After five years together, All Black and Hurricanes player Beauden Barrett and girlfriend Hannah Laity were ready to start a new chapter.
The two officially tied the knot in Mid-January of this year, becoming formally known as Mr and Mrs Barrett. It took the newly-weds a while to believe they had finally married, and for good reason; the day was something out of a fairytale.
We had the privilege of working with Beauden and Hannah to craft their dream engagement ring. Firstly, Beauden worked with Ian Douglas, The Village Goldsmith’s founder and designer, to design the best concept for Hannah’s engagement ring. Together it was decided that an oval cut diamond would be the perfect centrepiece and would compliment Hannah’s personality and style perfectly.
"Beauden had been planning to pop the question for a while, and carried the stunning Village Goldsmith platinum and diamond ring all throughout Europe during the All Blacks' Northern Hempisphere tour in preparation for the right moment". - Woman's Day
After the engagement was official the couple returned to The Village Goldsmith to complete the engagement ring’s design together. They also created the concept for a pair of custom wedding rings that would flawlessly match the ring and their lifestyles. Ian worked with the couple to create a design which was exactly what they not only loved but also required when it came to their wedding rings.
Being a professional rugby player and also enjoying other sports like golf, Beauden needed a wedding ring that would have the ability to endure his active lifestyle. Ian and Beauden came to the conclusion that platinum would be the best option for his ring as it is less likely to tarnish and wear during his outdoor activities. Hannah’s engagement ring set the scene for her wedding ring. Diamonds adorned its band, so it was clear the wedding ring needed to feature similar.
The initial sketches were then drawn into CAD images by our talented CAD designers and the team got to work creating and crafting the couple’s dream wedding rings. The finishing touch was an engraved message on the inside of the ring.
The big day came along twelve months after the proposal, on Rakino Island, a remote island off the coast of Auckland. Standing under the altar, with the glimmering seascape framed behind them, the bride and groom shared vows, exchanged rings, and shed a few tears.
Beauden’s fellow All Black team-mate and close friend, TJ Perenara (read TJ and Greer's engagement story) – lead a Ka Mate haka at the reception to congratulate the couple. Everyone in the marquee was moved by the performance and brought closely to tears yet again.
With emotions running high and Moet champagne flowing freely, the first few notes of Dirty Dancing’s “Time of my Life” started playing. The couple dramatically took the floor to wow everyone with their first dance as husband and wife.
The celebration was an absolute dream from beginning to end, and so was the planning and crafting of the rings. We feel so honoured to have worked with such a lovely and genuine couple and are happy we could bring to life what they’d only imagined.
The Village Goldsmith wishes the newly-weds all the best with their new journey as Mr and Mrs.
