Exotic elopement for Bluff boy
AN exotic elopement saw a Bluff boy wed his French love under the Northern Lights.
“As soon as we were engaged, we knew we wanted our wedding day to be something special that we would remember forever,” said Gareth and Laure Poley.
Gareth grew up on the Bluff and attended Glenardle Junior Primary, Brighton Beach Senior Primary and Grosvenor Boys High. He now leads a team of digital and IT professionals at an agency in Auckland, New Zealand.
Laure Poley (née Michon) was born in France and works as a detector dog handler for MPI.
The adventurous couple got engaged on 7 March 2016 while on vacation in Bali.
“The day of the proposal, we had been riding all day through the Tabanan district backcountry on our motorcycles. The locals were preparing for their Balinese new year so everywhere we went, people filled the streets en masse with sculptures and offerings to the gods. It was really hot and humid as you can expect Bali to be in March.
We had stopped at the monkey temple in Belimbing earlier in the day, where locals blessed us with rice on our foreheads for good fortune and prosperity. As we had been riding through scorching sun and then sudden rain storms, we were covered in mud from the journey and were pretty sun-kissed.
Further down, we stopped beneath the Bunut Bolong sacred trees for a rest. The trees are unusual because they are intertwined across the middle of the road, like a bridge allowing traffic to pass through it. As a perfect metaphor for our lives coming together, this was the perfect moment for Gareth to propose. While it was all very unexpected, I of course said yes,” said Laure.
Gareth chose the engagement ring while on holiday in Durban. Being conscious of the diamond slave trade, he ensured the diamond’s source could be traced back to fair trade. “The one he chose got his interest because of its unique shape when viewed from the side. It reminded him of the base of the Eiffel Tower in France, my beloved home country. The setting viewed from above was also very similar to my great grandmother’s 100-year-old engagement ring.”
His ring was designed and crafted by the same people who made the rings for the The Lord of the Rings movies, which were filmed in New Zealand.
As they sat in a Balinese airport planning their ideal wedding in the heat, the thought of marrying in a cooler climate took them on an unexpected journey.
“It had been really hot and humid in Bali while we were there and this swayed our decision somewhat as the thought of getting married in the heat didn’t appeal. That’s how we decided to go to the complete other end of the spectrum – somewhere cold and snowy.
Less than a year later, the couple wed in blistering cold, with an enviable view of the Arctic and the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in Oldervik, an hour’s drive from Tromsø in the Arctic Circle,
Norway on 26 February.
“We took turns asking one another questions about specific details and what the other wanted. As both our families and many of our friends live all over the globe, we decided that not only is an elopement the most sensible option, it could be a lot more fun too!”
As the day dawned for their wedding, things took a turn. “We had intended on getting married a day earlier – but the weather had other plans – it was a complete white out that day. We could barely see a few metres out of our hotel window!”
Finally, the day arrived.
“The snow was fairly deep to access our locations, which were all remote beaches on the edge of the Barents Sea. We had to hike through knee-deep snow and treacherous slippery stones at times. Gareth had to carry my train along the way and we had to keep an eye out for the huge waves crashing on our rock while the photos were being taken.
Even without a crowd of witnesses, the bride wowed in a full-length lace dress and winter boots.
“I was also wearing my mom’s necklace. My father got it for her in Oslo, 33 years ago almost to the day, when she was pregnant with me. As she isn’t in our world anymore, it was my way of having her with me on this special day.”
View photos from the wedding day
Knowing how remote their wedding would be, she did her own make-up after a make-up lesson from an artist in Auckland. As a way of having family and friends with them, they asked people to write letters, which they opened on their wedding day.
“It was so beautiful, reading all the lovely wishes and notes from everyone – it really meant a lot. In a time where we use email day-to-day, it had an added special touch to have real letters that were posted ahead of time.”
The romantic pair prepared their own vows in secret, then read them out during their ceremony. “I painted a starry night sky and wrote my vows behind it as they were inspired by the theory of Quantum Entanglement. Gareth wrote his vows on silk woven parchment and made a scroll. When it was his turn to read his vows, he unrolled it to read them.
It was so special that we both wrote our own vows, and our personality came through in both of them.
I was born and raised in Cognac, a beautiful small town in the middle of the vineyards in France. It’s also home of the famous brandy and has been part of my upbringing with my father working
for the most prestigious one, Hennessy. I really wanted to have a touch of France in our ceremony, so, instead of toasting with the classic glass of Champagne, we opted for a glass of Hennessy XO – a good choice, as it had the added benefit of warming us up when the wind picked up too.”
The couple’s favourite memory from the Arctic journey was, of course, the Northern Lights.
“They lit up the starry sky around midnight just as we were going to head back to the hotel. We couldn’t have asked for a better location with the gorgeous Arctic mountains and valley surrounding us. Jon, our photographer said it was very unusual to have the Aurora appear in this area. I took that as a good omen.
It is worth knowing that the Northern Lights can be a bit of a diva. There is no guarantee she will come out to play. We heard so many stories leading up to the big day about people who travel all the way up there and don’t get to see it at all. We were so lucky and got to see it on three separate nights.
One night we were dog sledding through a forest and as we came into a clearing, we looked up and there it was, dancing in the night’s sky above us accompanied by shooting stars. Fairytales are for real in the Arctic.”
Gareth and Laure’s advice for wedding planning:
- We cannot recommend an elopement enough. Since our wedding, so many people have said to us that they wish that they had eloped too rather than having a traditional wedding.
- Instagram is a really useful tool for doing research if you click through the hashtags. Give it a go, you may be pleasantly surprised at the inspiration you may find.
- Check with the jeweller for a diamond authenticity certificate.
- Think outside the box, weddings don’t have to be in a church with 50 – 100 people. This was an amazing adventure – I really do recommend it.
- Tailor the day to your own wishes. This is your day, not anyone else’s.
- Pack lots of warm clothes when visiting the Arctic circle in winter!
- Love each other and focus on the marriage, not the wedding day! We have a book which we spent time leading up to the wedding discussing our marriage and making notes about our plans for the future. It is very reassuring to both of us how aligned our perspectives are.
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via WhatsApp, send an invite to 061 876 3179
The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
Save
Save
