In January my son Dylan married his long-time sweetheart, Becca in a stunning marquee wedding in the park here at Rowley Estate. It was the first ever wedding I’ve hosted on the property so it meant a lot that it was a family occasion and a proud moment too, to showcase the property in its summer splendour.
The weather – and what it would do, lingered in the back of our minds before the big day. We were all silently crossing our fingers for Marlborough to put on it’s best sparkling day. Well, the unexpected did happen. On the Friday, Auckland was plunged in to a state of emergency for extreme flooding, and all flights were cancelled until further notice. As most of the guests and the whole wedding party were traveling from Auckland this meant that potentially we would not have a bridal party on the day, along with family members and many other guests whose flights were cancelled. How could this be after a year of detailed planning? Murphys Law. It was surreal. However, the wedding party made a call (as did others) to drive through the night, catch the ferry in Wellington to arrive in Blenheim on Sunday morning for the wedding at 3pm. That was commitment. And a relief.
Blenheim wasn’t turning it on either with rain pelting until the 11th hour on the day. The MC rushed out to buy 40 umbrellas …rain wasn’t welcome today:( Too,no contingency was planned for or talked about with blind optimism and wishful thinking playing its part. However, they do say that when the bride appears the sun shows itself….and it did☀️
The ceremony was conducted by local marriage celebrant Rachael Tau’alupe who brought humour and authenticity to the occasion. Our hearts were full as we witnessed Dylan and Becca exchange personal vows written for each other. It was especially meaningful and a little emotional to see my boy tie the knot as I’ve watched them grow together since they were teenagers. They are so meant for each other.
We danced until the early hours to sounds from the talented Auckland DJ/musicians Sam Jones and Co. They just knew what to play. It was perfect.
Our vendors were all local and were a dream to work with too. Chefs Sander and Bianca from Karaka Kitchen put on delicious canapès for the champage cocktail hour before we made our way to the tent for a selection of mezze, then generous family platters for main course and a to-die-for naked chocolate and raspberry wedding cake to finish.
It was a memorable and happy occasion and so special to host the whole family and many personal friends from way back. It was over all too quickly, but we have beautiful pictures to re-tell the story….
