Thirty years as best friends, eight years as a couple, one dying wish fulfilled.



Australian couple Lee Bransden and Sandra Yates said 'I do' at Rotorua's Mitai Village on Saturday afternoon, a ceremony made all the more poignant because Bransden has just weeks to live.



The couple chose Rotorua for their wedding as both have a deep connection to Maori culture, and perhaps more importantly, as a same-sex couple are unable to marry in Australia under current law.



The kindness of strangers has played a crucial role in the upcoming marriage too, as an online campaign to get the couple their final wish saw cash pour in from all over the world.

The donations were an unfortunate necessity after a failed property deal and the heartbreaking reality of having to set money aside for Bransden's funeral.

gofundme.com Sandra Yates with her indended, Lee Bransden, who is dying.

"We are just so grateful that we will be legally bound together before we are finally parted," Yates said before the wedding.

"Lee and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and kind words of the people who have allowed our final wish as a couple fo come true."

Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome said he was delighted the couple would be able to marry, in spite of the current Australian law.

"I hope their marriage reminds Australia's politicians just how backward and harsh our laws currently are," he said.

"Lee and Sandra's case is a reminder that marriage equality is about real people with real needs, not politics or parties."