I knew I wanted a summery mix of peach, blue, and two tones of pink.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We both grew up in Wellington, NZ. We love travelling, the outdoors, food (cooking and eating it!) and spending lots of our time with family and friends. We share a sense of adventure – we love exploring new places, trying new things, and a good night out with our friends! Adam works in insurance and Hannah in communications. We’re about to move home to New Zealand after a couple of very fun years in London.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in our early teen years through mutual friends who were a couple at the time (they were both in our bridal party, which was super special!). We were all going to see ‘Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging’. We then grew up together as friends for over a decade before our friendship evolved into a relationship. We were only 12 at the time we met, so first impressions are a little hazy, but..
Hannah: I remember thinking Adam had a very cheeky sense of humour!
Adam: Hannah was shy and funny.
We clicked from the get-go and became very close friends straight away. When we eventually became a couple, we had a solid foundation of friendship to build on.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
We wanted it to be a super fun, relaxed yet energetic day, with plenty of emotional moments. We didn’t want it to be overly formal or traditional. It was always going to be quite a big wedding because we both have big families and lots of friends that we wanted to share our day with. Our ceremony was really personalised and emotional, our speeches were heartfelt and humorous, and the outdoor dance floor with live music was such a fun end to our day.
Aesthetic-wise, our vision was modern classic – my dress and veil, our wedding car, the black suits, and the florals were all very classic, but the colour palette, stationery, and mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses added modern elements. We wanted to try and make it as timeless as possible while still having fun with colours and making it unique to us.
For the colour palette, I knew I wanted a summery mix of peach, blue, and two tones of pink. This started with the bridesmaids’ dresses – I loved the look of different colours and styles coming together, and also wanted the girls to wear something that suited them. These then came together with our florals, signage, and stationery.
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).
The beautiful spaces at Rose & Smith were the perfect canvas to bring our modern classic vision to life.
We loved the natural tree arch where we held our ceremony. We didn’t feel we needed to add much to this because it is so lovely on its own, so we kept it simple with florals as a backdrop. Hydrangeas are symbolic to both of us, so we always knew we wanted them to feature heavily in our florals.
In the reception space, we loved that it was all white with classic chandeliers. We made this our own with florals, signage, stationery, and table linen (we loved our runners!) in keeping with our colour palette.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
I (Hannah) found the early stages of planning really fun – looking at the different options for styling, dresses, colours, venues… There are endless options and so many ways to make your day reflect you as a couple.
We also found the final month really fun, when we arrived back in NZ and got to meet our lovely vendors and do our menu, drinks, and cake tasting.
The part that I found a bit overwhelming was making decisions on everything! I definitely struggled with decision fatigue. While social media can be really helpful for inspiration when planning a wedding, it can also cause a lot of pressure and wedding content can be overwhelming. There are so many trends to keep up with. If you find yourself feeling the same, my advice would be to take a break from socials and come back to what reflects you and your fiancé when making decisions.
When it comes to budgeting, we found it helpful to choose three priorities in the early days of planning, which can help guide you on where to splurge and where to compromise.
Our last piece of advice would be to choose vendors that you trust and let them take care of you!
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
The two vendors we have to mention are our venue, Rose & Smith, and our photographer, Emily Rose Hamilton.
Rose & Smith was the perfect venue for us – we loved the beautiful ceremony spaces, the amazing menu options, the stunning photo spots, and the seamless flow the space creates. Paula and her dedicated team were committed to bringing our dream to life and made planning from afar such a breeze.
Emily was a dream to have with us on the day and has completely blown us away with our photo gallery. She really took the time to get to know us before our wedding day, so we felt completely comfortable with her. We cannot recommend her more highly!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
I (Hannah) knew I wanted an old Hollywood vibe for my first dress. I had seen the Katherine Tash dress online, but I ended up trying on lots of other options before finally making an appointment to try it on in London. As soon as I put it on, I knew I had found the one! I ended up ordering it from a boutique in Sydney and picking it up on the way home to NZ for the wedding.
My veil is super special to me because I had a specific vision that I could not find anywhere (a blusher drop veil with floral lace trim), and Helen (dressmaker) brought it to life just one month before the wedding. She understood exactly what I was after, so we picked the lace together and she pulled it together perfectly.
For my reception dress, I wanted a vintage dress to wear with a red lip. I found my dress on eBay and took the risk – luckily it fit, and Helen was able to transform it into the style I wanted with a neck scarf to match!
Fitting with the modern classic theme, Adam went for a classic black suit which he had tailor-made in London. Once we had agreed to a vintage look for our second outfit, he found a houndstooth brown jacket.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
Our rings were all made by David Law in London.
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?).
Our main investment areas were food, photography, and music, and we have absolutely no regrets.
We both love food and entertaining, so we knew we wanted this to be reflected in our day. One of the main reasons Rose & Smith stood out to us was because of the very high-quality food and amazing menu options. The combinations are truly endless!
From your wedding day, you walk away with just your photos (and maybe a video!) to cherish the memories forever. We knew that photos were always going to be a priority for us, and we are so happy we made the investment with Emily.
Lastly, we knew we wanted a live band to create an amazing atmosphere and end the day on a high!
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
Hannah: During our ceremony, just after we signed our paperwork, we had a few minutes to ourselves to check in, which was really lovely. The pre-ceremony nerves were gone, and we were able to catch up on the day so far and have our first moment together as a married couple.
Adam: Towards the end of the night on the dance floor, our friends put us up on their shoulders while everyone was dancing around us. It was a euphoric moment!
BRIDE Hannah, @hannaaahmckay GROOM Adam, @adamsleep VENUE Rose & Smith, @rose_and_smith PHOTOGRAPHER Emily Rose Hamilton, @emilyrosehamilton VIDEOGRAPHER V Visual, @vvisual_weddings FLORIST Horrobin & Hodge, @horrobinandhodge CELEBRANT Fi Becker, @fibeckercelebrant ENTERTAINMENT The Noodles, @thenoodlesnz HIRE TBLE Linen, @tble__linen__hire CATERING Rose & Smith, @rose_and_smith CAKE Em & Skye, @emandskye STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Windmill Press, @windmillpress RINGS David Law, @davidlawjeweller BRIDE’S WEDDING DRESS Katherine Tash via Sphere Bridal Sydney, @katherinetash, @spherebridalgallery VEIL Helen Forster Bridal, @helenmowat_helenforsterbridal BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS Vintage Alan Hannah, remodelled by Helen Forster Bridal, @alanhannahbridal, @helenmowat_helenforsterbridal BRIDE’S SHOES Mi Piaci, @mi_piaci BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings – Cavaleiro Jewelry, @cavaleirojewelry; Handbag – Saben, @sabenltd MAKEUP Jaymie Jarvis, @jaymiejarvis.makeupartist HAIR Dollhouse Do, @dollhousedo BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Dior, @dior SUITS Edit Suits, @editsuits GROOM’S RECEPTION JACKET Brook Taverner, @brook_taverner GROOM’S SHOES Herring, @herringshoes GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Watch – Tissot, @tissot_official GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Jo Malone, @jomalonelondon BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Reformation, @reformation; Show Me Your Mumu, @showmeyourmumu; BLAK, @blakthelabel; Ruby, @rubytakessnaps BRIDESMAIDS SHOES Mi Piaci, @mi_piaci AUDIO GUESTBOOK Everlasting Moments, @everlastingmomentsnz
