Paul Keith has fulfilled the wish of his terminally ill mother – to see him marry his partner, Rose.

The Tauranga couple, who have struggled to find rental accommodation and have been living in tents and on friends' and family's couches for the past five months, were married in a humble ceremony at Mr Keith's parents' house in Mount Maunganui on Saturday.

Paul's mother, Susan Keith, has terminal bone cancer so a decision was made to hold a "DIY wedding" to fulfil one of her dreams of seeing her son get married.

"[Susan] has the most beautiful soul I have ever met," said the new Mrs Keith.

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"She was crying the whole day," she said.

Mr Keith's father, Gerran Keith, said the day was "very emotional" but it was something that made his wife Susan happy.

"When life is cut short you start to think of all the things you dream of," he said.

"This was obviously one of them for her."

When the Bay of Plenty Times caught up with the couple after their wedding, Mrs Keith's arm was linked with her new husband's and the couple were grinning from ear-to-ear.

The wedding was in Paul Keith's parents' backyard. Photo / Andrew Warner.
The wedding was in Paul Keith's parents' backyard. Photo / Andrew Warner.

Rose Keith wore a beautifully simple white lace dress, feather earrings and a diamante headpiece and family and friends brought a plate of food for the celebration. All of the decorations were homemade.

She said everyone pitched in to make the day a success because there was very little extra money for the wedding.

The couple, along with their four children aged between five and 17, were forced to move out of their rental last September after their landlord moved back into the house.

Mrs Keith said they would love to find a home now they are married but they have struggled to find a rental suitable for a family of six. However, they were trying to make the most of the situation.

"We told the kids 'we're going on an adventure'. Over summer it was sleeping in tents and going to the beach," Mrs Keith smiles.

"As long as Rose and the kids have a roof over their heads that's all that matters," Mr Keith said.