love on national television is likely to be a particularly poignant moment.
Looking back on their time on Farmer Wants A Wife, David described it as the most “incredible” experience.
“I really wanted to give my life a little bit of a shake up and do something a bit out of my comfort zone,” he said.
His advice for anyone considering applying for the 2027 season?
“Anyone that wants to really push themselves and be given a really good opportunity to meet your partner for life, it’s a great option,” David said.
“There will be uncomfortable moments and there will be moments you don’t necessarily love, but overwhelmingly it’s going to be a really positive experience.”
For Emily, the experience ultimately led to a new life in Stanthorpe.
She made the move from Brisbane to the farm in 2023, just two weeks after the show ended, and within her first month had found a job at a local dance school.
“The experience is very unique because it’s not a scenario that a lot of people are put in in their lifetime,” Emily said.
“I found I was able to open up and become more confident along the way.”
The transition to farm life was easier than she expected, largely because of her relationship with David and the support of their families and friends.
The couple married in October 2024 and welcomed their daughter, Willa, in April this year.
“She’s still our baby, but not quite newborn anymore,” Emily said.
“Willa is just in a really smiley, enjoyable stage. And I think as a parent, everything’s new and can be challenging, but we just love it more and more every day.
“Like I’m definitely living my best life at the moment.”
Now, as their daughter grows up on the same farm where their story began, David and Emily are excited to add another chapter to the McMahon family legacy.
For David, however, Lagnicourt will always remain a supporting part of the bigger picture.
“But the exciting thing is, if we have catastrophic weather events on the farm, it just means we can put some energy into the wedding venue to really help through those periods,” David said.
“It’s always going to be a supporting act and we’re obviously going to continue to try and grow it, but we’re very conscious that we don’t want to start doing farming in less of a way because of it.
“My family work together on the farm every day and one of the incredible things about our family is everyone is particularly hard working.
“We have also found a balance of being able to go through decision making together and come up with a solution that we can agree on.”
