“Gareth went for a walk with our little boy, Lachlan, down to the water. They came back with Lachlan on Gareth’s shoulders, and Lachlan was holding a ring box. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!”
When planning their wedding, Melissa and Gareth realised they were only planning to make everyone else happy, rather than themselves. As big travellers, they knew they wanted to get married in the snow and looked into eloping in either Iceland or Canada.
“It would get too tricky with two small children so we looked closer to home in New Zealand and quickly fell in love with what we found.”
It seemed that sickness came hand in hand with their celebrations – Gareth’s parents had food poisoning and couldn’t attend the wedding and the couple’s children and nephews all came down with high fevers that afternoon!
However, the happy couple were determined to not let sickness ruin their day!
The couple took a helicopter up to the top of a snow-capped mountain in New Zealand where they shared their vows and toasted to the rest of their lives together.
“Having an intimate reception with our immediate families and then a big celebration with all our family and friends was perfect for us and made our wedding last a little longer!”
The casual, relaxed wedding reception – set up on a private property in Nangkita, SA – was everything the bride and groom could have asked for, creating their perfect wedding – even though they spent the night sleeping on the couch after their daughter vomited in their bed!
Photography by Fredrick Larson (NZ) and Angus White Photography (AUS)
Ceremony Venue: Deer Park Heights, Peninsula Hill, Queenstown, New Zealand
Reception Venue: Botswana Butchery, Queenstown NZ.
Wedding planner: NZ Destination and Heli Weddings
Celebrant or Officiant: Phillipa Cook
Entertainment (i.e.DJ, live band, etc.): Griffin Alliance Entertainment – Craig Schubert
Bridal dress designer: Jadore via White Runway and Elle Zeitoune via White Runway
Bridal jewellery: Fletcher and Grace
Engagement rings: Michael Hill Jewellers
Flower girl dresses designer: Evie and Sash
Groom’s suit: Peter Jackson
Cake designer: Sugar Sugar Cakes
Invitation designer: Paper Halo
Florist: The Flower Room (NZ) and McLaren Vale Florist (AUS)
Favours: Unique Living Gifts
Hairdresser: La Pictura Hair
Makeup artists: Lauren Parkinson
Written by Ellen Kirkness