ROMANTIC RECOLLECTIONS

All Black turned christchurch classic hits dj Andy ellis married his high school sweetheart emma in december 2007. here they reflect on their Big day And romance

all black turned christchurch classic hits dJ andy ellis reflects on his 2007 nuptials with his high-school sweetheart

Andy: We met at Burnside High School in Christchurch. Emma was 15 and I was 16. Our little sisters were in third form and were great friends. They decided it would be cool if their brother and sister started going out, so introduced us. I asked Emma to watch my sister play basketball in the Hunter Gym at Burnside High; I guess that was our first date!

I proposed to Emma the night before I left for Japan to play for the Junior All Blacks in June 2007. We went to the Christchurch Gondola restaurant for dinner and when we left I suggested we look at the view over the city. I had written a poem about Emma, and when I finished, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. I’d already bought a 1.5-carat diamond ring.

Emma: Of course, I immediately said, “Yes.” As we headed down the gondola, Andy told me our families were waiting at a local restaurant to celebrate with us. When we got to the car, he opened the boot and there were two dozen red roses.

Andy: We were engaged in June and tied the knot six months later in December. I was selected for the 2007 All Blacks World Cup squad, which took me to Europe and the UK for eight weeks. Emma also joined me in France so it made for a busy and exciting time leading up to our wedding.

Emma: We only had six months to plan our wedding, with a long trip to Europe in between, but it all came together well. We had weekly meetings with both sets of parents filled with dinners, wine and lots of laughs.

We married on December 7, 2007 at St Barnabas Church in Fendalton, Christchurch in front of 180 guests. The reception was at Pemberton in Prebbleton. Andy’s parents were married at St Barnabas, so it was nice to carry on that tradition. We wanted a garden reception and Pemberton was the perfect venue – our guests enjoyed canapés outdoors with live music while we had our photos taken.

I wore a princess-style strapless gown made from white Italian silk and ornate lace. It was designed and made by Louise Anderson Bridal Design. My veil was full and long and I wore my hair up. I kept accessories to a minimum. Our flowers were white and pink roses from Rangiora Florist Shop.

Andy wore a morning suit with a black jacket, grey pinstripe pants, a grey waistcoat with a black and white necktie. His six groomsmen wore the same suit and my six bridesmaids wore three different floor-length gowns in three shades of pink.

Andy: I remember I was a bit nervous before the ceremony. Emma was late to the church!

Emma: That was because all eight of the dresses, including the mother of the bride’s, had corsets and we underestimated how long it would take to do them up.

We went for the traditional bridal march for when I walked up the aisle. We had planned to have our first dance to Jack Johnson’s Better

Together but we forgot the CD, so our band stepped in and suggested Stevie Wonder’s

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. We both absolutely love the song now.

Andy: We have so many great memories from our wedding day, but one that really stands out is our groomsman Iain Munroe fainting at our ceremony. We often watch our wedding DVD just to see his feet slowly go out from under him!

Emma: When I think back to the day, it was perfect. The only thing I would change is to add more people to our bridal party!

Andy: It was one of the best days of my life and it seems hard to believe we’ll celebrate our seventh anniversary this year. Communication is the best thing you can have in a marriage, and date nights, especially if you have kids!