TV stars, politicians mix at Espiner wedding

Guyon Espiner. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Broadcaster Guyon Espiner married Emma Wehipeihana yesterday at a private ceremony where politicians mixed with television stars.

The couple's "best friend", former Labour MP Darren Hughes, was the master of ceremonies at the celebrations at Golden Bay.

Espiner's best mate and new TV3 colleague, Duncan Garner, was the best man, while former TVNZ comrade Corin Dann was also in the party.

Espiner, 41, met his 27-year-old bride in 2009 in the Backbencher bar in Wellington when she was working for Mr Hughes as his personal assistant.

After they dated for a year, Espiner proposed last summer on the couple's month-long holiday in Cuba. But he waited for their last day in Havana - and admitted at the time that holding out so long was a little stressful.

"The struggle was keeping the ring a secret for a month as we travelled through hotels and putting it in backpacks.

"I managed to smuggle it away. I had to be a bit clandestine."

Late last year, Espiner left his position as political editor at TVNZ - a position he had held for six years - and was due to develop new projects at TV One in Auckland, a move he said would allow him to be with Ms Wehipeihana, who was shifting there to work in human resources.

However, not long after Espiner announced that he would be changing roles at TVNZ, he resigned from the company altogether to work for the TV3 current affairs show 60 Minutes as a reporter.

- staff reporter