When Bruce contacted me regarding his wedding in Wanaka to Shelley, I was surprised to learn that Shelley was unaware of his plans! And so it was with a little trepidation and considerable thought I arrived at Bruce’s brothers house to officiate at the wedding of a bride who only learnt she was getting married, the evening before.
I might add that Bruce and Shelley have known each other for 11 years and have been engaged for a few years, and time has simply slipped away from them. So Bruce decided to organise everything himself (with a little help from his family and Shelleys daughter, I might add). As a celebrant we must ensure that both parties are happy to enter into the marriage and so I asked Shelley several times if she was comfortable with the events of the past 24 hours and she replied every time that she was delighted, although a little overawed – especially when her friends from Hamilton walked into the room just 15 minutes before the ceremony was due to start. And so, to cut a long story short – Bruce and Shelley were married in Wanaka on Friday infront of their family and close friends – every ceremony is different – every ceremony is special and every ceremony tells a story – I just love my role!!!