It’s a warm, overcast Saturday in the Hawke’s Bay as former radio host and popstar K’Lee McNabb turns to reveal her bridal gown for fiancé Lama Saga during an intimate pre-ceremony moment at the Meadowood Wedding and Event Venue.
Her groom is visibly emotional when he locks eyes with the mother of his children, who gave birth to their youngest son Micah only five months earlier.
“I figured doing a first look would stop me from ugly-crying down the aisle,” laughs K’Lee, who’s equally taken aback by besuited gym owner Lama. “He looks so handsome. It’s like falling in love with him all over again.”
The Broken Wings singer and longtime Mai FM presenter is glowing in her off-the-shoulder lace gown by Auckland designer Jessica Couture and make-up by Jaime Randell, the wife of radio star Clint. However, getting glammed up didn’t quite go as K’Lee expected.
“Brides always look calm when they’re getting their makeup done, so I thought I’d be like that,” she tells. “But I absolutely wasn’t! The cake lady turned up, the stylist was coming in to ask about table settings and, to top it off, me and the kids had a tummy bug at different times. Then my six-year-old did a roly-poly over a rock and scratched her nose right before the wedding!”
Fortunately, the rest of the day unfolded smoothly for K’Lee. She’s a mum to daughters Iliana, 16, Naila, six, and Honour, three, plus sons Kahuriki, 15, and Kaylam, 10, as well as little Micah.
In a picturesque setting surrounded by trees, lavender bushes and Nordic-style tents, 120 guests gathered to watch the couple, both 40, tie the knot. Among them were the bride’s Australian-based parents and friends from as far afield as the US.
Completing the happy scene was the wedding line-up – the pair’s delighted children.
“It’s really beautiful seeing all the kids dressed up,” smiles K’Lee, who now works as a broadcasting lecturer for Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi. “Lama and I had a moment before going down the aisle where we told the kids how proud we are of them. We said we’ll all have a great time celebrating our family.”
When the song Overwhelmed by Abby Lee and Vince Harder played, the first to walk down the aisle were K’Lee’s youngest two girls. Preschooler Honour shyly held an arm across her face until she spotted her dad.
“She made it all the way. Maybe because my sister was standing at the end of the aisle holding a bag of marshmallows,” K’Lee grins. “Tips and tricks!”
Kaylam walked down waving at everyone, followed by Iliana, holding baby Micah in his tiny suit. Then came Kahuriki and the mother of the bride, Carol. She did a karanga before the upbeat track I Was Made For Loving You by Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran started. Then K’Lee, accompanied by her proud father Bruce, made her way past fairy lights and artificial toetoe arrangements.
“I thought that if I looked at anyone, I might cry. But when it came to the crunch, I wasn’t nervous at all!” recalls K’Lee. “I saw everyone here to celebrate us, and I was just so happy and honoured. Then I saw Lama, our children and my mum, who did a second karanga as we got to the archway. It was a beautiful moment.”
Another special touch was having her former Mai FM colleague Nickson Clark as the celebrant. He’s one of K’Lee’s best friends from her high-school days in West Auckland.
“Nickson was hilarious right from the get-go,” smiles the star. She left Mai in March after an epic 13 years with the station. “Lama and I aren’t serious people, and we wanted to keep the ceremony light. I knew Nickson would bring all the love, happiness and fun.”
At the altar, Kaylam shared a poem he wrote about what love means to him. It opened with the line, “Love is like the secret ingredient in Mum and Nana’s lasagne. Without it, it just tastes yuck!”
During the couple’s vows, Lama referred to K’Lee as “the Denzel to my Equalizer”, referencing the Denzel Washington action flick. Meanwhile, the bride quoted her groom’s favourite movie, Notting Hill, saying, “I’m just a girl, asking a boy to love her.”
Once Nickson announced the pair husband and wife, it was time for photos. But not before K’Lee tended to a hungry Micah. Thankfully, her gown had removable straps and cups that folded down for breastfeeding.
K’Lee beams, “The dress is perfect. But I was scared after the tummy bug that it might be falling off me!”
An entertaining reception followed in the venue’s paddock, where dinner was prepared by Mitzi & Twinn Catering. They effortlessly incorporated an array of seafood and taro brought along by friends and family.
Further keeping with her hubby’s Samoan traditions, K’Lee surprised Lama with the customary siva dance. Then, the kids performed a haka to honour her Ngāti Kahungunu heritage.
“At a Samoan wedding, it’s quite traditional for the wife to do a siva to show acceptance and appreciation for the groom, his family and their culture,” tells K’Lee. “I spent three months practising and was more nervous about doing that than walking down the aisle. I really wanted to make Lama proud.”
After cutting a two-tier wedding cake, the couple shared their first dance to Shania Twain’s You’ve Got A Way.
After the groom’s speech, loved ones gave several more, but K’Lee opted out of speaking. She explains, “It’s only right Lama is front and centre because I’m always at the front of everything – always the talker and star! I wanted him to be the star that day.”
When a live band started belting out old-school music, a “mini festival” unfolded and the newlyweds danced into the early hours. Then it was back to their Meadowood accommodation – a 1920s Art Deco-style house surrounded by nature.
“It’s so magical here, like a secret garden,” smiles K’Lee. “When we arrived, the kids had fun exploring and picking lemons for all the wedding seafood, while Lama explored the golf courses! It’s a total dream and I’ve felt like I’m floating.”
After 11 years with Lama, sharing a busy life filled with work, sports and extracurricular activities, K’Lee says their wedding was a decision to dedicate themselves to each other in front of family and friends.
“I just wanted to pause for a bit to show vulnerability and love,” she says. “That’s such a huge thing for our kids to see.”
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