Nerida Jantti and Shane Cortese. Photo / Herald on Sunday
Nerida Jantti and Shane Cortese. Photo / Herald on Sunday
KEY POINTS:
It was the first step in the dance of a lifetime.
Shane Cortese and former Dancing with the Stars partner Nerida Jantti tied the knot yesterday, returning to the place they met - the show's set at Wellington's Avalon studios.
Cortese and the couple's 1-year-old son Kees arrivedin matching suits.
Jantti was smuggled in under a shield of umbrellas after the couple did a deal with a women's magazine. Cortese helped hide his bride's dress by covering her with his coat.
The couple were joined by two busloads of friends and family, including celebrity pals Candy Lane, Michael Galvin, Jason Gunn and Monty Betham.
The secrecy around the wedding didn't stop Jantti from showing off her dress to guests at Wellington's Dockside restaurant. She arrived in a 1950s black Cadillac, wowing guests with a fitted white lace gown with a plunging back and small train.
Gunn, presenter of Dancing with the Stars and a close friend of the newlyweds, was MC at the reception.
"It all started on the dancefloor, didn't it. I think it's a wonderful thing."
Betham was happy to share the day with Jantti, his partner in the latest season of the hit TV One show.
"I joined Shane and the boys on his stag do," he said. "I was too smart to get involved with the whole day of drinking. They had breakfast, went to a golf day and played some bowls and I caught up with them all in the evening. It was all rather well-behaved actually."
In keeping with tradition, Cortese asked Jantti's stepdad for permission before proposing. The couple plan to have more children.
They were not the only couple celebrating good news yesterday. Parliamentary Speaker Dr Lockwood Smith confirmed his engagement to long-time partner Alexandra Lang after proposing on Christmas Day.
