From horror car crash to wedding joy

Lucia Tigri arrives for her wedding to Gaz Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

Five months after a horror crash left their wedding dreams in tatters, celebrity trainer Gaz Brown has married fashion editor Lucia Tigri.

The couple were to have wed in January - until they were caught in a four-vehicle crash near Napier that left 12 people injured, including the bride and groom as well as his parents and sister.

Last night, they put that behind them as they exchanged vows at sunset, in a ceremony in Auckland that "celebrated life and love".

The wedding was held at Antoine's restaurant in Parnell, whose owner Tony Astle is a client and friend of Brown.

Another friend, Herald on Sunday columnist Kerre Woodham, acted as MC.

Brown also trains radio host Jay-Jay Feeney and TV One weatherman Tamati Coffey.

Brown, 31, and Tigri, 33, share matching scars from bowel surgery they both had following the December 27 crash on State Highway 2. Tigri also had surgery on a damaged vertebrae and Brown had a steel plate inserted in his shoulder.

The bride and groom's story of survival made MCing the event emotional for Woodham.

"I know how lucky I am not to be reading some fabulous eulogy at a funeral," she said.

Tigri arrived at Antoine's at 5pm in a Rolls Royce driven by Astle. She wore a strapless white chiffon gown with a flowing train and carried a bouquet of white roses.

The bride walked up an "aisle of love" formed by the wedding guests to the strains of Midnight Youth's acoustic ballad Golden Love.

Brown wore a black suit with a black tie and shoes he bought in Paris last month while leading a group of runners participating in the Paris marathon.

Both Brown and Tigri, fashion editor for New Zealand Woman's Weekly magazine, have made good recoveries after the crash.

Woodham said they could have held the wedding earlier but waited until their stomach injuries were healed to appreciate the food at their reception.