How did you meet?
We both grew up in the Bay of Plenty but never really crossed paths — well, except for one fleeting moment when I was 17 and Charles was 20. He was dating a friend of mine and I met him briefly at a bar… though he has absolutely no memory of it!

Fast forward a few years, and fate stepped in. I ended up flatting with one of Charles' best friends while living in Auckland in my early 20s. Meanwhile, Charles was off living in London, so I got to know all of his closest friends really well without knowing him. At one point, my flatmate/his friend sent Charles a photo of our friend group, and he had it pinned on his wall in London for about a year before we met and connected. 

Eventually, Charles came back to New Zealand for a holiday, and we went to the Big Day Out as a group. That’s when we properly met, and we hit it off straight away. But he was only home in New Zealand for a few weeks. We had a fun little summer fling before he flew back to London. I liked him, but I didn’t know if we were ever going to connect again.

Then, a year later, Charles called me when he moved back to New Zealand to live. We went on a date right away, picked up exactly where we left off, and—moved in together after just a week! We have been together ever since. 

What is the thing you love most about each other?
Our shared sense of humour! Charles makes me laugh all the time, and we genuinely have so much fun together. Becoming parents together has been a wild ride and still is. I love being a parent with him. 

I love that we often see things from different perspectives. Charles challenges my thinking in the best way, encouraging me to consider other viewpoints. We're quite different in temperament too—I love the spotlight, can be highly strung, and I am very social. Charles is laid-back, and definitely not as social as me, but he is always up for being taken along. Charles never sweats the small stuff, whereas sometimes I can. We balance each other and learn a lot from each other. 

What I love most about Charles is his quiet happiness and unwavering optimistic outlook on life. He’s the most trustworthy and dependable person I know. And he is always ready for an adventure—especially if it involves surf, snow, or anything fitness-related.

I asked Charles what he loves most about me, and he said my determination and hyperfocus. He’s also come to appreciate my obsessive love for dogs—despite my habit of getting them without warning. Most of all, he loves that I’m a devoted mother who puts our kids first.

What does love mean to you?
Love can be difficult to define because it takes many forms and evolves. For us, loving someone means being there for them unconditionally—offering support through every aspect of life, celebrating the good times, and standing strong through the challenges. It’s the deep trust in knowing they’ll always have your back, just as you have theirs.

Love is also what makes life so wonderfully fun—the feelings, the inside jokes, the connection, and all the crazy little moments shared along the way. It’s the spark that turns takeout on the couch into a date night and turning up the music to dance in the kitchen. It has the power to make mundane things feel like an adventure. 

What piece of jewellery would you gift each other?
Greta: I would gift Charles the simple Till Death Band or the Till Death Band with Pave.
Charles: I would gift Greta the Talisman Necklace with a blue sapphire. 

Can you tell us all about your wedding day
I loved our wedding! We had a marquee celebration in the garden of Charles’ family home in Tauranga. His parents have only ever lived in that one house, so it was incredibly special to get married where Charles grew up and the house has a lot of character. Plus it’s lovely to think about our wedding when we visit.

The marquee was attached to the house and stretched out over the gardens which was so lovely. We went with a Latin theme—complete with Latin-inspired food, plenty of sangria, handmade piñatas, and live music from the Latin band Kantuta.

My wedding dress was a dusky pink Alice Temperley London gown I bought off the rack on a whim while very jetlagged (definitely not a traditional wedding dress). I still adore it and have worn it to several balls over the years—and I’ll probably wear it again someday. For the reception, I changed into a slinky black Spanish-style dress by TJ Store (now Knuefermann). Charles wore a classic black tuxedo from Crane Brothers. I’d love to have it tailored for one of our boys when they start going to balls if they’re into it.

What I loved most was having all our friends around us. It was one big, joyful party with everyone we loved around dancing the night away—until noise control and the police shut us down thanks to a not-so-understanding neighbour. But they were so lovely about it, and to be fair, it was pretty late (or early in the morning, I should say), and they did give us a few warnings first.  

Follow Greta and Together Journal here.