Stage 2 - Wedding in Wanaka - Jan. 1-5
We have an 8+ hour delay flying from Auckland to Sydney to Adelaide today, so I hope to get all caught up on this Substack. Still trying to figure out video posting and the pictures per post seem to max out at 9, so we may do multiple posts since Fred Barnard explained in 1921 that “a picture is worth 1000 words”.
Jan 1 - We drove from Queenstown up to Wanaka, stopping at the very impressive grounds of Ayrburn to meet lots of Nick and Kate’s friends for lunch before heading up to the Lake House Lodge at Lake Hawea Station, where the Sanner clan would be basing ourselves for the next 5 nights. Lake Hawea Station is a regenerative farm owned by Jeff and Justine Ross, who sold their 42 Below Vodka brand and bought 16,000 spectacular acres along the shores of Lake Hawea (read more on their website or in a 2023 CondeNast review). Kate’s friends stayed in beautifully decorated cabins while we had a 3 BR house overlooking the lake. The wedding ceremony and the reception were held on different parts of this stunning property. After getting situated and stocking up on groceries, we drove down to the quaint Cardrona Hotel for a dinner with just the Sanner and Molcsan families, our first chance to meet Nick’s mother, Jenny, in person……and also to get to know Nick’s younger brother Tui and his fiance Morgan a little better. We had a wonderful dinner, shared stories, and started building what will undoubtedly be some great familial ties. The craziest moment of the night occurred in the small pub at Hotel Cardrona. Nick’s father passed away from ALS when he was 7, and one of his best memories of his father was dancing in the living room to Blues Traveler’s “Run Around”. In two days, this would be Nick and Jenny’s first dance at the reception. Well, right as Jenny Molcsan, Tui and Morgan walked into the small pub, “Run Around” started playing on the pub’s playlist. It was a very cool moment that made everyone feel as is Bruce Molcsan was in the room with us that night. In some inexplicable way, our lives are full of many serendipitous moments like this, yet each time we have a new one it still feels so special and unique. You just can’t make stuff like this up!!
Jan 2 - We hung out in the morning, checked out Wanaka and then assembled on the hillside overlooking Lake Hawea for the wedding rehearsal. The pasture was fairly full of cow and sheep droppings, which the staff committed to cleaning up as much as possible prior to tomorrow’s big event, but since this is a working farm, there are limits and Kate and Nick were happy to trade a little poo for such a truly gorgeous and unique “venue”!!! Thomas took charge as the officiant and Kate and I went through the paces, literally, working to time our entrance with the lyrics so we reached Nick at the right moment. In my preparation for father of the bride duties, I had spent time thinking about our first dance and about my toast, but I suddenly felt a rush of tears as the reality of walking down the aisle with “baby Kate” slapped me upside the head. It was a beautiful moment with a truly beautiful young woman. I am tearing up again right now as I reflect on it.
After rehearsing, we headed into Wanaka for a wonderful rehearsal dinner with about 50 friends and family members. The toasts were amazing, as Kate and Nick have such impressive friends. Matthew crushed his big brother toast, as expected. Jenny started the night welcoming everyone and Jennifer finished the night thanking everyone. It was such a “feel good” event and left everyone excited for the next day!
Jan 3 - I slept in and by the time I walked out to get coffee in my underwear, I was met by a dozen beautiful women getting their hair and makeup done. Kate was radiant! I was not. So I grabbed a quick cup and a roll and headed back into obscurity. Once dressed, I joined Nick and the boys at his friend Hamish’s mother’s house. I had a nice talk with Bridget and was sad that Jennifer wasn’t with me, as she would have loved the property, the house and Bridget, a former GP now turned grandmother. Next time we are in Wanaka, Jennifer and Bridget need to meet.
The wedding ceremony was spectacular (Yes, I am running low on adjectives). The setting was awesome, as the small wedding party walked up and over a hillside, below which the attendees were seated, looking out across Lake Hawea to the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Thomas stood about halfway down the hillside, smiling fully as Kate and I approached. Everyone turned around and I can’t wait to see if the pictures can come remotely close to capturing the reality of this amazing moment. I gave Nick a hug, gave Kate a hug and then sat next to Jennifer, Emily, Lara and Matthew as Thomas began the ceremony. No chance any dad was ever more proud of their children than I was at that moment!
There had been a chance of some rain, and there was a tent set up off to the side if needed, but it didn’t sprinkle at all until after the ceremony, right when we needed to get people moving onto the buses that would transport them down the winding gravel road to the reception. It was perfectly timed. The cloud cover was a photographer’s dream, as you i’ll see in the pictures I will be adding at the end……and since Substack seems to limit to 9 pics, I will do several extra posts to share additional pics and videos.
The reception began with champagne, charcuterie and a stunning array of photo ops, given the location that Lake Hawea Station calls “The Hide”. The sun started peeking through the clouds and everything went beautifully. When Kate was 6 years old, we decided that our father-daughter dance at her wedding would be Sinatra’s “Just The Way You Look Tonight”. For nearly 27 years we would run and find each other whenever we heard that song. We have danced to it hundreds of times, so often we took an Allan Iverson approach to practicing it, and yes, we nailed it!!! All the dances were great and the whole crowd jammed the dance floor as Nick and Jenny urged us all to do for the last half of “Run Around”. Emily and Tui gave wonderful toasts. I was so impressed by Emily’s poise and confidence in commanding the room. And Tui brought me to tears with his closing line - “Kate I hope you enjoy growing old with Nick as much as I have enjoyed growing up with him.”
I had done several drafts of my toast over the past few weeks, but after hearing so many incredible toasts at the rehearsal dinner, I woke up at 4:00am on Kate’s wedding day and rewrote most of the toast. I wanted to challenge these young people with so much to offer to the world to step up and find ways to truly matter, as I invoked the legacy of Jim Morris as an example of what was possible, adding that the world is in desperate need of people who have the ability to make a difference in the world. I spoke about the bonds I feel with Nick, and talked about the bond both of our families share of losing people we love to ALS. I spoke of “Great Kate” and how special she is, and I closed by reading the lyrics to “Just The Way You Look Tonight” and then said “Nick, while Kate and I may still borrow that song for the rest of my life, I want to give it to you tonight. I want you and Kate to make it YOUR song and my greatest hope for you is that some day YOU will make it your first dance with my granddaughter......and that this tradition will continue for generations.”
The dancing took over, and Tui Shoey’s started happening with regularity - getting down on one knee and drinking a beer out of a shoe, in this case, the boots worn by Nick’s friend Johnny (who took the insoles out so they stayed dry and to create room for more beer!). The band was great, but the surprise of the night came well after dark, as the saxophone player suddenly started leading the entire wedding crowd down a grass lane for 100 yards or so, to a lakefront stage with a kickass DJ, disco balls, flashing lights and one helluva rave commenced. Kate and Nick hadn’t told anyone about this bit of “extra fun” and it took the party well past midnight……helped by the sudden appearance of meat pies, French fries and wedding cake. Almost everyone stayed right to the end, and as they loaded up the buses for the drive back to Wanaka, we headed back to our lodge for a well earned night’s sleep.
Jan 4 - Most of the wedding guests gathered again for brunch and “hanging out” in Wanaka at the very cool lodge where most of the Kellogg grads had been staying. It was a great day of reliving the previous night’s exploits and reveling in the joy felt by all who attended. We joined Jenny Molcsan and her friends who own Hook, a very cool experiential restaurant, at which you can catch salmon in one of several stocked ponds and then they will prepare it to your liking - sashimi, grilled, etc. They also offer the best pizzas in town, as well as other tasty items and a full bar. It was fun reliving the wedding festivities with Jenny and her friends.
Jan 5 - I made a couple trips into Wanaka to get Emily and then Thomas to meet their rides down to the Queenstown airport for their flight home. Matthew and Lara left later in the day and then Jennifer and I met up with Sean and Lisa Higgins for dinner at Hook (yes, it was good enough for a repeat visit!). We went back and packed up to begin the third and final stage of our New Zealand adventure!!!
