"Our daughter came up with the idea to design our wedding bands and drew a ‘family ring tree'."

It was an obvious choice to ask Zoë to design our engagement ring and the process was delightful.

Zoë and I met at an annual Yoga retreat and I've adored her jewellery ever since.

Nigel and I visited Zoë a few times to give design inputs and she created a breathtaking gorgeous ring with a centre diamond, a little love heart and chain of little diamonds on each side.

Nigel proposed to me on a trip to Maui, in front of our children at sunset with turtles splashing in the ocean. It was very romantic and special for our family.

Our daughter came up with the idea to design our wedding bands and drew a ‘family ring tree'. 

Four of these rings are for my right hand ring finger, each representing a family member with their birthstone in a different shape. Together they create a meaningful unit.

The first one represents Nigel as a diamond - clear and strong as a symbol of clarity for the heart and mind.

The second ring represents my own energy as a Tanzanite - connecting all chakras from the crown to the base as well as activating the throat chakra, therefore facilitating good communication and interaction.

The third ring illustrates our daughter in the form of a stunning Aquamarine - a well known symbol for good luck which has been worn by sailors out on the seas for centuries, this stone sharpens intuition and spiritual awareness, supporting the throat chakra for clear and bold communication.

The fourth and final ring is a green sapphire, known to stimulate the heart chakra and represents our son, expressing the facilitation of loyalty and integrity.

Nigel wears a gold brushed ring with an engraving of our wedding date. Our daughter received a custom made necklace in the form of a throat chakra, set with her Aquamarine birthstone.

Our son received a custom HEI MATAU pounamu to honour the Kiwi tradition and Maori beliefs. This Greenstone fish hook represents strength, determination and brings peace, prosperity and good health. Zoë used our daughters drawing and added her own ideas to come up with these stunning, sacred and meaningful wedding rings.

To complete the girls outfits our daughter received for her birthday a beautiful set of Golden Hour earrings, I wore a set of silver Sunburst earrings with Lemon Quartz.

Our wedding day on the 7th March 2020 at Mudbrick on Waiheke was magical. The outdoor ceremony with view over the Hauraki Gulf created a stunning atmosphere. Our daughter was my bridesmaid and walked down the aisle with me and my dad. Our son was Nigel’s best man.

We wrote our own vows, and our children acted as witnesses. Our reception was held at Mudbrick restaurant and our children joined us for speeches and cutting the cake. We danced all night to live music by Hipstatmatics.

We treasure every memory of this unforgettable day and journey leading up to it.

The timing couldn’t have been more divine to celebrate carefree with family and friends from New Zealand and overseas including my family from Germany just before all the borders were closed because of COVID-19.