All the Way from New Zealand: Kayla & Danny

A diary entry from our team at Elope Australia

Kayla and Danny flew all the way in from New Zealand for this one, and from the moment we met them, we knew we were in for a good day. One a paramedic, one a highway patrol officer, two women who spend their working lives looking after everyone else, finally getting a day that was entirely their own.

The morning started with a surprise before we’d even reached their first look. On the drive out, we came across a group of wild camels right by the road, not something you see up close very often out here. We couldn’t resist. The whole car pulled over, and for a few minutes the “schedule” went completely out the window while we all jumped out to get photos. Kate was going a bit bananas with her iPhone, and we ended up sending one of the crew out with the big camera to capture it properly too. A funny little detour, but honestly, one of the highlights of the morning.

Once we got out to the national park, we settled into a beautiful photoshoot with just the two of them. Kayla wore a traditional shawl from New Zealand, layered with feathers, and it sat so beautifully against her outfit, a gorgeous touch of home, out here in the middle of the Australian desert. With the sun out and Uluru’s deep ochre rock behind them, the two brides in white made for some of the most striking, picture-perfect photos we’ve taken.

From there, they arrived at their ceremony the way very few couples get to, by camel, straight from the camel farm, riding up onto the sand dune just as the sun began its soft descent for the evening. The sky behind them turned into this incredible, almost rainbow-like wash of colour over the desert skyline. Honestly, there aren’t quite the words for it.

And of course, no ceremony of ours is complete without a laugh. Mid-vows, one of the Kayla turned to Dani and asked her to “just straighten me up a bit,” to which she got the perfectly deadpan reply: “well, I can’t really, you were never straight to begin with.” We will never, ever let that one go.

Not long after, Kayla and Danny headed back home to New Zealand to celebrate all over again with their family and friends. But we know this particular morning in the red centre – camels, feathers, sand dunes and all, is one they’ll be carrying with them for a very long time.

Congratulations, Kayla and Danny. What an unforgettable day.