David and Bethany were firm friends before they fell in love. Photo / Supplied
David and Bethany were firm friends before they fell in love. Photo / Supplied
Bethany Haverland is a lifestyle and entertainment writer for NZME. Her husband David is a game developer and software engineer. The couple, both 24, have known each other since they were teenagers, but neither can recall their first meeting. They married in April this year.
Bethany says …
We knew about each other for a long time because we went to the same church camps. My family knew his family. We both grew up in churches and it was just nice that we had that in common. And we still have that in common.
My family is from the Manawatū, but I moved from Wellington to Auckland at the end of 2019 to start work at the Herald. [David moved from Christchurch to Auckland in early 2019 to study.]
When we were 20, spending time as part of a group of friends, I just thought he was very geeky and super into games and playing them all night. He was the friendly nerd and apparently I do like friendly nerds, but I didn’t know it then. I just thought he was funny and I wanted to be his mate. I was seeing someone else at the time, so I was like, “Great, I’ve got a guy friend in my life”. We hung out a lot in groups and he would pick me up from the airport when I came back from seeing my family, but he was always offering to do that kind of thing for everyone.
The summer before all the lockdowns we hung out a lot. Then we were both stuck in our different flats. Then at an Easter camp in 2021, I was talking to him about my boy problems. He said, “Well, how about adding another one into the mix? What about me?’ It was the first time I even realised he had any sort of feelings for me. I was very shocked. I got really emotional and then I couldn’t understand why. I said “I need to think about this” and went for a walk. I talked to a couple of my friends. And they said, “Well, you know, if it’s making you this emotional and you’re feeling all these things, maybe it is something?”
When we got home from camp, we went for a walk up Mt Eden and talked. It took about two weeks after that – because I was mentally trying to catch up – to say, “Okay, boyfriend and girlfriend, let’s give this a go”.
My younger sister and David’s cousin actually got engaged at a similar time to us and got married in January, so there were lots of jokes about having a double wedding. That didn’t happen but it’s nice to share a last name with her, as well as a new family.
Our wedding day was an absolute dream, apart from the fact that I kept him waiting at the top of the aisle for half an hour - not on purpose! I realised at the last minute there was a foundation mark on my dress, so we had to get the makeup remover and cotton buds out and I ended up arriving late.
He’s just the nicest person. He’s so kind and so lovely to everyone – his friends, his family, everyone he comes across.
Bethany and David on their wedding day. Photo / Michelle Kelly Photography
David says …
I think we first met when I was probably 14, and then again, when I was 16. She is in the background of one of the photos I had on my phone.
When we were 20, one of my best mates was really good mates with Beth and I started to notice her as not being one of the crowd that I just saw with everyone else. I thought she was really pretty and I really enjoyed hanging out with her. Before the Easter camp in 2021, I was freaking out leading up to it because I had all these feelings and I was thinking, “What do I do?” And then we had the chat and I thought, “Well, it didn’t go terribly, perhaps there’s hope?” I felt on top of the world.
The proposal was a massive, planned shindig, because I know Beth doesn’t like big surprises. We’d talked about getting married, so I told her, “Beth, I am going to propose to you in three months.” I arranged for her cousin to take photos of the proposal, which happened in July 2022.
I planned a week’s worth of dates and backups, just in case something went wrong, or it was raining. From the get-go, Beth’s drive with her career is one of the things I have really liked. I contacted her boss, Jenni, so Beth could have the day off work [although she didn’t know it] on the Friday. I messaged Beth and said, ‘Hey, my manager is giving me the rest of the day off’, and she said, ‘My manager also sent me that message’. I said, ‘Oh, that’s convenient. How about we go to the museum?’ I was going to propose in the band rotunda, but her cousin and sister texted to say there was a wedding happening there, so I proposed in the Wintergarden.
Married life is the best and I can’t imagine life any differently.
