We decided to go with a ‘Mediterranean summer, Amalfi coast, colourful’ sort of vibe.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Tom is a paramedic from Melbourne, and I am a florist from NZ… very different backgrounds! Because Tom is hectic at work and I deal with people all day, we both LOVE a quiet evening with homemade pasta and wine. We’re really pretty boring people. We have a dog, and we love to go out to Country Victoria, where a lot of Tom’s family is from and spend time with them out there and going to beautiful wineries, or we travel to NZ to spend time with my family and explore the beautiful country there. We’re also very actively involved in our church, and our faith is very important to us.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Abi: I finally met when Tom walked into the florist/coffee shop that I worked at. We’d both heard a lot about each other and were set up by Aunties in our life when I moved to Melbourne from NZ. Tom came into the shop to finally get his Aunty to shut up about meeting me! I remember thinking, “Oh, he’s so much better looking than I expected, that’s annoying… the Aunties will be right..!”. Once we started talking, it was so easy, and we were pretty inseparable from that moment on.
Tom: One of my aunties had been on my back about meeting Abi for a while. I used to dismiss her and say I didn’t have time for girls due to studying and recently being employed as a paramedic. One day, I promised her that I would go into the florist/coffee shop where Abi worked and I further indulged my aunty by following up with her request that I should be in uniform when I meet her. I walked into the coffee shop feeling comfortable with zero expectations. However, for some reason, when I saw Abi, I instantly lost all resemblance to behaving like a human. Because it was the height of COVID-19 and we all were wearing masks, I remember Abi’s eyes the most, blue and awkwardly looking away from me. She was a beautiful girl, and I could already tell she was a motivated, driven girl who didn’t necessarily need a man in her life, but at that moment, I hoped perhaps that she would want me.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Abi: I think I knew Tom was the person for me from pretty early on. I remember feeling so respected by him from day dot as well as being able to be myself. He’s an annoyingly funny guy and to have the everyday things uplifted with humour is a pretty special thing.. I realised that to be able to share the small things in life and find joy and humour together in those moments is very precious.
Tom: I’m not sure if you can pinpoint exactly when you want to spend the rest of your life with a person. Perhaps for some, there is a single time. For me, Abi became such a part of my life from the get-go that I never not thought that I wouldn’t be with her. Yes, at times, we had our lovers’ quarrel, but that didn’t change anything for me. The collective times of date nights, travel, and even the mundane nights of sitting and watching a movie or cooking dinner with each other (which we actually love) made me love Abi so that I didn’t remember how I was or what my life was before her. I guess for me, I knew, and I don’t know why or when; I just knew.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Tom proposed in the living room of his childhood home… It was very us – sentimental and heartfelt with no crowds around! He was playing Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ when I walked in the front door, and I knew this was the moment! I, of course, ruined it slightly and popped out with “you idiot” when I realised what was happening as I was so overwhelmed with emotion I didn’t know what to say…!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
Because I am in the wedding industry my problem was narrowing down what I wanted as I had sooo many ideas! Once we had decided on Rippon Hall overlooking Lake Wanaka we knew that whatever we did would just be icing on the cake as the views are unbelievable and it’s a stunning venue already!
I really wanted to showcase the stunning local flowers – so e were lucky enough to be able to use several different local growers who had the most beautiful selection of flowers.
We decided to go with a ‘Mediterranean summer, Amalfi coast, colourful’ sort of vibe. I op-shopped all my vases for about a year beforehand and managed to get them all safely from Melbourne to NZ!
I’m very sentimental – so we had lots of little elements that were special to us. We had all our parents and grandparents’ wedding photos on display, as they are so special to us, and their marriages are something that we look up to. Tom wears his Dad’s wedding band (it doesn’t fit his Dad anymore), and we both have a quote engraved on the inside of our rings that my parents have engraved on theirs. I wore one of my Grandma’s rings, and we walked back up the aisle to Tom’s Nanny’s favourite song. We also had Bailey’s shots with the dessert in honour of my Mum and Tom’s Nanny, who were their absolute favourites!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
I was always going to splurge a bit on flowers as I’m a florist – that was pretty important to me! To be completely honest we were happy to splurge on a few things, food was really important to us as was photography. A lot of our guests hadn’t been to NZ, let alone such a magnificent place as Wanaka – so we really wanted them to have an amazing time and enjoy every part of the day as well as showcasing the incredible local food, wine and stunning scenery.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Not so much with us… there were a few mishaps (which always happen!). One of the groomsmen tore his pants when he was putting them on, luckily he had a belt, so they stayed up. My Maid of Honor was pregnant and we were pretty worried about the dress fitting on the morning of… when it zipped up perfectly we all heaved a sigh of relief!
I do know that my incredible flower ladies had a bit of a rushed morning of it. It was all going well until they had to get the flowers down the hill (which is steep at Rippon!) and they kept falling off the wagon they were on!
The hill at Rippon Hall is quite steep, and my biggest fear was falling over while walking down it in heels. I had one little moment where I wobbled a bit… but thankfully, I managed to catch myself… to be honest, it would have been very me if I had taken a tumble… I’m a wee bit clumsy..!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Abi: I fell in love with my dress when I went shopping with my sister-in-law for her own wedding! I was so excited when the dress was still available when I was I was shopping for my own.
My veil was very special – I had really wanted a veil with a bow on it and thought I would need to get it made. My husband’s family have a farm out in country Victoria, and we were out there one day and decided to go op shopping. We were in this dingy wee shed in the middle of nowhere, and I found the most beautiful vintage veil, complete with a bow, in immaculate condition. It felt like it was meant to be, and it was so special to wear something that had a connection to his family out there.
I really wanted to do something a little fun with my hair on the day, so we even talked about cutting it between the ceremony and reception! We decided to go a little more low-key with it in the end. I wore my hair up with my gorgeous veil for the ceremony and then we took it down and I wore a beautiful handmade bow in it for the second half of the day.
Tom: Being the youngest of three, my brother and brother-in-law were married before me and had suits that were unique to their weddings and what they wanted, and I wanted the same. My brother had navy blue suits; my brother-in-law had green. Initially, I was a bit disappointed when my brother-in-law chose green because I always thought I’d have green. However, upon seeing the greenness of the venue, I realised it wouldn’t work. I chose the classic black suit, white shirt and bowtie. Classic, timeless and can make anyone look good. I did, however, on the day, provide each of my groomsmen with unique cufflinks as a gift, a nice touch that I felt they could hold onto forever and remember the day they stood up front with me as I married my beautiful girl.
LOCATION Rippon Hall, Wanaka, NZ, @ripponhall PHOTOGRAPHER Luisa Apanui, @luisaapanui FLORIST Elsa and Gray, @elsaandgray STYLING By the bride CELEBRANT Friend – Andrew Yearsley CATERING Moreish Kitchen, @moreishkitchen HIRE Hayley the Hirer, @hayleythehirer; Flock Events, @flockevents; Tble Linen, @tble__linen__hire CAKE Weeping Willow Cakes, @weeping.willow.cakes STATIONERY Friend – Robbie Lawson, @robbielawson_art RINGS David Mansfield Jewellery BRIDAL DRESS Evie Young Dress by Luv Bridal, @luvbridal BRIDE’S SHOE Aere from The Iconic, @aerelabel, @theiconicau ACCESSORIES Vintage Veil, Handmade Bow and Earrings – Etsy: JeansJewelryStudio MAKEUP Tussock Hair and Makeup, @tussockhairandmakeup HAIR Friend – Louise Kingston SUIT Johnny Bigg, @johnnybigg GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Cufflinks, Bow Ties, and Watch – Tommy Hilfiger, @tommyhilfiger BRIDESMAID DRESSES Aje, @_aje_ BRIDESMAIDS ACCESSORIES Bows and Earrings – Etsy: Ribbonie and Joella Rose Jewellery GROOMSMEN SUIT Johnny Bigg, @johnnybigg
