Sarah-Lee and Wayne met when they were fifteen. Another 15 years later they married at the tranquil Grandview Gardens in Outram.
When and where we met: We met when I (Sarah) was 15. We became really close teenage friends for years. We both had children with previous partners. After our relationships dissolved we "hooked up'' 3 years ago when Wayne needed somewhere to live. It quickly turned into a relationship. Both boys (Reef and Zadyn) live full -time with us. They enjoyed the lead up to and the day of the wedding. They were excited to become brothers and to be a family properly. They said many times on the day"we're brothers now!''). So it was very special for all of us.
Proposal: It all started three days before Christmas 2010 when Wayne had gathered enough courage to phone my father (Nigel Thorpe) and ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Nigel got such a fright that he quickly replied "I’ll have to ring you back shortly". Forty-five minutes later and a lot of pacing backwards and forwards Nigel rang Wayne back with a list of questions. Wayne addresses accordingly, having done his homework. Nigel gives his blessing after questions were answered to Nigel's satisfaction.
So the night before Christmas 2010, after flooding the house and all the Christmas presents were saturated, everything pieced together and Santa was happy that Sarah had wrapped everything. Sarah went to lie down and take a moment of peace, when Wayne came in with a rose wearing only a Santa outfit. He got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage. EXCITING!!
Christmas morning came and we got to give family and friends the best presentand the preparation begins.
Where was the wedding: Grandview Gardens, Outram, 7th April 2012. The wedding ceremony was in the gardens at Grandview and reception following "In the barn" at Grandview Gardens. We chose the venue because of my family history. It reminded me of my childhood growing up on family farms with the cuzzies and throwing each other down the shearing chutes. Its rustic look also is fabulous. It is a beautiful venue. The gardens are gorgeous and the surrounding features around the property that Jo has built up over the last few years are such a credit to her. It's a beautiful venue and I would recommend it to anybody.
My dress: Well, this is a good one! I decided that I needed a wedding magazine tostart getting some ideas and to make a scrapbook of what I liked. I got to about page 4 of the mag and there was this dress but in the picture it was gold and I wanted white. It was from Astra Bridal andit was a Maggie Sottero dress. Well, that was it! For the next few months no dress would cut it. I took my magazine to every dress fitting I went to and nothing could match up to my picture. So finally I rang Astra Bridal in Auckland and I got a man (also a Wayne). I asked if I could order the dress, but in white, andgave him sizing’s. I just had to have it, I hadn't thought of anything since. So it was ordered and my dream dress was on its way!
Bridesmaids' dresses: I wanted cobalt blue for the bridesmaids' dresses so Devon (best friend and head bridesmaid) and I started to look around for patterns. We found an elegant Vogue design and even got 50% off it. Wheeooo! Good start. We got material and Devon's mother Kathy made them. They turned out stunning with unique backs on them. All three girls looked very pretty. I am very grateful.
The flowers: Iwanted paua incorporated into my bouquet, with white and blue roses wrapped with flax. I loved it. It worked perfectly. Bridesmaids had white and black roses in smaller bouquets. Our niece was the flower girl. She used white rose petals from the garden. We got ourflowers from Dunedin whole sale flowers. Good customer service and the flowers were all perfect.
The caterers: Bede Beaumont catering did our food. They were recommended by many people. We liked the look of the buffet menu choices that we were given. We started with canapés after the ceremony, which were delicious. Following later in the evening there was a two-course buffet then a beautifully set out dessert.
My two favourites would have to be the baked whole salmon and the broccoli, pine nut and cranberry salad. Yum. Thank you so much Bede Beaumont catering, you did a fantastic job.
Highlight of the day: Our ceremony was beautiful, with my granddad John Thorpe (only grandparent present at the wedding) playing harmonica during the signing of the register.
Photographer and Favourite photo: Kelk Photography, Dunedin
