MADE IN THE SHADE

Marla Bennett married Mark Ross on Saturday, January 3, 2015, in a dappled courtyard beneath the vines at Black Barn Vineyard in Havelock North

My best friend Kate has known Mark since high school – his mum coached her soccer team. In 2008, Kate and I were living together in Auckland and Mark was in Wellington when he suggested she train for a Taupo cycle race in which he was competing. I decided to join her, so on the weekend of the race we all met up in Taupo, and Mark and I really hit it off. He invited me to Wellington for some more cycling, and it turned into a weekendlong first date. After loving each other long-distance for a year, he moved to be with me in Auckland. Five years later, on holiday in Canada, we were high on a mountain when he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife.

Summer loving

We didn’t really have a cohesive theme, we just wanted it to be pretty and summery. The slices of wood used to decorate our venue represented the fact that Mark and I are outdoorsy types. Little gold animals marked our place settings; we chose moose and bears as a nod to my Canadian heritage.

Blushing bride

I wanted something elegant but simple; I’m not very tall, so a big puffy dress was a no-no. My best friend, my mum and I went to Melbourne for a girls’ weekend to find my lace and silk-chiffon gown, a Sarah Seven design from The Bridal Atelier. Department store Myer proved a treasure trove of affordable options for my footwear and bridesmaid dresses.

Sounds great

We really wanted our ceremony to be a little bit rock ’n’ roll, so I walked down the aisle to Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’, and we signed the registry to ‘You’ve Got the Silver’ by the Rolling Stones and U2’s ‘In a Little While’, then left the ceremony venue to the beat of ‘I Want You to Want Me’ by Cheap Trick. For the reception, we hired a DJ – our first dance as husband and wife was to ‘Hand in Hand’ by Dire Straits.