New Zealand welcomed marriage equality this week, and moms Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau were among the first to wed. They did so in style — at 30,000 feet on a special Air New Zealand flight, after winning a contest held by the airline. Watch a video of their wedding, along with the charming video of their kids that won them the contest in the first place.
Their children, Javarn (9), Maycee (7) and Mikaere (6), and Ally’s son Damon, joined them on the flight between Queenstown and Auckland, as did actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) and his husband, Justin. Jesse and Justin gifted the children’s bow ties from their charity Tie The Knot collection which raises funds in support of marriage equality.
Bendall and Wanikau have been together almost 14 years. Best wishes to them and to all the same-sex couples in New Zealand who may now legally wed.