01 September 2023
The Best-Laid Plaids
Ngā Mārena. Rural Weddings.
writer: Lauren Jackson
photographer: Meg Stuthridge
Lizzy and Hamish Salvesen’s romance stretches from Aotearoa to Scotland and back again. As they planned their wedding at Hamish’s family farm near Mount Somers, the universe kept throwing the mellow, fun-loving pair challenges to overcome – which they did with a bit of New Zealand humour and Scottish flair.
Top image. Hamish and Lizzy. “We were lucky to have access to such a stunning and unique location,” Lizzy says. Above. Floral details.
Lizzy thought it was a normal Friday evening when she and her partner, Hamish, went for a run through the Pentland Hills, just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was August 2020 – still early days in the Covid-19 pandemic – but they hadn’t minded being in lockdown together. Always the mountain goat, Hamish ran ahead. When Lizzy caught up to him, he dropped to one knee, producing a rose gold engagement ring he’d designed himself. “I was so shocked,” Lizzy remembers with a smile. “It took me a moment to pick my jaw up and say ‘yes!’ I didn’t know he could design something so beautiful.”
Lizzy and Hamish, both 29, met six years earlier as students at Otago University. After a working holiday in Vancouver, they settled in Edinburgh for what would end up being a five-year stint as Hamish completed his doctorate in agricultural genetics and livestock and Lizzy worked in commercial property management. Marriage was a natural and exciting next step. They set the wedding date for February 2022, sure the pandemic would have “fizzled out” by then.
With both immediate families in Aotearoa, Hamish and Lizzy knew it was time to move home. Lizzy is an Invercargill girl, while Hamish emigrated with his family from Scotland when he was ten years old. It was his family’s move to Mount Somers – forty-five minutes inland from Ashburton – when he was sixteen that inspired Hamish to consider working the family’s 1,380 hectare beef and deer farm one day. He feels a strong affinity to this land, and Lizzy loves it, too.
Hamish’s parents, Mike and Nicky, spent weeks preparing a special mountaintop site with beautiful views for the ceremony. However, as the saying goes, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. As the wedding date neared, it became clear the pandemic was far from over and border restrictions made it impossible for family and friends from overseas – including one of Lizzy’s bridesmaids and one of Hamish’s groomsmen – to attend. So, they threw a big engagement-leaving-wedding party in Edinburgh’s Old Town and headed home with happy memories.
The bridal party’s clear umbrellas were purchased by a friend from Kmart. Lizzy agrees they look great in the photos. “And they were quite essential,” she laughs.
But fate had more curveballs in store. Restrictions on gatherings meant paring back the guest list to one hundred, and then the weather packed in. The original site was abandoned the day before the wedding in favour of a sheltered stand of trees in the farm driveway, only eighty metres from the front-lawn marquee. “We had to adapt lots,” says Lizzy, “so it was good we weren’t too over the top about how things had to be done. We’re pretty laid back about most things. We’re not very formal people, so we wanted it to feel quite casual.”
This mindset is reflected in the elegant simplicity of Lizzy’s wedding dress, bought during a girls’ shopping weekend in London. She only visited a few boutiques before spotting it. “I said, ‘I love it. This will do me. Don’t need to keep looking – it’s comfortable.’” Lizzy invited her bridesmaids to pick out their own dresses, stipulating only that they needed to be blue. “I like blue, and I knew it would work well with the tartan.”
Lizzy is referring to the Clan MacLeod tartan Hamish wore on the day, albeit with a twist. Keen to avoid a warm kilt in summer, Hamish asked a Scottish tailor to sew tartan shorts for himself and his three groomsmen. The tailor was perplexed by this blend of traditions but delivered three smart pairs of shorts – not four. So one groomsman sported a kilt after all, adding to the poetic mix-and-match dress code.
The day of the wedding arrived, and with it came one last problem. As she and her bridesmaids prepared, Lizzy noticed Meg, the photographer, was running uncharacteristically late. A phone call placed Meg in Ākaroa, happily swimming with dolphins because Hamish had, in fact, booked her for the following day. Meg abandoned her swim and raced to Mount Somers, meeting Lizzy at the top of the driveway where her father, Peter, was about to walk her down the aisle.
Hamish and Lizzy added another Scottish touch to their ceremony by drinking from a silver dish known as Scotland’s “loving cup” – a quaich. This tradition symbolises their trust and togetherness, although Lizzy jokes it was just a way for Hamish to add a bit of whisky to their nuptials. Their mums, Sarah and Nicky, witnessed the ceremony as the rain softly fell, then everyone headed to the marquee, where a Timaru band Hamish found on Facebook had everyone hitting the dance floor, many rocking gumboots. “It relaxed people in a funny way. You couldn’t be too worried about getting a little bit of mud on your dress.” Lizzy’s dress didn’t escape the mud either, but there was no need for a dry cleaner. “My mum washed it in the bathtub for me,” Lizzy chuckles. “Very good of her.”
Lizzy and Hamish now live with their dog, Squid, on the family farm, which Hamish manages. Lizzy has continued working in property in Ashburton, and is enjoying the early days of maternity leave. She and Hamish excitedly welcomed their first child in May and their family life is grounded in nature. “There are lots of fun things to do with kids on the farm,” says Hamish. “Going for walks; seeing kids with the dogs; being able to ride bikes around; taking picnics up the hills and looking at the views.” Lizzy and Hamish are ready to introduce the next generation to this special place as their high-altitude love story enters a wonderful new chapter.
Hamish (second from right) with his groomsmen, Rob Salvesen, Tim Instone and Ethan Abraham, sporting tartan shorts – plus one kilt.
LIZZY & HAMISH
5 February 2022
Bride Lizzy Redpath, 29, daughter of Sarah & Peter Redpath, Invercargill
Groom Hamish Salvesen, 29, son of Nicky & Mike Salvesen, Mount Somers
Wedding Location Mount Somers, Mid Canterbury
Ceremony & Reception At Hamish’s family farm, Wakare, at Mount Somers
Celebrant Pete Salvesen, Hamish’s brother
Photographer Meg Elizabeth Photo
Bride’s Dress The OWN Studio
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Maggie Marilyn, Ruby and Shona Joy
Shoes Bronwyn Footwear
Wedding Bands Sophie Divett Jewellery
Bride’s Jewellery Engagement ring from Jewellery By Liam Ross and Lizzy’s mum’s diamond earrings
Hair Alex Hannah Hairstyling
Makeup Tessa Simpson
Catering Foothills Catering (now Catering Co.)
Bar The Thirsty Caravan
Cake Alpine Cakes
Marquee Party Warehouse Christchurch
Flowers Samantha Rose Flowers
Honeymoon A long weekend in Kaikōura
Living On Hamish’s family farm
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This story appeared in the Takurua Winter 2023 Edition of Shepherdess.
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