08 May 2023
An Ongoing Flame
Ngā Mārena. Rural Weddings.
writer: ANNA BRANKIN (KĀI TAHU, KĀTI MĀMOE)
photographer: LAURA JOHNS
For Winton couple Mikayla and Mitchell Smith, getting married was just another step in an already long and beautiful relationship. Building their life together on the farm, anchored by shared values of hard work and family, their special day was as colourful and fun – yet grounded – as the two of them.
Mikayla with Ranger, 5, and Saylor, 4.
Mikayla and Mitchell first met as teenagers, when Mitchell’s family moved to Southland. “My parents were dairy farmers, so we moved around a wee bit when I was growing up,” says Mitchell, 30. “We first met each other down in a little town called Tūātapere, the sausage capital of New Zealand, when we were fifteen years old.”
“I came home from boarding school and I remember finding Mitchell to be quite kind and caring. It stuck out to me because boys that age don’t often come across like that,” Mikayla, 29, says. Mitchell chimes in, “I definitely remember meeting Mikayla because we’d been down there for a wee while and I’d never seen her before. I remember thinking, ‘Who’s that? She’s good looking.’”
The pair started dating, but eventually decided that a long-distance relationship was too challenging at such a young age. They fell out of touch and didn’t reconnect for several years. “We were both in Dunedin for university and we literally ran into each other when we were out one night,” Mikayla says. “We rekindled the old flame, although it seems funny to say ‘old flame’ when we were still only nineteen.”
When they finished university, Mikayla and Mitchell moved back south, setting themselves up in Invercargill. “At that stage we were both following the pathways of what we’d studied, so I was a public health practitioner and Mitchell was a mechanical engineer,” Mikayla explains. After about a year, the couple moved to Beaumont to help Mitchell’s parents on the family farm. It was during this period that Mikayla fell pregnant with Ranger. “Halfway through the pregnancy we moved down to Winton to be closer to my family,” Mikayla says. “And since then we’ve just really built a life here.”
“We decided to give dairy farming a proper go,” says Mitchell. “I did love working as an engineer but the lifestyle of working outside on the farm is a much better fit. We both love being outdoors, being active, and our kids love being on the farm as well.”
Mitchell is the farm manager for AB Lime’s 374 hectare dairy farm just outside of Winton, milking 950 stock units, while Mikayla is the Health and Safety Field Officer for all of AB Lime’s operations including the farm and a nearby quarry and landfill. The pair make a good team, with complementary skills. Mikayla is very organised and keeps the household running smoothly, while Mitchell’s relaxed approach helps her to navigate stressful situations. “We balance each other out,” says Mikayla. “Of course, we do get frustrated at each other, but when you’ve been together so long, you learn to pick your battles.” Mitchell adds, “The most important thing is being able to listen. That’s something I’ve gotten better at over the years – really listening to what she’s saying and how she feels.”
Mikayla and Mitchell came across Wānaka company Gather & Gold and decided to hire tipis, with Mikayla’s family farm as the venue.
Having been together from such a young age, Mikayla and Mitchell both assumed they would get married at some point. “We had definitely spoken about it early on, but it was more recently when all our friends started getting married and having kids that it really came up,” says Mikayla. “We had done the opposite – we had had our children and I was ready to get engaged. I started dropping a few hints every now and then.”
“If someone we knew got engaged, I wouldn’t hear the end of it,” Mitchell says. “I knew deep down that one day we were going to get married. I’d always known that I wanted to be with Mikayla for the rest of my life and we’d built this little family. And one day I finally thought it was time to get off my butt and get it done.”
“I was looking quite sharp, in a blazer and bow tie,” Mitchell says. But Mikayla adds, “Typical Mitch though, we had our photos done before the ceremony, so we did the whole ‘first look’ thing. I turned around to see he’d forgotten to put on his bow tie and suspenders!”
He made a trip to Country Jewel in Winton, picked out a ring and popped the question the same day – in the middle of their usual evening routine with two young kids. It was a complete surprise to Mikayla. “She was ecstatic, straight on the phone to her friends and family,” Mitchell says. “So I took the opportunity to go hunting.”
“By that stage in our relationship, it was pretty much exactly what I was expecting,” Mikayla chimes in. “Mitchell isn’t a planner, and he’s not one for the big romantic gesture. But he’s so caring and kind, and he’s such a good dad to our kids. Those are the things I love about him.”
“We’ve been on the same farm for five-and-a-bit years now and we’re quite content,” says Mikayla. “The bosses really look after us so it would be hard for us to move on.”
The couple got stuck in to wedding planning straight away. Mikayla knew she wanted a wedding that reflected their personalities and lifestyle – something a little bit different. A last-minute hiccup turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Mikayla’s parents were exposed to Covid just before the wedding and under the guidelines at the time they were required to self-isolate for ten days. “It was a huge stress, but somehow we managed to push everything back by two days, so we got married on the Sunday instead of Friday,” says Mikayla.
After all the upheaval, the day itself ran smoothly. “I’d say it was the best day of my life,” Mitchell says. “It was just perfect. Besides getting married, it was amazing to have our friends and family take the time to celebrate with us.”
“The highlight for me was having our kids involved,” says Mikayla. “The fact that they were there was so special. They still talk about it all the time, and there was just a sense of completing our family unit.”
MIKAYLA & MITCHELL
20 February 2022
Bride Mikayla Unahi, 29, daughter of Lisa & Stephen Unahi, Winton
Groom Mitchell Smith, 30, son of Wendy & Brendan Haywood, Beaumont
Wedding Location Winton, Southland
Ceremony & Reception At Mikayla’s parents’ house in Winton
Celebrant Sharyn Payne
Photographer Laura Johns Photographer
Videographer Black Feather Studio
Bride’s Dress Hera Couture
Bridesmaids’ Dresses BLAK
Shoes Anine Bing
Hair Southern Edge Hairdressing
Makeup Kendyl Tuilagi Makeup Artist
Catering Country Manor Catering
Caravan Bar One For The Road
Cake The Wooden Spoon
Tipi Hire Gather & Gold
Flowers The Stem-ery
Honeymoon Haven’t had one yet due to Covid-19
Living In Winton
“Mikayla looked amazing. All of my groomsmen were pretty quick to tell me that I was punching,” Mitchell says.
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This story appeared in the Ngahuru Autumn 2023 Edition of Shepherdess.
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