Anthony is a choreographer and owner of dance institute Global Dance Pro. Pete is a freelance TV producer. ~ Both of us love a date night at one of our favourite restaurants, enjoying a few too many wines and laughing a little too loud for the table next to us. We met 11 years ago, and after a fleeting romance, became best friends. Eight years into our friendship, we realised there was something bigger between us. Three years later, we were married. Being best friends for years before we fell in love makes the foundation of our marriage so special and so unbreakable. Same-sex marriage was still illegal in Australia when we became engaged, so we decided to make it a destination wedding in New Zealand. During our wedding planning, marriage equality was achieved in Australia, but by then we were obsessed with Waiheke and having the wedding of our dreams there. The wedding was immaculately planned, mainly due to Pete’s mum, Lorilie. From the day we were engaged, she had files sorted, mood boards prepped, vendors on hold. She was just all over it and did a fabulous job. We’ve both always loved peacocks and their vibrant colours (so camp!) so we decided to subtly theme the wedding around their colours. As soon as we saw Mudbrick, we knew it was perfect. We also knew we needed someone with local knowledge and found Sophia from My Waiheke, who brought our vision to life. We really went all out with styling. Our favourite element was the flowers. Kelly at Blush Flowers absolutely nailed it – we asked for over the top, and she delivered. Both of our jaws dropped when we first entered the reception and saw what she had created. Our incredible photographers Bayly & Moore had a brilliant idea. After the ceremony, we took a helicopter to the most breathtaking spot on Waiheke, called Stony Batter. It was just the two of us standing up on this big rock, with the sun setting. We had the most magical moment, soaking in the beauty of what just happened. It felt like a dream. We found that our wedding was as much a celebration of our love for family and friends as it was for each other. Having 125 loved ones there to celebrate our love was the best moment of our lives so far and to finally have our love recognised by our own country means the world to us. We got married because we love each other so much, and want to spend the rest of our days together.
And here is the beautiful film by La Lune Cinema:
Photography: Bayly & Moore Grooms’ attire: Gucci (Pete) & Harrolds (Anthony) Videography: La Lune Cinema Special song: ‘Better Man’ by James Morrison Planner: My Waiheke Hair: Luke Reynolds Rings: Cartier Venue & catering: Mudbrick Flora: Blush Celebrant: Swami Yogamani Saraswati Groomsmen’s suits: Belancé Bridesmaids’ dresses: Lisa Brown Wedding Stationery: The Distillery Grooms’ shoes: Christian Louboutin Hire: My Waiheke Styling: My Waiheke Entertainment: Daryl Murphy, Lai Utovou & Lavina Williams Cake: Magnolia Kitchen
