Newlyweds Jeremy Platt and Zoe Tovell tied the knot at Larnach Castle yesterday, after having to reschedule their big day five times over the past three years.
The couple met through friends of siblings several years ago.
They then travelled through Europe together.
"We were going to elope in Scotland, but our families wouldn’t allow it," Mr Platt, 34, said.
"I’m from Dunedin, so getting married at Larnach Castle was the next best thing."
They were all set to get hitched in 2020, but "Covid did what Covid does", and the couple — who by then had moved to Australia — were unable to travel to New Zealand because of the lockdown.
Several other Covid-related delays — and then the birth of their two children within a couple of years — meant this was their fifth attempt to host the wedding.
But Ms Tovell, 33, of Brisbane, said they always had their hearts set on Larnach Castle.
"We were never not going to get married here.
Mr Platt said it "still doesn’t feel real".
"It’s been such a long journey to get to this point."
Larnach Castle managing director Norcombe Barker said they were "quite touched" that the couple had decided to persevere with the venue.
"They obviously had their hearts set on it."
In order to accommodate their wishes, Lanarch Castle delayed some of the scaffolding work required on the building.
"We obviously didn’t want their wedding photos to be marred by scaffolding, so we’ve pushed it back a bit."
It was a quiet time for weddings at the castle, so "we had to pull out the stops for this one".
"We were happy to help," Mr Barker said.
