Standing hand in hand in front of a church full of teary-eyed wedding guests, The Block NZ favourite Yanita McLeay and her groom Jordan Hall smile as their mothers come together to light the candles for the Catholic ceremony, symbolically uniting their two families.
Then it’s time for the reality star’s partner of seven years to slip a ring on the finger of his bride, whose flowing backless lace gown cradles a growing baby bump, her curved silhouette a beautiful image of first-time motherhood.
Yanita and Stace were favourites on The Block NZ.
Her blonde waves pulled into a half-braid under a crown of roses, Yanita – who is just at the end of her second trimester – gently rubs her new sparkler, which fills the spot where a custom engagement ring sat before it fell to the bottom of the ocean while paddle-boarding off Waiheke Island at her hen’s do.
Speaking to Woman’s Day after tying the knot at the quaint St John the Baptist Church in Parnell, Auckland, the beaming couple are enthusing over Yanita’s gown, crafted by a friend, Palmerston North designer Demelza Davidson.
Yanita’s Block partner Stace is right by her bestie’s side as maid of honour.
“Walking down the aisle, she looked stunning and strong,” gushes bar manager Jordan, 31. “She just rocked it and she didn’t cry – I did!”
And naturopathy lecturer Yanita, 30, is pleasantly surprised by her Scottish-born husband’s kilt.
She grins, “I actually love it! I’d originally wanted him to change for the photos because I didn’t think it’d fit with my bridesmaids’ dusky, boho-style dresses, but it looks so good!”
One of those bridesmaids is Yanita’s maid of honour Stace Cottrill, 41 – her fellow DIY-er on the sixth season of The Block, in which they placed second – who joins the bridal party for portraits at a nearby beach and train station.
After the photos are taken, they meet the rest of their guests at the Tamaki Yacht Club, which provides picturesque views of the Waitemata Harbour as family and friends enjoy a three-course buffet and a series of witty, heartfelt speeches.
The venue was a lucky find for Yanita, whose first pick fell through just weeks before the wedding due to a double-booking.
The rustic, laid-back ambience of the day is in stark contrast to Jordan’s highly public proposal last August, when he lured his future wife onto a rooftop terrace with a sparkling view of Auckland’s city lights and, clutching a rose, got down on bended knee in front of The Block cameras.
Eight months later, the couple are now celebrating their marriage with a fun, fast-paced, Brazilian-inspired first dance to James Arthur’s “Certain Things”, before the DJ moves on to ’90s pop classics from the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys.
Hands up for the bridal party! Yanita and Jordan with: Stace, Shannon Caetano, Jannetta Hayden, Suzi Imes-Bryce, his brothers Morgan and Ryan Hall, Phil McCall and Johnny Par.
Jordan explains, “It’s what Yanita likes – I’m more country music, soul and jazz, which she thinks you can’t really dance to. But there’s nothing like a good line dance!”
With a day to recover before jetting off to Bali for their honeymoon, which is doubling as a babymoon, the newlyweds are excited to bask in the sun, do some yoga and try the local food.
When they return home, the couple will get back into designing a tiny home they plan to build.
Of course, Yanita will be preparing for a birth that she hopes will be as natural as possible. Due in early August, she tells, “I’m feeling good. The first three months of my pregnancy were horrific, as it usually is, but the second trimester’s been a breeze, so I’m really lucky.”
Meanwhile, dad-to-be Jordan says, “During our first date, I knew I wanted to marry Yanita. She was easy to talk to, very kind and showed all the traits I’d look for in a wife and mother.”
A glowing Yanita adds, “The rest is history, as they say. It’s cool to have a life companion because that’s what it all comes down to.”
