Real Weddings

Kelsey and Gerard
Bracu

Photography by Justin Aitken

"Kelsey and I met through rowing. Rowing has provided us with so many memorable experiences and shaped our characters, our relationship with each other, and our deeply connected friendships. We both rowed for Auckland Rowing Performance Centre in Hobsonville Point, where we now live. Kelsey was a far superior rower. She progressed her rowing career, moving to Cambridge to train at Rowing New Zealand. We maintained a long-distance relationship for ten years to support each other's goals. Kelsey achieved World Champion status, obtained a world record, and recently achieved a historic Olympic Medal in the Women's Eight - New Zealand's first-ever medal in a blue-ribbon event. I'm her biggest fan, which is something her mom strongly contests! We have a pug, Marnie, that we love. I proposed to Kelsey in Cambridge, and we celebrated over several flutes of champagne with friends at our favourite Italian restaurant, Alpino. Kelsey had been begging me to buy this ridiculously expensive collar for her, so I put the ring onto it and dropped to a knee at the bottom of the stairs at her flat. Unfortunately, Kelsey didn't notice the diamond ring until I explicitly pointed to it! The vision for our wedding was a big party with our closest friends but classy. We had been to Bracu for dinner and fell in love with the food, so it was an easy decision. They hadn't done an outdoor ceremony with 100 people before, but they let me pick a spot on the estate, levelled an aisle and went to great effort to make it a beautiful location. The olive trees formed a natural archway, and the hillside dropped away to create dramatic photos. It was truly stunning! Now, she's starting a business specialising in eyebrows, lashes and eyebrow microblading in Hobsonville Point. This was where we met and now live and where our future children will likely grow up. Our amazing community of rowers is also here. We feel so fortunate to call this meaningful spot our home."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Venue: Bracu
Photography: Justin Aitken
DJ: Aunty EI
Hair: Chantelle Woodward Hair
Makeup: Krystal Hayward
Celebrant: Lucy Strack
Videography: Kirstyn Goodger
Dress: Trish Peng
Florals: Blush
Backdrop: Rollercoaster Design
Cake: Hill House Cafe
Hire: Event Essentials
Stationery: Papier HQ