Photography: Bek Smith.
Despite performing at countless weddings and working as a registered marriage celebrant, radio host and singer Sophie Morris struggled to settle on a location for her own nuptials, despite having plenty of ideas.
But after considering eloping to Bali, where the More FM chost loves to surf, then thinking they’d head to her hometown in Dunedin, eventually she and her fiancé Brad Finch settled on saying “I do” at the same Auckland spot where he surprised her with a magical proposal last year.
“It was perfect,” says Sophie, 32, speaking to Woman’s Day from the home the couple built on a lifestyle block north of Auckland.
“In the end, it made sense to get married in the area I’ve lived since 2022 and where we met via a dating app.”
Finding the perfect setting
While it took a while for her to settle on the site, Sophie did, however, have clarity around the details of their special day.
She explains, “I’ve seen all sorts of weddings and ways of doing things, and the best ones feel true to the couple and their story. For us, that meant having the people we love in a location that was special to us, with great weather and amazing music.”
A picture-perfect venue
Their venue, Tu Ngutu Villa, in the beautiful Mahurangi Regional Park, proved the perfect size for their 30 guests. Fortune also shone on Sophie when it came to finding the ideal dress, thanks to the help of her two older sisters, who flew up from the South Island to help with her search.
“I always said I wouldn’t go for sequins or heavily embellished dresses because I wear those all the time on stage. I wanted something simple and elegant.”
That all changed when Sophie spotted her dream dress by Natalie Rose Bridal.
“I actually ended up buying a dress with sequins, beading and pearls! But it was definitely elegant.”
A nervous first dance
And while the seasoned performer was more than comfortable doing their first dance in front of friends, South African-born Brad wasn’t as confident.
“The last time I danced would’ve been at a high school ball,” laughs the IT manager, 41, who wore a Crane Brothers tux for the big day.
“I was definitely nervous about hitting the dancefloor.”
Fortunately, Sophie signed the duo up for dance lessons with former Dancing With The Stars pro Nerida Jantti.
A helping hand from the pros
“She was great and put me at ease,” says Brad.
“But I was super-nervous on the day because we danced outside on a concrete floor and Nerida had choreographed a couple of lifts – including what’s called a dead man’s drop, where Sophie falls backwards. I was terrified she was going to hit her head, but thankfully it all worked out and our guests loved it.”
A surprise on the mic
Another memorable moment was when Sophie surprised her new husband by taking to the microphone to sing a rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love. The wedding was a chance for Sophie to put a few challenging years behind her, which have seen her juggling the building of the couple’s rural home with endometriosis so crippling, she couldn’t get out of bed.
“I put up with debilitating pelvic pain for ages, but as women, we’re told to minimise what’s going on with our bodies and get on with it!” she reflects.
“I come from a medical family, with both my parents retired doctors and a sister who’s a doctor. I spoke to them and decided to get it checked out.”
Looking to the future
Two operations later, Sophie is mostly pain-free, although she’s not sure what it could mean for her future fertility.
“We’d like to have kids, but we’ll see what happens.”
For now, after a relaxing European honeymoon, she’s taking some time out with Brad to enjoy their “love bubble”.
Sophie smiles, “We still haven’t come down to earth from our magical wedding!”
