We have spoken to each other every day since and I can’t imagine my world any other way. I love how much we learn from one another — I swear she teaches me something new every week. The biggest challenge we face as a couple is the amount of time we spend apart. I play cricket for a living and Gert is a primary school teacher, and over the years, we have spent many months apart. But it’s important to both find jobs that challenge you and that you find rewarding. On the day I planned to propose to Gert, I asked a photographer to meet us in a secluded forest in Melbourne and to stay out of sight and capture the moment I popped the question. But the photographer was a no-show. As we left the forest, we bumped into an elderly couple and, realising there was no one waiting behind the trees, asked if they wouldn’t mind taking our picture. They shared with us the secrets of their 54-year marriage and, as they left, the lady turned to Gert and said, “This is my husband Bob, my name is Lorraine, and it was lovely to meet you, dear.” Lorraine was the name of my grandmother, who I always wish Gert could have met. We still keep in contact with the couple and even invited them to our wedding. We live in Mount Maunganui and wanted to pack up for the week and take our friends and family away with us, so we had the wedding at Kauri Bay Boomrock. We hired two houses — one for the girls and one for the guys — and made some great memories in the days leading up to the wedding. We will always remember the effort people made — our parents cooking and cleaning, the bridal party travelling from all over the world to be there. After the speeches, Gert grabbed my hand and took me outside. We looked back at the party from the grass bank at Boomrock and said to each other, “This is just perfect — and it’s all for us.”
Photography—Danelle Bohane | Groom and groomsmen’s attire—Working Style | Bride’s dress—Hera Couture | Rings—Naveya & Sloane | Venue—Kauri Bay Boomrock, Auckland | Bridesmaid dresses— Zimmermann | Bride’s shoes—Christian Louboutin | Styling & Flora—Shaye Woolford at On My Hand | Celebrant—Justine Russell-Cowan | Jewellery—Vdodili | Makeup & hair—Fiona Claire Beauty | Cake—The Caker | Special song—‘Let’s make a night to remember’ by Bryan | Entertainment—Izzy & Moe Adams (acoustic)