Photography: Raul Javier Guerrero Jr
Planning a wedding can be stressful and even more so when the bride and groom often find themselves on different continents, but with only weeks to go until they exchange their vows, beloved Kiwi TV star Kimberley Crossman and her cameraman fiancé Tom Walsh seem anything but stressed.
They’ve loved working together to create a day that is deeply meaningful for both of them. From the location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, to the rings they will wear, every detail of their wedding has a story behind it.
“We took a road trip round the South Island when we were deciding on a venue,” explains Kim, 33. “The place we’ve chosen is a lovely low-key spot, where we’ll be surrounded by nature. It’s actually where we had our first-ever getaway as a couple and it’s also somewhere that was really important to Tom in his childhood.”
Tom grew up in the Queenstown area and spent a lot of time there enjoying the outdoors with his late father. Another link to his dad will be in the wedding rings the couple are designing and crafting themselves.
“Dad and I used to go fossicking for gold together,” explains Tom, 44. “I’ve always kept this small vial of gold that we found and the idea is to include a little of it in each of our rings.”
The pair may have been on Italy’s romantic Amalfi Coast when they got engaged and taken part in a glamorous Woman’s Day photoshoot in Los Angeles, but their wedding is set to have a more laid-back local vibe.
Even the reception feast features Kiwiana, with iconic treats like asparagus rolls and cheese rolls, along with Kim’s favourite peanut brownies and the exact kind of chocolate biscuits that Tom’s mum used to bake for him to take on school camp.
“Every part of our wedding is intentional,” smiles the former Shortland Street actress. “It’s there for a reason.”
Family is very important to the sweethearts and bringing the people they love together in such a magical spot is what they’re most excited about.
“We both wanted a small wedding, so it’s just our blended family of 40 people,” explains Kim. “I’m planning to get up early, walk down to the beach and get married to Tom. But if it rains, then we’ll do it later in the day. I like having that freedom.”
Both of them admit they’re “ridiculously romantic” and since meeting almost two years ago, they’ve had several tattoos to commemorate their love for each other – for instance, Tom has Kim’s name in a heart and she has the date they first got together etched on her foot.
“We also celebrate our anniversary every single month and write letters to each other,” says Kim. “We’ve even got vials of each other’s blood. That started as an ironic thing – we were joking that we were so intense, we were going to be like those people who have blood vials – then we actually bought some!”
When they first met, while shooting the TV series Snack Masters NZ, there was an instant attraction. However, Tom held back, thinking it would be unprofessional to get involved with the star of the show, which left Kim to do all the chasing.
“I kept buying him gifts and then I literally invited myself to his place for dinner, so I was pursuing him quite hard – and I got what I wanted!” she laughs.
“It was really difficult to keep things professional,” admits Tom. “When she invited herself to dinner, we’d almost finished shooting and I thought, ‘OK, let’s see where this goes.’ From that night on, we were inseparable.”
Kim leads a nomadic life, moving between Aotearoa, LA and wherever her work happens to take her, while Tom is often busy shooting on location somewhere in New Zealand. When love has to
be long-distance, catch-ups happen via FaceTime.
“In the beginning, we had a couple of really long stints apart, but we’re trying to avoid that now, if possible,” says Kim.
The plan is to work together more often in the future. Recently they travelled to Uganda to make a short documentary for the charity World Vision and they’re busy developing other joint projects.
The couple are also dreaming of making a home on a piece of land in the South Island countryside, somewhere they could lead a quiet life and raise the family they hope to have.
Sadly, while they were busy with wedding preparations, Kim suffered a miscarriage. At the time, they hadn’t told anyone they were pregnant, but were quietly excited to be expecting a baby girl.
“It was like our little secret and everything seemed so perfect,” recalls Kim. “That was a challenging and confusing time. I’d never been pregnant before and there was a lot about miscarriage that
I didn’t understand.”
After making the decision to share their experience on Instagram, Kim had an overwhelming response.
“It was both beautiful and sad,” she confides. “I hadn’t realised how common miscarriage is or how many people in my own circle had walked that path and not felt able to share it. Some of the women I spoke to said it had happened 20 or 30 years ago and they’d never spoken about it.”
As Kim discovered, there can still be a lot of shame and self-blame attached to miscarriage.
“Even though I’m regularly in therapy, and have a supportive partner and a great family, I did go to a dark place for a while, although I’m doing much better now,” she says.
Wanting to help people who don’t have as much access to counselling and support, Kim tackled the subject of miscarriage on her star-studded podcast Pretty Depressed.
“Therapists we spoke to said it’s quite different to grieving someone who’s been here with you on the planet. You don’t have any tangible memories – you’re grieving your hope of what might have been.”
Having a baby together remains something the couple would dearly love.
“Hopefully, at some point, it will happen for us,” says Kim, adding that Tom already has an eight-year-old son, Louie, who lives in Auckland.
Tom tells, “He’s been out to Los Angeles for a visit recently and had a great time. He loves Kim’s spider – she has a tarantula the size of your hand.”
Not only does Kim’s taste in weird pets make her a cool stepmum, but having grown up in a large blended family herself has prepared her for the role she’s taking on.
“In my family, we have a lot of people who get called Mum and Dad, so I feel like that’s really helped me in nurturing this relationship with Louie,” she says. “And he’s the best – he’s awesome.”
Ask the duo what they love about each other and there isn’t a moment’s hesitation.
“I love how Kim is so kind to everyone in her life,” enthuses her fiancé. “She’s loving and always so supportive if I’m having a bad day. She’s also absolutely beautiful. When I’m with her, I feel so alive.”
Kim continues, “I love that Tom’s a great cook! He’s brought my family together in the most beautiful way with the delicious meals he has made for us. He’s also super-hot, fun and playful. We laugh so much when we’re together. And we love each other so much. We just can’t wait to be married!”
