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Well what can I say? I got to marry my absolute best friend, the one person who truly gets me, who understands me and loves me anyway!

Mike & I got married on 24 th February 2007, although it seems a million years ago, I still remember every fabulous detail of our special day, but to get there I need to take you back to November 2001, the night it all began!

Mike and I met through mutual friends when I had just turned 17. We both went to the Mere Mere Car Racing, he was shy and quiet, I was quite the opposite! We met that night and we have been here, there & everywhere together ever since. I realised that night he was my perfect opposite, we balanced each other out perfectly.

Three years later it was the night Mike proposed and it was a shock to say the least! I was singing karaoke at the time so it wasn’t the most romantic proposal, but I didn’t care, I was so blown away I called everyone I knew bawling my eyes out and shared our news! But Mike cared….. He wanted a proposal that would sweep me off me feet, so he re-proposed one night with flowers, candles and a fabulous dinner and the most beautiful words I have ever heard him say! Two proposals, both perfect in their own ways!

Getting married wasn’t the top of my list considering I was only 20 years old so we decided to wait awhile before planning the wedding…….. Fast forward to 2006 and it all began!

It took us about 14 months to plan our wedding day exactly the way we wanted it to be! We wanted it to be unique to us, something we would be proud of and something that reflected out personalities…… That’s what we got!

We started by choosing our Bridal party, two best friends and my little sister for me & one brother and four friends for Mike! People kept asking if we were concerned about having an un-even Bridal party…… We weren’t in the slightest, we just wanted all the people who meant the world to us standing up there with us on the day so we twisted tradition a bit and we are so happy we did!

Next was the dress, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted, I tried on 4 dresses & I was disappointed with all of them. I stopped looking in the hopes that the perfect dress would find me…..and it did! While flicking through a magazine and looking at dresses the stars wore to the Oscars I saw it, it was lime green and a giant meringue but I saw potential! I did a few sketches and decided to get my dress made! I took a huge risk picking a style and not trying on anything similar but I knew it would work out in the end.

My dress was more than I could have asked for! I felt so incredibly gorgeous in it and Mike was blown away when he saw it! I loved every aspect of it, even more so because it had come from a very rough sketch I had done myself. I was very proud! Getting me into the dress however was quite a daunting task for my poor Mum who had practiced getting me into it at the fittings! Not only was it so fitting and boned but it had about 50 buttons down the side to compete with!

We went along for the next few months planning bits and pieces and researching every possible option!

Mike went to work on finding a DJ, some cars and picking the suits for himself and all the boys meanwhile I planned most of the other things, flowers, centerpieces, invitations, menus and all the other stuff that goes along with it, all with the help of my fabulous Mum. She was an absolute life saviour through the entire planning process. She was my researcher, my assistant, my parent, my friend, my planner, my everything. She wanted the day to be perfect for us and she wanted it to be about us, it was also good to get her feedback on if our ideas were a bit too ‘unique’! Neither Mike nor I had been to a wedding so ours was the first! In a way that was good but it made planning really hard as to begin with we didn’t even know we needed a marriage certificate! We got that sorted pretty quickly however!

We were pretty much on track with everything until I got the dreaded email about 4 weeks out from the actual day. Our venue had double booked us with a HUGE festival.

Panic! Stress! Dis-Belief! Could this REALLY be happening? After a year of planning this it was all crashing down around us! I picked up the phone, my hand shaking and tears running down my cheeks and called Mike, second call, my Mum.

I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach for days until fate intervened…….. A venue that WASN”T BOOKED!? And it just so happened to be the first ever venue we looked at! It was an hour’s drive from our ceremony location but we didn’t have much choice!

So everyone one I know and even people I didn’t know that were part of a wedding website I was a member on started calling & emailing frantically. In weeks we had the new venue sorted, new menus, new everything including two buses to take guests to and from the venue!

So with that sorted we just had to worry about the finer details now……. I was getting more stressed by the day but tried not to lose focus on what was really important, which was Mike & I getting married, the thought provoked excitement every time I thought about it!

The day before came around all too quickly and we were run off out feet trying to finish everything off and get all our things transported out to the venue!

Mike and I had been given massage and facial vouchers which we decided to use the day before and it was bliss for all of 30 seconds until my cell phone started ringing and did not stop until we left there!

We then got stuck in Auckland fabulous peak hour traffic on the way home from the venue, it was stinking hot and my Bridesmaids and friends were all waiting on me with wine and nibbles to celebrate my last day before I was Mrs. Brown!

As we sat in silence me ticking off my many, many lists, I just started laughing, I could not believe we were getting married in less than 24 hours, not a hint of nerves, just pure happiness & excitement!

I stayed at my Dad's the night before with my family and went to bed at about 10pm; I fell asleep straight away and slept straight through my alarm the next morning! I woke just before the make up artist arrived and banged on all the bedroom doors waking everyone shrieking “I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY”

I was so excited & calm, I had so much to do but I didn’t care, I just sat and watched everyone rushing around me like crazy, it all felt quite surreal!

The Bridesmaids arrived and our wonderful make up & hair artist started to work her magic on all of us! Half way through getting my hair done I remembered I had to shave my legs! So we went off up to the supermarket, in our bath robes and slippers, hair half done to buy a shaver, we got some strange looks which I was completely oblivious too!

In between flowers, photographers, videographers, visitors arriving Mike rang me four times, he was nervous, really nervous! I assured him I was fine and we had a quiet moment chatting together, it hit me that I needed to get my butt into gear!

My bridesmaids were so nervous they were practicing walking to the music while I attempted writing my speech; both were quickly abandoned when it was time to get dressed! It was finally time to attempt to get into that dress! Well it didn’t take half as long as we thought it would and I felt amazing!

In a rushed blur, a veil, jewellery, perfume, the lot was added and we were whisked out the door!

Mike & the boys were waiting for us before the ceremony at a location where Mike and I were having our ‘special meeting’. We arrived and I saw Mike from a distance, he looked gorgeous as ever and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! All of a sudden the heavens opened and it poured, it rained for a good 20 minutes while the 6 boys huddled under the one doorway that could shelter them! The rain stopped and it was time… time to see my husband to be for the first time that day……

He waited around the corner and I stood anxiously waiting. I saw him and I crumbled. I saw tears rolling down his face and the biggest, brightest most beautiful smile I have ever seen, he picked me up and gave me the tightest hug ever, I suddenly felt a rush of relief wash over me, I was finally comfortable because I was with Mike, I knew this day was going to be perfect.

After the tears we had some photos, not just with the photographer but with the 50 tourists who just stepped off a bus next to us!

Off to the next photo location….. it was so hot that the girls had their shoes off and the boys were melting in their black suits, I felt so sorry for everyone so we tried to keep photos short!

We were running behind schedule as we dropped the boys off at the church! The girls and I rushed back to the hotel where my parents were waiting for us! As they rushed us up to our room all I could think about was how gorgeous everyone looked and what Mike had said to me when he first saw me “You make me so proud”.

After a very quick touch up and a huge effort from my mum to replace the dying flowers in the girls hair we were off again, it all went so quickly that I didn’t have time to be nervous, until we got to the church. As we stood outside and I heard the music start up nerves took over and I felt pretty overwhelmed.

The girls started walking up the aisle to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and then it was my turn. Accompanied by both my Mum & Dad we walked in and all eyes were on us, my hands were trembling and I can’t remember anything else until I saw Mike waiting up the front. He was a mess, he was sobbing and then I lost it. I couldn’t get up that aisle quick enough to him. Once I got to the front I didn’t care about tradition, I almost threw my flowers to my sister to hold and Mike and I just held each other. I was crying so much my throat hurt and I didn’t realise how tight Mike and I were holding hands until I looked down at my white knuckles!

We wrote our vows together and managed to choke our way through them with a couple of pauses to compose ourselves. When it came to the rings in the stark silence of the huge cathedral I burst into laughter as I tried to force Mikes ring on, that broke the emotion a bit as our guests giggled away.

I don’t think I have ever felt such relief as when I heard the words “You may kiss your Bride”. We kissed and it was the best kiss we have had in the almost 6 years we have been together!

After the ceremony was done all our guests were put on buses with champagne, beer & water and taken out to the venue while Mike, myself and the Bridal party jumped in a stretch SUV limo and rode in style!

When we got to the venue Mike and I were whisked off to the beach for some photos alone and it was the first time we could be just ‘US’ which was the best part of the whole day. I kicked off my shoes and just enjoyed my new husband for a few moments before we headed back to the reception.

Well, people say everything happens for a reason and it does! The new venue was outstanding; they had quite possibly the BEST service, food, venue and views we could have asked for!

The setting & sunset were spectacular! More than we could have ever dreamed for!

We were announced into the reception to cheers, claps and a few people chanting “Party at Kelly Browns House” (My new name) The reception room looked stunning, it was exactly the way we had imagined it and as I finally took my seat I took it all in and it was a picture I will never forget, all out friends and family who we adore, my gorgeous man by my side, an unbelievable sunset behind us and a strawberry daiquiri on the way……Life was perfect and for that split second I realised just how lucky I am.

Photography - Joanna Wickham Photography