Francesca Packer-Barham was ever the blushing bride on Tuesday as she did some last-minute preparations for her wedding to Robert Bates this week.
The billionaire heiress, 31, and her betrothed, 46, will tie the knot in an intimate ceremony on Wednesday at the opulent 30,000-hectare Packer family estate in Upper Hunter Valley.
The happy couple were seen running some errands near their Potts Point home, with Packer-Barham flashing a fresh bridal manicure ahead of her big day.
The brunette was appropriately dressed for her pre-wedding activities, wearing a vintage black Keith Haring jumper with a heart printed on the front.
She paired the crewneck with a set of black leggings and pulled her dark locks back into a high ponytail to show off a huge set of sparkling diamond earrings.
At one point, the bride-to-be could be seen hugging an older woman dressed in a red coat.
Francesca Packer-Barham was ever the blushing bride on Tuesday as she did some last-minute preparations for her wedding to Robert Bates this week
The billionaire heiress, 31, and her betrothed, 46, will tie the knot in an intimate ceremony on Wednesday at the opulent 30,000-hectare Packer family estate in Upper Hunter Valley
The happy couple were seen running some errands near their Potts Point home, with Packer flashing a fresh bridal manicure ahead of her big day
Meanwhile, Bates kept things casual in a pair of shorts and a black jumper over a white T-shirt.
He did most of the heavy lifting on the day, packing up Packer-Barham’s Range Rover outside her home as they prepared for their upcoming nuptials.
Bates was also spotted filling the vehicle with multiple bouquets of fresh pink roses, including one bunch labelled ‘Nonna of the Bride’.
It comes after reports emerged that Packer-Barham and Bates were set to marry much sooner than believed.
The couple were initially set to wed under a full moon in Spain.
Instead they will say ‘I do’ in front of select family members at the secluded Packer estate in the Upper Hunter Valley in NSW, The Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The socialite was said to have ‘caught many in her wider social orbit off guard’ with news the multi-day celebration she planned to take place in Majorca in July was not the main event.
Packer-Barham had planned a three-day event to align with the lunar cycle, with the festivities ending on the night of July 29, when the full moon emerges.
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The brunette was appropriately dressed for her pre-wedding activities, wearing a vintage black Keith Haring jumper with a heart printed on the front
She paired the crewneck with a set of black leggings and pulled her dark locks back into a high ponytail to show off a huge set of sparkling diamond earrings
At one point, the bride-to-be could be seen hugging an older woman dressed in a red coat
Meanwhile, Bates kept things casual in a pair of shorts and a black jumper over a white T-shirt
He did most of the heavy lifting on the day, packing up Packer’s Range Rover outside her Potts Point home as they prepared for their upcoming nuptials
Bates was also spotted filling the vehicle with multiple bouquets of fresh pink roses
One bouquet was labelled ‘Nonna of the Bride’
The plans were inspired by Packer-Barham’s ‘interest in spirituality and crystals’, the publication reported.
While the Spanish celebration will go ahead, it turns out that Packer-Barham will already be married when she greets her guests.
A major motivation for the change is the health of her grandmother, Roslyn Packer.
It is believed that only family members, including Packer-Barham’s mother Gretel, will attend the small wedding at the Packer family estate.
Packer-Barham will reportedly have a hen party in Majorca on June 16, with the ‘unconventional’ event combining both the hens and bucks’ nights.
It will be an ‘intimate’ occasion despite her fame, due to the Iran war making travel difficult for some of the socialite’s A-list friends.
‘Things feel very volatile at the moment. People don’t want to get stuck at airports or stranded overseas if the situation escalates,’ a source said.
The granddaughter of late media mogul Kerry Packer – as well as daughter of Gretel and English financier Nick Barham, and niece of James Packer – has been dating the controversial wellness CEO since 2022.
Packer-Barham and Bates were first spotted together when he attended her 28th birthday party in November of that year.
With her colourful dating history and his chequered past in business, one well-placed insider joked to the Daily Mail this week that the pair are made for each other.
‘Their lives are both pretty dramatic, so they’re probably the perfect match,’ they said.
But not everyone in the gossipy eastern suburbs set is so blasé.
It’s not exactly a secret that eyebrows have been raised over the pairing of Bates – whose buzzy wellness start-ups went kaput after briefly propelling him onto the rich list – with the heiress to a vast family fortune.
But despite the chatter about their imminent union, Packer-Barham appeared to be over the moon in the Daily Mail’s exclusive photos of her luxury shopping trip with Bates on Sunday.
During the outing, Packer-Barham flashed her massive diamond engagement ring sparkling on her finger.
The rock looked strikingly similar to the 17.34-carat diamond ring Packer-Barham reportedly purchased for $575,000 at auction house Leonard Joel in 2020.
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