Inside Wilhelmina Shrimpton and Ben O’Keeffe’s dream Queenstown wedding

Theirs is a story of passionate and intense love. Ben, who’s also a musculoskeletal registrar when he’s not on the rugby field, even flew to India to meet the TV and radio star for a third date while she was working in a Delhi newsroom! Even then, both of them knew that this day would eventually come…

Wilhelmina and Ben’s story is one of passionate and intense love. Photo / Jonny Scott Photography

Fast-forward to a glorious day in Central Otago, with a cloudless sky and the sun beating down on Arrowtown venue Ayrburn’s the Dell, and 120 guests were buzzing with excitement to see Wilhelmina and Ben exchange their vows.

It had already been a morning of exhilaration for Ben and his groomsmen, Brendon Pickerill, Jim Knowles, Liam Scanlon and Vincent Ringrose, after surprising his mates with bungy jumps in true Queenstown fashion. He laughs, “I just thought, ‘Why not? We’re here!’”

Wilhelmina, on the other hand, enjoyed a more sedate, relaxed morning with her bridesmaids, Olivia Holtum, Haley Featonby, Brooke Dobson and Claire O’Keeffe, over the hill at Millbrook Resort, where they sipped Champagne while getting ready.

And in true Wils fashion, having already slipped into her first wedding dress – a stunning custom dove satin Trish Peng gown, finished with a dramatic lace-trimmed veil – she was ready to head to her wedding half an hour early, tradition be damned!

She announced to her attendees, “I’m too excited – let’s just do this! I want to get there and marry Ben.”

Decked out in a dashing T. Begg Tailoring tuxedo, Ben had been the picture of calm, but with just minutes to go before Wilhelmina appeared, the nerves began to show as he paced the aisle.

Wilhelmina’s bridesmaids were dressed in black silk by Billy J. Photo / Jonny Scott Photography

And finally, as the first strains of Sleep On The Floor, by the Lumineers, began to play, the bridesmaids – dressed in black silk by Billy J – made their way down the aisle, followed by a radiant Wilhelmina.

“That was when I almost lost it,” Ben recalls. Indeed, his eyes were wet as he watched his bride make her way to the white rose petal-strewn altar. “The tears were flowing and I can’t blame allergies or anything! She just looked so, so beautiful and her dress was so stunning. But then Wils and I locked eyes, and we kind of just connected, then it was easy.”

Former Newshub and Today FM presenter Wilhelmina adds, “I thought I was going to lose it too, but then I saw Ben and it was like tunnel vision – an overwhelming sense of calm came over me.”

Welcoming their guests, the celebrant – Ben’s aunt Mary, who became certified just to marry the lovebirds – remarked on the special love the couple share, before inviting them to exchange their vows.

Through tears, Wilhemina said, “Today is the day I become your wife, which means I get to love you for the rest of my life. From the moment we met, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was pure magic. It wasn’t just a spark or an attraction – it was a quiet certainty that I had met the person I was going to spend the rest of my days with.

“Ben, you are the man I’ve always wished for and wanted. Strong yet gentle, determined, driven and full of heart. You are my calm in the chaos, my greatest adventure, the safest place I’ve ever known and the father to our future children.

“You see me in all of my forms, have softened my jagged edges and every day you inspire me to be the best version of myself. But what I treasure the most is your heart – and I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to love it for the rest of my life.”

The couple were proclaimed Mr and Mrs O’Keeffe. Photo / Jonny Scott Photography

Ben then shared, “My whole life, I had been searching for you. I didn’t know what you’d look like. I didn’t know how you’d sound. I didn’t know where you’d be. But I always knew that when I finally found you, everything would make sense.

“And from the moment I first laid eyes on you, when we smiled at each other, when we talked on our first date, I knew my search was over and that our adventure was about to begin.

“You are my home, my strongest support and my greatest joy. Today I choose you and I will choose you every day for the rest of my life.”

After exchanging wedding bands – diamond-encrusted for Wilhelmina, classic gold for Ben – they were proclaimed Mr and Mrs O’Keeffe, and shared a long, passionate kiss as husband and wife, before walking back up the aisle to Fred Again’s Adore You.

“There aren’t enough words to explain how this feels,” Wilhelmina smiles. “And as a journalist, I know that’s so ironic! But I said it all in the vows – we tell each other we love each other every single day, multiple times a day, but being able to tell everyone else and reflect on that love, and make those promises, was amazing.”

Wilhelmina and Ben. Photo / Jonny Scott Photography

While the newlyweds were whisked away for their mountaintop photos, guests enjoyed margaritas and Pimm’s cocktails, before the beaming couple returned to sprays of Champagne, ready for their stunning candlelit reception and dinner in Ayrburn’s Bakehouse.

Wilhelmina had changed into her second of three dresses for the night – a gorgeous long-sleeved lace gown, also by Trish Peng, who was on hand to make sure no thread was out of place.

“We had three different venues within Ayrburn, so that naturally meant I needed three dresses!” Wilhelmina laughs, adding that a dazzling sparkling mini was also on hand for the after-party because “you know sister’s going to bust a move!”

It was the most perfect day for the couple. Photo / Jonny Scott Photography

Not to be outdone, Ben also had an outfit change, rocking a white suit jacket with black-and-white chequered “party pants” for the couple’s gorgeous first dance in Ayrburn’s intimate barrel room to Lord Huron’s The Night We Met.

With acclaimed DJ duo the Sweet Mix Kids on the decks, the tune transitioned into the Pitbull hit Fireball and trays of Fireball shots were brought out, kicking off a party that went into the wee small hours and even saw Ben doing his debut DJ set in a golden vest.

It was, the couple tell us, the most perfect day and one they were thrilled they got to share with so many family members, as well as friends who have become family.

For Wilhelmina – whose past few years have been a “roller-coaster” as she navigated heartbreak, redundancy and everything in between – their big day meant everything and she credits Ben with teaching her how to love again.

“I’m the safest, happiest and most secure I’ve ever been in my whole life,” she enthuses. “One of our friends said to us that he didn’t feel like he was watching a wedding – it was like watching people’s dreams come true and that’s exactly how we felt too. All of my dreams came true today.”