Stephanie Scott's mother invites public to celebrate daughter's life

The family of murdered New South Wales school teacher Stephanie Scott has invited the public to have a cup of tea in her honour today, on what would have been her 28th birthday.

Her killer Vincent Stanford was sentenced to life in jail on Thursday, a penalty that will see him die behind bars as Justice Robert Allan Hulme ordered that he never be released.

In court, Ms Scott’s family let out a gasp of relief. Outside, her mother Merrilyn spoke of their never-ending pain.

"So much has been taken away from us. Stephanie had everything taken away from her," she said.

She invited the public to celebrate her daughter’s birthday with a cup of tea.

"We will be having a cup of tea and a mint slice biscuit at 3pm. Please join us," she said.

"Stephanie would want us to resume our lives. We need to be kind to ourselves and let the music and fun back in."

Stanford confessed to raping and murdering the popular teacher just days before she was due to marry.

"The offender admits to having bashed Ms Scott some 30 to 40 times to the head in under a minute, and to make sure she was dead, he stabbed her in the neck with a very large knife,” Justice Hulme said in court.

The judge described Stanford as "depraved…despicable…callous and conniving."

"There can be no question that the offender is a very disturbed individual.”

Stanford sent Ms Scott’s rings and driver's licence to his twin brother Marcus, while keeping her bra as a souvenir for himself.

Mrs Scott said she often visits the spot where her daughter’s body was dumped, off a secluded dirt road in the Cocoparra National Park.

The heartbroken mother planted a small garden that will one day flourish, another display of her family's determination to remember Stephanie's bright and beautiful life.