Maria & Hayden

"We first met when we were 16. Hayden put his arm around me at a party. He found out that I had been on a couple of dates with his best mate, and he quickly backed off (bro code). He asserts he always knew we had a spark. Even if nothing happened between us until we ran into each other at a bar in Ponsonby 12 years later and had our first kiss in the only place open at 3.45 am... Calendar Girls!"

How did he propose?

"When we first started dating, we would have date nights every Wednesday, where we took turns to plan. One of these was a super special picnic in the dunes at Muriwai Beach, where Hayden told me he loved me. 2 days after the level 4 lockdown ended, we escaped there for a walk. I had no idea Hayden had planned for our closest family and friends to be there holding signs saying, "Will you marry me?". He'd had the ring the whole four weeks of lockdown but wanted to wait to take me to the place where he first told me he loved me to propose."

What do you consider the best investment, and why?

"Our photographer, Mikayla Bollen! We are in love with our photos and will cherish them forever. She was an absolute magician and made us feel so at ease. You can tell she is super experienced, and she made it all so fun and natural for us to enjoy being photographed."

What was one of your favourite moments?

"There are far too many! It was such a fun day. 
Maria - I was (traditionally) running late, and I arrived the most nervous I've ever been, with my heart beating out of my chest. When I saw Hayden up there waiting for me, the nerves vanished instantly, and it felt like it was just us for a second; I almost sprinted up the aisle to join him and remember my mum telling me to slow down, haha. 
Hayden - After the formal parts of the day/night, while everyone was having a boogie, we escaped with a bottle of bubbles and wandered back to our ceremony spot in the pitch-black darkness. We sat, drank and talked while listening to our song before the night was over."