The Eyes Have It

The beginnings of Sarah Tabak and Benjamin Eyres were seeded in the kitchens of an Auckland bakery during lockdown, where they both found themselves working. And, despite only being able to see each other’s eyes for a long time (thanks to constant mask-wearing), their romance unfolded like the slowly rising dough with which they worked every day.

"Ben was already at Daily Bread and I came on as a casual,” Sarah recalls. “We actually didn’t see each other’s faces for the first few months, with the masks… but it’s all in the eyes,” she laughs. Ben smiles, agreeing: “I remember lots of after-work swims at the beach. It really was a summer of love.”

It was also a summer that laid the foundation for a partnership that would grow in ways neither expected. “We had a few fun, carefree years of travelling,” Sarah explains. “But now it’s all business.” She laughs, correcting herself. “No, really — it’s been such a rewarding experience to go through together. We have to have full trust in one another, and we feel a lot of pride for what we’ve achieved together.”

That “business” is Beabea’s, the couple’s (wildly popular) bakery in Auckland’s Westmere, where Sarah runs front of house and Ben works in the kitchen. “Opening a business together has been a really cool journey,” Ben says. “And we’ve made lots of friends in the process.”

But before the bakery, before marriage, back when their relationship was evolving from summertime romance to long-term love, there was a proposal. Ben, he tells me, had been holding on to his grandmother’s engagement ring for more than a year, waiting for the right moment. One that finally came on the Whananaki footbridge at dusk. “We were in our trackie dacks, and had shared a bottle of vino,” Ben tells me. “It just felt right.” Sarah laughs, “It wasn’t glamorous, but it was perfect. Us.”

When it came to their wedding, the couple’s vision was simple: “Good food, drinks and music were our main priority,” Sarah says. “We just wanted our friends and family to rock up and have a really good party.”

Planning came together quickly, largely thanks to their community. “We called on a lot of very talented friends,” Sarah says. “The team at Blue (our venue) sorted all the food, drinks and photography. We had friends DJ and do the flowers. Mor Bakery made the cake. Honestly, we just had to make sure we both had something to wear — we were very lucky.”

In answer to the question of what to wear, the couple had originally pictured a casual approach. “We thought we’d just keep it low-key,” Ben explains. But Robert from Crane Brothers had other ideas. “He encouraged us to look our best,” Sarah says. “So we decided to turn it up a little.”

The resulting looks felt considered and effortless. Ben wore a Crane Brothers suit, shirt and shoes, his boutonnière fashioned from Sarah’s dress. For Sarah, the process was unexpectedly smooth. “The dress was the second one I tried on,” she recalls. “It was strapless, but originally had long sleeves. Lizzie at Love James had held on to them, so we used them to create the off-the-shoulder scenario. Jess at Reparation Studio did the alterations, and she even engineered a second ‘party mode’ for the dance floor. I’m not normally one to rock around in a gown, so that was really important.”

“We just wanted our friends and family to rock up and have a really good party.”

For Sarah, the whole process of pulling together the wedding, and by extension her ability to enjoy the day itself, was straightforward. “It really was stress-free,” she says. “We were both just excited.” After a relaxed first look on the beach, the intimate ceremony took place through the tables of Blue, accompanied by Sarah’s cousin Milly on guitar, who played them up and down the aisle before striking up Shania Twain’s Still the One for the couple’s first dance.

And despite not everything going exactly to plan, with Sarah explaining to me how “the flowers we had ordered weren’t available at the flower market,” she tells me that she decided to go out to her aunt’s farm and pick some wild foliage to dress the space instead. “It was actually perfect in the end,” she says. “I’d always dreamed of getting married at the farm, so it was really cool to have that special place be part of our day.”

The reception unfolded in true celebratory fashion. “The food was incredible,” Ben says. “The speeches were tear-jerking and hilarious.” Sarah adds, “And the dance floor got rowdy — exactly what we wanted.”

It was a wedding that truly reflected the story of this couple: relaxed and joyful, with a no-frills focus on what was important. Namely, the people and the experience. Looking back, they admit they would have made one change. “Maybe make it longer?” Sarah says. “The day went by so fast. It’s easy to see why lots of people make it a multi-day event.

Just after signing the lease for their new bakery, Sarah underwent surgery for endometriosis. “The recovery was supposed to be two weeks, but it ended up being two hospital stays and months of recovery,” she says. “It was a very challenging time for both of us. We eventually got the bakery opened, and we’re chuffed we got to where we are today.”

It’s that sense of grit and balance that defines these two as a couple. “I think in a partner you’re attracted to qualities that complement you,” Sarah reflects. “I’m organised, social, assertive and hilarious, while Ben is patient, creative, driven and calm. We’re a pretty strong little team.” Ben nods. “Therapy and a willingness to grow,” he adds with a chuckle, when I ask what makes their relationship work.

The lessons, they say, have been simple but profound. “We work together every day,” Sarah explains, “so making sure we’re prioritising quality time together and not just work chat, as well as some time to ourselves, has been huge.”

Their happiest moments have been equal parts adventure and simplicity: a “little pastry tour around Europe” in the early days, Christmas holidays up north in their “rusty van,” hikes, swims, and downtime at the beach. “Those are the things that ground us,” Ben says.

Now, the future holds new adventures. “We’re actually having a baby in March 2026,” Sarah says with a grin. It’s a milestone they both look forward to, another layer to the life they’ve been building — one that feels less like a whirlwind fairytale and more like something honest, carefully tended-to and nurtured. A lasting, real love that they have chosen every day since they first locked eyes.