OUR MAGICAL ISLAND WEDDING
ALL BLACK HERO’S DREAM DAY
‘ Hannah, I take you to be my wife. I love you so much and I can’t believe am’ how lucky I
It’s a spectacular scene. Standing atop a hill on Rakino Island, their arms intertwined and the Hauraki Gulf dazzling behind them, All Black superstar Beauden Barrett and his beautiful bride Hannah Laity are on top of the world.
Framed by an incredible view of the sea and Auckland’s outer islands, the new Mr and Mrs Barrett share their first moment together as husband and wife. It doesn’t get any better than this, Beauden tells Woman’s Day.
“I’ve never been as nervous for a rugby game as I was today. The whole build-up was like a test match on its own! You just can’t compare it.”
Looking absolutely exquisite in a white couture figure-hugging gown, her cathedral-length veil blowing out behind her in the breeze, a laughing Hannah turns to Beauden and grins, “I can’t believe we’re married!”
From the moment he first
I knew I was on to a winner ... Hannah was the first girl I took home to parents’ my
laid eyes on Hannah, Beauden, 27, knew today would come.
After meeting in a Wellington bar for a date arranged by a mutual friend, the pair had realised they’d found their other halves by the end of the evening. Five years later, the stunning couple have pledged their love and exchanged vows in a deeply moving and spiritual ceremony in front of 180 of their family and friends.
“I knew I was on to a winner,” recalls a smiling Beauden of the night he met Hannah, then just 19 and studying to be a chartered accountant. “It was quite funny, though. At the location I’d chosen, all of her friends were sitting outside, so it got off to a very awkward start!”
The humble Taranaki lad continues, “But I knew. Han was the first girl I took home to my parents and I always said the first one I brought home would be the one I’d marry. I was dead right.”
Adds Hannah, 24, “We
clicked from the get-go and the rest is history. I’d done some Google stalking of him before the date and I saw he had a mullet – that was a bit concerning. So there were a couple of work-ons! But I knew from that day that he was ‘the one’.”
In the five years since, their lives have been nonstop. Of course, Beauden’s rugby career is now the stuff of Kiwi legend, having won World Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, while Hannah earned her Bachelor of Commerce and qualified as a chartered accountant.
They welcomed their furbabies Blue and Monty, their miniature schnauzers, and travelled the world together – but it was a special trip to Fiji last January that changed both Beauden and Hannah’s lives forever.
He knew he’d found the girl of his dreams and now he just had to make sure the proposal was worthy of the woman who’d taken
his breath away all those years before.
“She’s always been my rock,” he declares. “Hannah’s always been there for me, through the ups and downs of rugby, and she’s certainly a lot of fun – so kind and so loyal to her friends, which is a very attractive trait. There’s a lot to love. So I wanted to make this special for her.”
Theproposal
Unbeknown to Hannah, Beauden had organised a special trip to secluded Tokoriki Island under the guise of a fishing trip.
“I’m not usually easy to surprise,” admits Hannah. “He even packed a bag for me for the two days, which was bold! I had absolutely no idea what was going on.”
But Beauden’s big surprise was almost ruined when avid Instagrammer Hannah posted about her boyfriend’s grand gesture and hundreds of messages flooded into her inbox asking if Beauden had proposed.
“I put up a story saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, what just happened?’ – talking about the resort – and I started getting all these messages saying, ‘OMG, you’re engaged!’ I was like, ‘No, no!’”
But the next day, after a massage and a long walk together, Beauden got down on one knee in front of the pool and asked Hannah to be his wife.
“It was very casual – I mean, I was in a bikini,” laughs Hannah. “It was perfect. It was just us, it was romantic – it was just right.”
Beauden had been planning to pop the question for a while, and carried the stunning Village Goldsmith platinum and diamond ring all throughout Europe during the All Blacks’ Northern Hemisphere tour in preparation for just the right moment.
“That was quite a highrisk operation,” he grins. “Eventually, I got to the point where I just had to do it – it was so special.”
The last 12 months have been a blur, Beauden tells. While Hannah’s taken the lead with most of the wedding organisation, he has been assigned a couple of jobs – “We’ll soon see if I’ve nailed those!” – though Hannah says there’s been a couple of things he’s been “very certain” on, such as the food and making sure the reception had round tables.
“He’s also on sorting out the booze and the honeymoon,” she explains. “And another weird thing was the photos. I thought we could get them done before the ceremony, but Beauden was insistent. He wanted to see me for the first time when I was walking down the aisle. It was really sweet.”
And now that long-awaited moment is almost here.
It’s a glorious morning on Rakino, a tiny island nestled in the Hauraki Gulf, just 30
minutes on a ferry from Auckland City. A welcome breeze tempers the summer heat, while tui sing and waves gently lap at the shore below the peninsula where Beauden and Hannah will soon tie the knot.
“The weather gods have been kind today!” she grins, looking out at the sparkling blue ocean.
Surrounded by her best friends, bridesmaid Claire Moros and maid of honour Arabella Nelson, Hannah is the very picture of a relaxed bride as she gets ready for her big moment. Already, she can’t stop smiling as caterers, florists and planners bustle around the luxurious Hurakia Lodge with lastminute preparations.
Impeccably white bunches of roses, hydrangeas and orchids, arranged by wedding planners One Fine Day, take up almost every available surface, while hundreds of white candles lay waiting for the twilight reception.
Neon signs featuring the couple’s initials, as well as their personal hashtag, are hung on the walls and behind the bar. Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt candles are dotted on tables, and plush black velvet couches and chairs are scattered around the lodge and inside the marquee.
“I think the reason I’m so calm is Kath, our planner,” Hannah laughs. “A wedding on an island has been a logistical nightmare and she’s made sure everything is perfect. I had a pretty good idea of the feel I wanted – classic and modern.
“But now I’m just excited. I can’t wait!”
Meanwhile, Beauden and his best man Scott Crocker and groomsman Ben May have been relaxing down the road before heading to the lodge to greet guests – though they did manage to squeeze in a wee workout before departing!
After Arabella and Claire change into their striking silver-grey Ruby dresses, it’s finally time for Hannah to slip into her custom-made Pallas Couture gown. With a sweetheart neck – “I never thought I’d end up with a sweetheart neckline, but it turned out to be the one that suited my body the best,” she says – sheer panelling, intricate hand beading and exquisite leaf-shaped appliqué, Hannah is radiant.
She begins her walk to her groom – and very untraditionally, one minute ahead of schedule.
“Look, I was just itching to get out there!” she says with a laugh. “I wasn’t nervous at all – I was just so excited. And happy. My gosh, I’m so happy!”
Standing underneath the flower-adorned altar, a nervous Beauden is waiting. Looking dapper in his black Working Style suit, he’s quick to share a wide smile with excited family members – but his eyes keep darting to the place he knows his bride will emerge at any moment.
As the first strains of an acoustic version of Kygo’s “Firestone” begin to play, Hannah follows Claire and Arabella down the lawn aisle. Clutching her bouquet of roses and beaming, she’s the perfect bride, and as soon as she makes her way down the hill and is among her friends and family, she bursts into tears. And Beauden’s not far behind her.
“Baz is gone already!” yelps All Black teammate Aaron Smith gleefully and, indeed, there’s a lot of blinking going on under the archway.
“I was pretty emotional, to say the least,” the groom admits. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’m not usually an emotional person. But you put one of your favourite songs on and then this beautiful woman walks towards you ... it’s pretty hard not to tear up!”
Adds Hannah, “I was only looking at Beauden and to see him so emotional – oh, my gosh, I knew he’d start me up!”
Reverend Warner Wilder, whom Hannah has known since her days at King’s College, welcomes the
guests to the ceremony, and remarks on the fact that although Hannah and Beauden are very different, they complement each other perfectly.
“You always know what Hannah’s thinking because she tells you!” he says, prompting much laughter. “Beaudy, not so much!
“I remember when Hannah told me she was dating a Beauden. I said, ‘Not rugby Beauden!’ I said, ‘Well done, Hannah.’ Now it’s my opportunity to say, ‘Well done, Beauden.’”
Following two readings – one from Beauden’s sister Jenna quoting Bob Marley on love, and the other by Hannah’s brothers Jack and Ollie, who recite the Apache wedding blessing – the bride and groom say their vows.
Both promise to love, comfort, honour and keep each other, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as they both shall live. Then, “before their family, friends and God”, Beauden recites the vows he wrote himself – an important task the pair chose to do to ensure their words are as personal as possible.
“Hannah, I take you to be my wife. You’re simply the most amazing and beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I love you so much and I can’t believe how lucky I am,” he says, smiling at his bride, who’s close to tears.
“I love that you’re loyal, kind and a free spirit. Thank you for teaching me that rugby is not the most important thing in life. I promise to support your dreams and passions, and encourage you in everything you do – and I promise to come up with more words to describe the things I love about you. I promise to be the very best husband I can be.”
After a quick pat around the eyes with a tissue, kindly provided by Beauden’s father Kevin, Hannah begins her vows. “I promise to love you unconditionally – from the moment we met, I knew you were perfect.
“You’ve taught me how important it is to listen and to be patient,” she says with a knowing smile, prompting much laughter.
“There’s nothing that’s made me happier than standing up here with you today. I promise to be your biggest supporter, laugh through the good times and be your shoulder to lean on through the bad times.
“I also promise to remember that sometimes you need your own space and escape to the nearest golf course! I’ll love you loyally and fiercely as long as we both shall live.”
Finally, after exchanging
their bands designed by Village Goldsmith – with Hannah struggling a bit in the heat to slide Beauden’s on to his wedding finger – Reverend Wilder pronounces Beauden and Hannah husband and wife, and the two share a sweet kiss.
“It’s already been the best day of my life,” says Beauden, just moments after the ceremony.
“It’s been so exciting, I think we’re just running on adrenaline right now!”
Let’sparty!
After a quick private moment together, and a few pictures, the new Mr and Mrs Barrett make their way into their incredible reception venue, an opulent see-through marquee where guests have now taken their seats. Moët champagne is flowing freely, while a selection of iconic New Zealand wines from family friend’s business Eurovintage are on offer before the sumptuous three-course meal.
In a touching moment, All Black teammate TJ Perenara leads the Ka Mate haka for the bride and groom, much to the delight of all those gathered, and especially the bride and groom, who are visibly moved.
Then, the moment the couple have been waiting for is here. The first bars of Dirty
Dancing’s “Time of my Life” begin to play – and just as their guests begin to realise what’s about to happen, Hannah flings herself upward as an explosion of confetti rains down, Beauden catching her to make a lift Patrick Swayze himself would have been proud of!
It’s the perfect moment to end the formalities of a perfect day, the couple agree, though they still can’t quite believe they’re finally married to their soulmate.
“I feel like the luckiest girl in the world,” Hannah declares. “It’s impossible to love this man any more than I do now.”
“I hope we do,” Beauden nods. “I hope it grows throughout our entire marriage, but it’s hard to think how it could be any better.
“There’s a lot to love about Han,” he continues, smiling at his gorgeous wife.
”She’s a beautiful woman and I know that when we’re old one day, she’ll be that entertaining person in a rest home that will make everyone laugh – and that’s the person I want to be with for the rest of my life.”
‘ I hope love grows throughout our entire marriage, but it is hard to think how it could better’ be any