A couple with a love of the great outdoors have revealed how they hiked for three hours in order to enjoy their dream wedding ceremony on top of a mountain.
Livvy Bruce, 35, and her husband Justin Flitter, 40, wed at the Pinnacles Hut on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand’s North Island on December 7.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the couple revealed how they climbed for three hours with their guests to the summit, with Livvy’s wedding dress ‘rolled up’ in her pack and their attendees carrying their drinks and food for the antipasto platters.
A couple with a love of the great outdoors have revealed how they hiked for three hours in order to enjoy their dream wedding ceremony on top of a mountain (Justin and Livvy pictured)
Livvy Bruce, 35, and her husband Justin Flitter, 40, wed at the Pinnacles Hut on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand on December 7 (pictured at the ceremony)
The couple (pictured on the mountain) hiked up the mountain with Livvy’s dress rolled up in her pack along with the guests, who helped to carry the food
‘We knew we wanted to celebrate our wedding in a way that was unique to our relationship,’ Justin told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This was perfect for us and what we wanted for our big day.’
The couple explained that they have always shared a love of the outdoors:
‘We’ve been hiking ever since we got together,’ Livvy said.
‘Last year, we spend nine days hiking the O’Circuit in the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, and we have also completed many hikes around New Zealand.’
They said they always wanted to do something different to the traditional wedding ceremony, and had always loved hiking together (pictured on the mountain)
‘We’ve been hiking ever since we got together,’ Livvy said (Livvy and Justin pictured on the side of the mountain)
When the opportunity to book the Pinnacles in the Coromandel came up, the couple (pictured) said they couldn’t wait to book it
When they got engaged, Livvy said the pair decided they wanted to bring their friends and family together for an entire weekend, rather than just one day.
‘After looking at a few typical wedding venues, we started looking for tramping huts,’ Justin said.
‘When the opportunity to book the Pinnacles in the Coromandel came up, we jumped at it and knew it was the right decision.
‘Luckily, we have many friends and family who are keen on hiking so it was easy to twist their arm into joining us.’
To get up the mountain, the couple helped to vacuum pack all of their food to take up the mountain
We hired two students to carry the bulk of the 30 kilograms of vegetables, meat and sauces up to the hut,’ Livvy (pictured) said
Their guests (all pictured at the ceremony) were invited to bring their own beverages and contribute to the pre-dinner anti-pasto platter
When it came to the day itself, the couple were more than prepared.
First, they packed up Livvy’s wedding dress and vacuum packed all of their food ready for the hike up.
‘We hired two students to carry the bulk of the 30 kilograms of vegetables, meat and sauces up to the hut,’ Livvy said.
‘Guests were invited to bring their own beverages and contribute to the pre-dinner anti-pasto platter.’
The couple conducted the entire wedding on the side of the mountain (pictured), and the only thing they did at home was cut the wedding cake on the following Monday
‘Thankfully, the weather held out and the dry day only resulted in a little dust, which was easy to shake out of the dress before the wedding ceremony,’ Livvy said (pictured with Justin)
Once they were ready to hike, Livvy, Justin and their guests hiked to the summit of the Pinnacles, where they shot the mountain photos before the ceremony.
‘Thankfully, the weather held out and the dry day only resulted in a little dust, which was easy to shake out of the dress before the wedding ceremony,’ Livvy said.
‘We had the wedding ceremony at 5pm on the emergency helicopter pad near the Pinnacles hut. The weather was perfect and it couldn’t have gone better.’
The only thing the couple couldn’t do the mountain was their wedding cake, so they cut the cake with family and friends at their home on the following Monday.
The couple had specific
Speaking about their wedding and why it was so perfect, Livvy said they loved how the event turned out:
‘We hope we might inspire other couples to think creatively about celebrating their day in unique ways, special to them and their relationship,’ she said.
They added that they intend to keep up with their hiking, during a trip to Vietnam for their honeymoon next year.
Justin and Livvy’s wedding was captured by Anita Pitu photography. For more information about her work, please click here.