The secrets of ordinary women who ‘married up’ and now live the high society dream – and the loopy methods wannabes can use to attract rich husbands

There’s nothing better than marrying for love… apart from marrying somebody for love who also happens to be quite wealthy.

For many young women on Sydney’s social circuit, marrying well is the unspoken endgame – even if they’d never say so out loud.

Here, we spotlight the standout socialites who sifted through the often shallow eastern suburbs dating pool to find successful men who actually measured up.

While there is no suggestion these women married for anything besides love – and several already come from comfortable backgrounds and are independently successful – their aspirational lifestyles certainly make them the envy of many.

Indeed, at least one of them has been sharing her secret at classes teaching the art of manifesting a provider husband…

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‘Pilates queen’ Bernadette Fahey (left) met her match when she was introduced to property developer husband Jordan Sukkar (right) at a New Year’s Day party

Few have done better in the game of love than Bondi ‘Pilates queen’ Bernadette Fahey who met her match when she was introduced to property developer Jordan Sukkar at a New Year’s Day party.

Sukkar, who is from one of Sydney’s wealthiest families and heads up a $500million construction business, certainly ticked her boxes after years of living in New York where she struggled to find Mr Right.

Their Scots College wedding in November last year, attended by a Who’s Who of high society, cemented Bernie as the new queen bee of Sydney’s east.

Her enviable lifestyle has made her a magnet for ambitious would-be socialites who aspire to a similar lifestyle and hope to meet someone from the AFR Rich List.

Indeed, Bernadette insists there is a method to help them achieve that goal.

She credits the power of ‘manifestation’ for helping her bag a rich husband. In a guest piece for Danielle Gay’s Reservations blog, Fahey said that after splitting from her ex-fiancé she adopted an attitude of ‘whatever happens, happens’.

But realising this wasn’t working, she decided to be more proactive by throwing her specific needs out to the universe in the form of a wish list for her perfect man.

While she didn’t exactly spell out that she wanted someone wealthy, several of her specifications were telling.

Model and influencer Steffanie Tzaneros (née Roberts) married billionaire Michael Tzaneros

‘Enjoys nice restaurants… works really hard, only flies business class… can stand next to me at an event and not feel intimidated,’ she wrote. Then, just like that, along came Sukkar.  

The couple became engaged on the Greek island of Tinos before tying the knot in a lavish wedding that made the pages of Vogue.

Now, Bernadette incorporates manifestation – a type of spiritual goal-setting in which a person believes positive thoughts can yield positive experiences – into her Pilates classes, which are known to be wildly popular among aspiring ‘It’ girls.

Model and influencer Steffanie Tzaneros (née Roberts) also hit the jackpot when she married billionaire Michael Tzaneros.

The couple tied the knot in Santorini in 2018 after he proposed to her with a $400,000 Cartier ring.

Steffanie wasn’t exactly a pauper before she met Michael, having walked the catwalks of Milan, Berlin and New York before meeting him in 2012.

But Michael, the son of shipping container king Arthur Tzaneros, is next-level rich. A certified billionaire, in fact. 

The Tzaneros family owns Australia’s largest privately owned container logistics operator, ACFS Port Logistics.

Some would say influencer Rey Vakili also got lucky when she married Johnny Ingham, the multimillionaire heir to the Ingham’s Chicken empire, in 2023.

While she’s hardly from humble beginnings, it was marrying into the Ingham fortune that truly put Rey Vakili on the society map. She is pictured here with husband Johnny Ingham, right

Johnny and his shoe designer sister Tamie Ingham, the co-founder of Mara and Mine, are grandchildren of the late Jack Ingham, the brother of billionaire chicken farmer Bob.

Ingham’s sold their operation in 2014 for a reported $880million.

Rey studied political science at Yale in the U.S. before completing a Master of Business Administration at Stanford.

She rose to fame in fashion circles after a stint as the personal assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

While she’s hardly from humble beginnings, it was marrying into the Ingham fortune that truly put her on the society map. 

Kate Fisher (left), the sister of Double Bay eyebrow queen Kristin, secured her spot in Sydney’s elite upon marrying Banjo Bond (right), the grandson of Alan Bond 

Banjo’s brother Jeremy Bond is married to Olivia Bond (née Humphry) who runs a bespoke diamond jewellery business in Sydney’s eastern suburbs 

Kate Fisher, the sister of Double Bay eyebrow queen Kristin, secured her spot in Sydney’s elite upon marrying Banjo Bond, the grandson of Alan Bond.

The couple tied the knot in 2017 and share three children together.

Banjo’s brother Jeremy Bond is married to Olivia Bond (née Humphry) who runs a bespoke diamond jewellery business in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The Bond sisters-in-law are thought to come from wealth – but not the same tier as the blue-blooded brothers they married. 

Alan Bond made his fortune in property investment and Australia’s first private university, Bond University, carries his name.

At the pinnacle of his wealth In 1987, he paid media tycoon Kerry Packer $1billion for Channel Nine and bought Vincent van Gough’s painting Irises for $54million.

Dina Broadhurst‘s background is shrouded in mystery – although she is believed to have genuinely humble roots, unlike some of the other women mentioned here.

She was married at least once – to musician Nick Broadhurst, with whom she shares a son, Leo – but it was the relationship that never made it to the altar that became her ticket to high society.

Dina Broadhurst’s background is shrouded in mystery, but it was her five-year relationship with property developer Max Shepherd (right) that ushered her into high society

There is no doubt her romance with Max Shepherd, a Sydney property developer 15 years her junior, helped her immensely during her rise to prominence over the last decade.

The pair began dating in 2018 and broke up in June 2023, and during that period Dina, 48, became owner of a luxurious three-bedroom Darling Point apartment, which is set to go to auction next Thursday with a price guide of $8.4million.

After splitting from Max, Dina continued her trend of dating rich men when she took up with multimillionaire appliances heir John ‘Herman’ Winning Jr. in early 2024.

They called time on their relationship after eight months of dating.

Stephanie Jandegian is married to her successful businessman Garrett Jandegian

Stephanie Jandegian definitely had her eye on the prize when she married businessman-on-the-rise Garrett Jandegian.

Garrett, originally from San Francisco, is an entrepreneur who co-founded alkaline water brand Aqualove in 2017. He was also the director of antigen test and PPE supplier Pharma Soul during the pandemic.

He left the Aqualove business three years ago after selling his stake in the company.

A source close to the Jandegians said the couple has continued to live a high-flying lifestyle, with Garrett attributing their ongoing wealth to his family’s luck in ‘striking oil’ in Texas.

Stephanie is a former dancer who competed on Network Ten’s hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance in 2008.

She went on to forge a career as broadcast journalist at Channel Nine, including a stint as the Sydney bureau chief of A Current Affair, where she worked alongside her award-winning producer sister, Lauren Golman.

The Jandegians are now in the spotlight after it emerged their Bellevue Hill mansion had been raided by organised crime detectives on February 6. They were not arrested or charged and there is no suggestion either has committed a crime.

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