Hamish + Anna by Olivia Melhop

The tone for our wedding – a bold and bright garden party

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Anna is a lover of all things classical and natural, appreciating all things beautiful, from ballet to gardening. I work in marketing by day and recharge with evening walks or a stroll at the weekend market. Hamish is a practical, sports-loving problem-solver. He’s a quantity surveyor by day and unwinds in the kitchen or online for Fortnite session with mates and hits the golf course on weekends. Together, we’re easy-going and happiest in good company. We love celebrating life’s wins with a dinner out, but we’re just as happy with our favourite local Thai. We spend our weekends catching up with friends and family or daydreaming about the next reno for our humble 1950s home. After the wedding, we found ourselves missing a project so three months later, we welcomed Maple, a cheeky Miniature Groodle, into our world. She’s added just the right amount of chaos and cuddles to our newlywed life.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Our love story starts as naïve 19-year-olds, meeting through mutual friends. Hamish was the funny, flirty guy, meanwhile I was the girl that was “working on herself”. Hamish had just moved back from a year studying in Dunedin, I classed him as the popular guy, and kept my head down, studying and working. It turns out he was such a flirt, and I was ignorant. It took a few strong nudges from friends to work out Hamish had been interested in me from the day we met. When Hamish asked me out on our first date, I was excited. Maybe dinner, or bowling? No, surfing…! On a chilly Wellington day at Lyall Bay, I put on a wetsuit and jumped on a surfboard for the first (and last) time in my life. It’s safe to say we jumped straight in the deep end. It takes someone boldly confident to take someone quietly confident surfing on a first date, but I think it says a lot about us. We love an adventure and support each other all the way.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

First, we fell in love with our venue which set the tone for our wedding – a bold and bright garden party. Gorgeous European-inspired gardens with immaculate hedging and a cathedral of trees and a beautiful early-1900s villa were the perfect back drop for a bright summer wedding, where our guests and florals filled the space with colour. Living in Wellington, we took a one-hour trip over to Martinborough and encouraged our guests to make a weekend of it. We wanted to close off summer with a relaxed, fun getaway in the sunshine. We had a family pizza party the night before and our friend kindly hosted us at his family home for a recovery brunch the next morning! We wanted the experience of our wedding to be remembered, and we involved our loved ones at every opportunity. Hamish’s aunty officiated our ceremony so lovingly and personally. My dad brewed gin to serve at cocktail hour and my sister-in-law made our cakes. Espresso martinis kicked off the dance floor, and The Noodles played all the classics and had everyone up dancing!

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

We wanted our wedding to focus on our love, our family and our friends, many of whom had travelled the globe to attend. Our dress code, “Garden Party – colour encouraged”, was the perfect way to bring life to our day, and to give our guests a chance to be as bold and brave as they dared – and did our guests deliver! Seeing so all the colours mixing and mingling in the sun brought extra warmth and fun. Our colourful florals were a highlight. I grew many of the florals myself, in a bid to pick up a new hobby and save some money. Thankfully I had family and friends on standby to offer their own harvests too, and girlfriends who had fun playing with bouquets. I wanted colour and dimension. Think overflowing wildflowers, delicate cosmos, bright dahlias and scented sweet peas. To brighten up our spaces with florals, we set bud vases down both the aisle and our three long reception tables. Everything else fell into place from there. Stunning views across the Wairarapa landscape and vineyards set the scene. I thrifted mix-matched vases and jars for candles and flowers as well as over 120 mixed-matched cocktail and vintage glasses.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We quickly agreed on the kind of day we wanted and set our priorities: a venue that spoke for itself –Martinborough Tree Church, a rockstar band – The Noodles, a shared family-style meal – Blue Carrot Catering, and a photographer who could capture it all beautifully – Olivia Melhop. We skipped a few traditions and added in touches that made the day feel truly personal: no big entrances or cake cutting, no maid of honour or best man or fancy cars. Instead, we brought in the fun with things like tequila roulette to decide who would read their vows first, and involved our families in all kinds of ways from homegrown gin to cakes and florals. One of our favourite last-minute additions of the day was finding two old camcorders that captured nostalgic snippets of the day. Our advice for couples just starting to plan: make sure you’re on the same page early. Agree on your big-ticket priorities, then figure out where you can keep things simple to balance the budget – and the stress. Another piece of advice is to think about the things that people will experience and remember on the day, don’t sweat the small things that no one will remember anyway.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Our vendors were all amazing. Many of them had worked together before so everyone knew what to expect – that was a bonus. Everyone was open to our ideas and helped to point us in the right direction when we weren’t quite sure. And on the day, we couldn’t have asked for more kind and talented people behind the scenes. We have to give special shout outs to all our friends and family who contributed with their skills and talents – from Hamish’s aunty as our celebrant, one of the warmest souls you will meet, my sister-in-law Kelsey nailing not one, but FIVE cakes, to my friend Jaime who had the clipboard and make sure everything ran to plan! Blue Carrot Catering helped us with a plan for the day, making sure every detail was covered in advance, and their food was a hit – people still talk about the beef fillet! Our photographer Olivia was a calming and fun presence to have next to us throughout the day. She made sure to capture all the laughs and tears, as well as reminding us to take a breath and enjoy the small moments when we were away from the chaos. My make-up artist Ash made me feel like an real-life princess, Anna from the venue was incredibly helpful and welcoming and the band nailed the playlist!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

We both went for elegant, classic and timeless pieces. The Hera Couture Franklyn dress is out of a fairytale. The organza neckline and bow add a point of difference, and the leg split is both fun and practical. After trying on 48 dresses I knew Franklyn was perfect for me! I chose to keep it a secret from almost everyone, which made for a fun reveal on the day. Hamish’s tuxedo was elegant, classic and timeless too. His white shirt with black buttons and satin lapels set him apart from his groomsmen. We both took a while to decide what we wanted but when we found what we were after we knew we’d made the right decisions.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

I found my dream solitaire shape while looking at engagement rings for a friend! Hamish insisted I send him photos for future reference… I didn’t realise how soon he’d be needing them! My pear solitaire in platinum is beautifully crafted. I decided to pair it with a matching understated platinum band to let my engagement ring sing. It took a little while to get used to seeing the two rings together! Hamish began his search for a simple platinum band. We were at The Village Goldsmith when he quickly realised he was a gold man. His 9ct, 5mm band is the perfect mix of classic and modern.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

The venue!! Martinborough Tree Church is gorgeous and really speaks for itself. It’s beautiful, and the rest of our style and vendor decisions fell into place around that. From the moment we saw it, we could picture our entire day unfolding there. Its layout created the perfect experience for our guests: pre-ceremony drinks on the infinity lawn with expansive views, arriving at the breathtaking tree church, a reception space made for eating, drinking, and dancing the night away and endless scenery for sneaking away for 5 minutes alone and some photos. Its an added bonus that Anna is a superstar host and its facilities are very functional.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Our ceremony was filled with so many special and unforgettable moments. There was cuteness from my nephew delivering the rings, laughter from mid-ceremony tequila shots, poems of support, and pure love as we exchanged our vows, teary-eyed but smiling all the way through. The icing on the cake and pinnacle of the day was the walk back up the aisle. It captured everything the day meant to us: our love, the love surrounding us, and the fun and excitement we’ll never forget. I can still hear the cheers whenever that song plays.