Marton trumps Las Vegas
Couple set for glitzy Rangitikei wedding
Aydan Palmer and Francis Leppard had plans to get married in the bright lights of Las Vegas. That was, until the chance for a rural Rangit¯ıkei wedding came along.
The couple entered Project Marton’s “Elope to the Country” competition to win a wedding at the Marton Harvest Festival on March 31 followed by a six-day Rangit¯ıkei honeymoon.
Leppard saw the competition on Facebook, and sent a photo, then a video but never thought they would win.
Then the two were tricked into driving to Marton for a meeting, where they were asked how they would feel if they won and were handed an envelope.
“They came running out with flowers and wine and said we had actually won it. I burst into tears. I didn’t really know what to say,” Leppard said.
The two have been in a relationship for just over five years. They raise two children; Cooper, from Leppard’s previous relationship, and Mila who the couple had together.
“I got pregnant six months after meeting. We thought, ‘This is all the wrong way round’ but we were pretty confident in what we had,” Leppard
said. They were both living with their parents, but confided in a friend who told them it never seemed like the right time to have children. They took heart and built a house together, moving in when Mila was six weeks old.
They had met through a shared passion for motocross. “We used to go on rides and race together. Both families did it as a family, and our children are now involved.”
They travel New Zealand racing their bikes, though these days it’s mostly Francis supporting and watching Aydan and Cooper.
Both are very outdoorsy people, Leppard said, and will love the rafting, shooting and horse riding planned for their Rangit¯ıkei honeymoon. “It’s going to be so much fun.” Leppard’s parents will look after their children for that week, which will be the longest the two have ever spent without them.
They have four weeks until the wedding and lots to arrange. They will have to dip into their savings in order to pay for guests, but it still seems like a dream come true.
It will be better than a Vegas wedding, Leppard said, because their families will be there.
“Family for us is a massive thing.” The public aspect won’t worry them, because they are both “pretty confident people. I competed in Miss Manawatu¯ when I was younger, and I’m not worried about public speaking”, Leppard said.
They may postpone their trip to the United States. “It just isn’t as important now that we have got the wedding to plan for.”