The soccer star who made history when he came out as gay is having a surprise wedding and a sports legend took him to the ceremony by helicopter.

Former All Black Campbell Johnstone married teammate Ben Thomson in a surprise wedding which saw them flown by helicopter to the ceremony by a rugby legend.

All Black No.1056 when he made his debut against Fiji in 2005, Johnstone played three Tests for New Zealand and amassed 72 games for Canterbury and 38 for the Crusaders.

Johnstone came out as gay in 2023, having previously revealed his sexuality only to family and close friends, and said his decision to publicly announce the news arose from a desire to destigmatise homosexuality and encourage acceptance in rugby.

He is the first All Black to declare himself openly gay.

Johnstone, 44, and Thomson, 37, married in a non-traditional ceremony at The Flaxmill in the New Zealand South Island town of Oxford, and were transported by helicopter by All Blacks icon Richie McCaw.

The couple dropped the bombshell that they secretly got married in October and those moments were recorded and shown to guests at their second wedding.

Former All Black Campbell Johnstone (right) has married his partner Ben Thomson (left) in a ceremony that gave guests a very special surprise

The couple revealed at the ceremony that they had secretly married in October.

'No one knew what was happening. Even the groomsmen and our families didn't know,” Johnstone said. Women's Day.

'We had a day with just the two of us, when photographers filmed and photographed us getting ready together in a hotel. “Then we went to Castle Hill station and had our ceremony on top of a mountain,” Thomson explained.

“It was literally just us, the two photographers and the videographer on that hill, so it was great. We didn't even have a celebrant.

Johnstone said her favorite part of the day was the speech her sister gave.

“He was telling me that I had just written something very fast and very light,” he said.

'She doesn't like to talk in front of people, so I was really surprised at how well she spoke. It was very emotional.”

Thomson added that another of her favorite moments was when the couple sneaked away from the party alone for 10 minutes to eat a plate of food together.

“While the guests mingled and enjoyed dessert, we managed to sneak up a hill outside to enjoy a plate of food and be alone for 10 minutes,” he explained.

Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw (pictured holding the World Cup after New Zealand's victory in 2011) flew the couple to the ceremony in a helicopter.

Thomson (pictured) made history when he came out as gay in 2023, having previously revealed his sexuality to loved ones.

Johnstone said her favorite part of the wedding day was her sister's speech.

The rugby star (left) played 38 games for the Crusaders and won three coveted caps for the All Blacks in 2005.

'We watched the whole scene and stole a moment for ourselves. That had to have been one of my favorite parts of the day.

The newlyweds gave their 165 guests the chance to vote on the question: Should the bride and groom's surnames be Johnstone or Thomson?

Voting subsequently showed that 'Johnstone' was the most selected name.

The couple said they are considering a luxury safari in South Africa later this year for their honeymoon.