Kimberlee & Ollie's perfect day: 'THIS IS EVERYTHING WE EVER WANTED'

The rival sports reporters tied the knot in an emotional ceremony in Taranaki

-  Kelly Bertrand

As two of the nation’s top sports reporters, Kimberlee Downs and Ollie Ritchie know that sometimes when you start a story, you end up with a far different ending than the one you’d planned to tell.

Twists, turns, hooks and suspense are all part of it and as journalists, they know a little bit of drama in a yarn never goes amiss.

The loved-up couple have had their share of it too – in true sporting Romeo and Juliet fashion, they work as rivals for the nation’s two biggest telly networks, Kim for 1 News and Ollie for Newshub.

But the pair most definitely could have done without the near-torrential rain that’s currently bucketing down on the morning of their long-awaited wedding on the Taranaki coastline.

“It’s good luck for it to rain on your wedding day, right!?” a panicking Kim asks Woman’s Day shortly before walking down the aisle.

But what good journalists also know is that sometimes miracles actually do happen.

And at 1pm, somehow, the sheet of dark, miserable grey clouds has given way to an impossibly blue sky. And as the puddles dry up and the ceremony chairs are finally put out on the lawn of the stunning Bungalow Coastal Retreat, the Tasman Sea stretching as far as the eye can see and the sun streaming down, it’s time for the bride to slip into her custom made Liah Roebuck Bridal gown with the help of her bridesmaids, Hannah Mortensen and Grace Ritchie, plus maid of honour Rachael Whareaitu.

“I’m so excited that I’ve had one custom-made,” says Kim, gesturing down to her stunning V-neck, cap-sleeved gown. “When else do you ever get that in your life? I knew I didn’t want a princess kind of thing – that’s not me – but I love that it’s a mix of classic and modern.”