\u201cShe told me I needed to calm down, but I was determined to fix it and even hired a weather witch off Etsy to cast a spell!\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, the weather cleared enough for the couple to have their dream outdoor ceremony at high-end Rippon Hall, with guests soaking up breathtaking views across vineyards to Lake W\u0101naka and the Southern Alps as Luke and Brodie said \u201cI do\u201d.<\/p>\n
Warriors star Luke Metcalf and his longtime love Brodie Boyle. Photo \/ Jackson Bright, @jacksonbrightweddings<\/p>\n
As a professional sportsman, Luke is used to extreme pressure, but nerves got the better of him while he was getting ready on the morning of the wedding.<\/p>\n
The league star confesses; \u201cI was way more nervous and anxious about getting married than before a football game!\u201d.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, among his groomsmen was his childhood friend and fellow league player James Roumanos, who was there when Luke met Brodie a decade ago, when they were both 16, at Sydney\u2019s Cronulla Beach. <\/p>\n
The boys had gone for a swim after training and spotted a group of girls James knew from school.<\/p>\n
The young couple got engaged in 2023. Photo \/ Jackson Bright, @jacksonbrightweddings
Luke and Brodie. Photo \/ Jackson Bright, @jacksonbrightweddings<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked James who Brodie was, but he said I should probably hold off because she was fiery and the life of the party, while I was calm and relaxed,\u201d laughs Luke, adding that he wasn\u2019t put off.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty confident and remember counting down, like, \u2018Three, two, one,\u2019 then putting my hand out to Brodie and saying, \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Luke.\u2019 She didn\u2019t really want a bar of me at the start, but I wore her down!\u201d<\/p>\n
The young couple got engaged in 2023<\/a>, around the time former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player Luke signed with the Warriors. <\/p>\n Brodie had half-jokingly said she didn\u2019t know if she could move to New Zealand without a ring on her finger, but even she was shocked when Luke popped the question in Italy during a romantic European holiday just before they crossed the ditch.<\/p>\n Brodie smiles; \u201cLuke is the most disorganised person and is always losing everything, so I didn\u2019t expect him to get a ring and take it overseas. He hid it in a sock in his backpack all the way to Europe. It was the biggest surprise!\u201d.<\/p>\n The couple initially looked at wedding venues in Australia, but nothing wowed them, until a trip to W\u0101naka in January 2024, which saw them book Rippon Hall on the spot.<\/p>\n On the day of the wedding, Luke remembers feeling all the emotions as he waited in the magical location for his beautiful bride. He was blown away by his first glimpse as Brodie walked towards him in a stunning gown from The Ivory Room in Sydney, accompanied by her four bridesmaids, who were striking in black dresses.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was perfect,\u201d the sports star says simply.<\/p>\nNo venue in Australia wowed the couple until a trip to W\u0101naka in January 2024. Photo \/ Jackson Bright, @jacksonbrightweddings<\/p>\n