After a year filled with life-changing news, Jai Arrow and Berina Colakovic have celebrated the wedding they always dreamed of. Surrounded by loved ones in the Sicilian countryside, the former South Sydney Rabbitohs star and his wife marked a deeply personal new chapter — with their young daughter beside them and a love story that began in the same Italian setting coming full circle.

A Beautiful Celebration They Had Waited to Share

Jai Arrow and Berina Colakovic have celebrated their dream Italian wedding in Sicily, bringing family and friends together for a joyful occasion after an extraordinarily difficult year for the former NRL star.

The couple held their destination wedding celebration on October 10, 2026, at the picturesque Borgo del Carato resort in south-eastern Sicily.

Set within a historic 19th-century farmhouse, the celebration brought together around 65 family members and friends who travelled from Australia and Berina’s home country of Canada.

Their one-year-old daughter, Ayla, was also part of the special occasion, making the celebration even more meaningful for the young family.

For Jai and Berina, the day represented more than a beautiful wedding in Italy. It was an opportunity to celebrate their relationship, their family and the future they are continuing to build together despite the uncertainty that has entered their lives.

The festivities were particularly significant because the couple had already made an important decision about their future earlier this year.

After Jai received his motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis, they brought forward their plans to marry privately in Sydney in July. The Sicilian celebration allowed them to fulfil their long-held dream of sharing that special moment with family and friends.

The Place Where Their Love Story Began Its Next Chapter

There was a particularly touching reason why the couple chose Sicily for their wedding celebration.

Jai proposed to Berina there in 2024, making the Italian island an important part of their relationship.

Returning to the place where their engagement took place gave the couple an opportunity to revisit a treasured memory while celebrating how much their lives had changed since then.

This time, they returned as parents, with their daughter Ayla joining them for the occasion.

The celebration unfolded at Borgo del Carato, a countryside estate known for its historic architecture and rustic Sicilian charm.

The setting provided a romantic backdrop for a gathering that brought together the people closest to them, many of whom had travelled considerable distances to be there.

The couple also hosted a Mafia-themed rehearsal dinner on October 9, the evening before the wedding celebration. Berina wore a custom corset and skirt by Hera Couture for the occasion, adding a distinctive fashion moment to the festivities.

For the main celebration, she chose an elegant strapless gown, Christian Dior heels and a sweeping lace veil, while Jai wore a cream suit jacket and bow tie.

The photographs from the occasion captured a couple celebrating a moment they had hoped to share long before the difficult news that changed the course of their year.

A Private Wedding Came First After Jai’s Diagnosis

The Italian celebration followed an intimate civil ceremony in Sydney in July.

Jai and Berina had become engaged in Sicily in 2024 and had originally planned to marry later in 2026. However, Jai’s MND diagnosis led them to reconsider their timing and bring forward their legal wedding.

The couple shared glimpses of their private ceremony on social media, expressing gratitude to the family and friends who helped make the day possible.

“We did a thing,” Berina wrote in one post, offering a simple but heartfelt announcement of their marriage.

She also thanked the loved ones who had helped organise the occasion and looked after their daughter.

“I am in awe of how amazing people are,” she wrote, expressing appreciation for everyone who had given their time to make the elopement special. <Cite refs={[“turn699214view1”]}/>

Their private wedding allowed them to make that commitment without waiting for a larger celebration.

The return to Sicily in October then offered something different: the opportunity to bring their wider circle together in the place where Jai had proposed, sharing their happiness with the people who mattered most to them.

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

In May 2026, Jai announced his immediate retirement from professional rugby league after receiving a diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

The former Queensland State of Origin forward had spent months undergoing medical testing and treatment before revealing the news publicly.

The diagnosis marked a major turning point for the athlete, who had played 178 NRL games across his career and represented Queensland on 12 occasions.

In announcing his retirement, Jai spoke about the uncertainty he was facing and the need to focus on his health and rehabilitation.

He also thanked South Sydney, his teammates and the wider rugby league community for the support they had shown him and his family.

The news prompted an enormous response from the NRL community, with former teammates, supporters and rival clubs coming together to recognise Jai’s contribution to the game.

The Rabbitohs later honoured him during an emotional occasion at Allianz Stadium, where supporters gathered to celebrate his career and show their affection for him.

It was a powerful reminder of the impact he had made both on and off the field.

Against that backdrop, the Sicilian wedding represents an opportunity to celebrate something that remains deeply important to Jai: his family and the life he shares with Berina.

A New Chapter With Berina and Their Daughter

Throughout this period, Berina has been at the centre of Jai’s life, with their daughter Ayla representing another important part of their shared future.

The couple’s relationship has now reached several major milestones in a relatively short period: their engagement in Italy, the arrival of their daughter, their private Sydney wedding and, finally, their destination celebration surrounded by loved ones.

The Sicilian gathering brought those milestones together in one place.

For their family and friends, it was a chance to celebrate the couple without the usual demands of sport or public life. For Jai and Berina, it was a moment to pause and enjoy the people who had travelled to be with them.

The wedding did not remove the uncertainty surrounding Jai’s health, and the couple have not suggested that it changes the challenges ahead. Instead, it offered a meaningful occasion to celebrate their relationship and the family they have created.

That is what makes the photographs from Sicily so moving: they capture a moment of happiness that exists alongside a difficult and uncertain reality.

The Rugby League Community Continues to Stand With Jai

Since Jai’s diagnosis, the rugby league community has rallied around the former Rabbitohs forward.

His retirement brought tributes from teammates, coaches and fans who recognised his contribution to the sport and the commitment he brought to his career.

South Sydney also organised a special occasion to honour him, while the NRL promoted fundraising activities in support of MND awareness and research.

The outpouring of support has extended beyond the football field, with people across the sport recognising both Jai’s achievements and the challenges his family now faces.

His wedding in Sicily has offered another opportunity for those who admire him to celebrate a positive moment in his life.

While the focus remains on Jai and Berina as they begin this next chapter, the occasion also reflects the strength of the relationships surrounding them.

Their family and friends made the journey to be there, helping turn a long-held dream into a shared celebration.

A Wedding That Meant More Than a Beautiful Day in Italy

Jai Arrow and Berina Colakovic’s Sicilian wedding was a celebration of love, family and the future they continue to build together.

From their engagement in 2024 to the arrival of Ayla and their private marriage in Sydney, their relationship has passed through several major milestones. The return to Sicily brought their story back to a place that has held special meaning for them from the beginning.

The past year has also brought difficult news and significant changes to Jai’s life and career. His MND diagnosis forced him to step away from the sport that had defined much of his adult life, placing new focus on his health and the people closest to him.

Yet the wedding offered a joyful moment amid that uncertainty — a chance to gather the people they love and celebrate the bond they share.

Their future may look different from what they once imagined, but the celebration was a reminder of the life they have already built together.

In the Sicilian countryside, surrounded by loved ones and with their little girl beside them, Jai and Berina celebrated a dream that had survived a year of enormous change. It was more than a wedding day: it was a beautiful reminder that even in uncertain times, there is still room for love, family and moments worth holding on to.