Emily + Mitch by Ash Muir

We wanted our wedding to be very relaxed and feel like one big party!

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

Mitchell and I both grew up in Auckland, where he attended St Peter’s College and I went to Epsom Girls Grammar – very much in the same world, so we’ve always found it very strange we never met when we were younger.

I work in digital at Asahi Beverages and for Mitchell’s family’s company. We bonded very early on over our love of sunshine, the ocean and fishing, which we prioritise in the summer at both Omaha and Great Barrier Island, two very special places to both our family and us.

In our everyday life, I love to cook while Mitch has a passion for playing golf. We also prioritise time with our gorgeous Labrador Ellie; she is the centre of our universe! We walk her locally in West Auckland most days, and it’s the best thing to come home to after a long day at work.

Most people who know us would say that laughter and having fun are very important to us; we love nights out with friends, but also spending nights in with a bottle of red wine and something delicious to eat.

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

Mitchell and I met through friends at Freeman & Grey in Auckland right after I graduated from university.

Our first date was at Juice Bar in Parnell (classy), Mitchell couldn’t handle the spice on his pizza, and the date was over within 45 minutes. I was living with my Dad at the time, and he still gives us both a stick for how fast it was. However, Mitchell always says he just knew there was something different between us, and he didn’t need more time – either that or he needed a glass of milk for the spice.

We got along so well from the first moment we met and were always laughing. I loved how much of an amazing communicator he was, and we both allowed each other to be ourselves throughout dating and now. I told my friends very early on that I knew he was the one, and 10 years later, we got married in one of our favourite places.

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 our wedding to be very relaxed and feel like one big party! So, we opted for no sit-down dinner and instead had an incredible grazing table styled by LVR and brought to life by my talented cousin Emma, as well as a food truck and three cakes to keep everyone happy and fed.

One big celebration was the key theme, so we ensured our stylists, Jacque and Lauren at LVR, had fun with how they styled the venue. We basically gave them free rein; however, because the venue was almost like an amphitheatre and quite large, we felt like the large-scale drapery was a great way to make the styled elements feel impactful without a marquee.

The colour palette was inspired by our favourite drink, red wine. The bridesmaids’ dresses were a beautiful deep red, which meant we could bring this through florals and stationery.

My very talented friend Ainsley from Floralcentric also got a brief that was very much “we trust you” and created the most incredible flowers with the variants en masse in reds, oranges and yellows throughout the venue and on the aisle – we were obsessed with the flowers she did.

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 venue was beautiful in its own right, so it was important that we didn’t hide any of this. We wanted to ensure the styling amplified the scale and beauty of it – it helped that we had a killer day weather-wise. Side note, always pay the Etsy Witch!

We also really wanted a venue that the wedding party and we could stay at, as it was important we could all be together throughout the whole weekend.

Our wedding felt very cohesive throughout, and the large-scale canvas, with the drapery and flowers, made it all very dramatic, without taking too much away from the venue or making it feel too formal. The hire furniture we ensured was made for lounging and leaning, which contributed to the relaxed nature of the wedding.

Our absolute favourite touch was our DJ and dancefloor backdrop, which said THE WILLIS’ and featured dramatic pinches throughout to create texture.

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

We loved making sure our wedding completely reflected who we are, and we prioritised those things that were important to us – delicious food, music and French wine. It meant that on the day, we felt so relaxed in our natural environment.

We had gone through a few different venue options, with our first two cancelling. This was so stressful at the time and ended up pushing the wedding out over a year, but to be honest, we are so thankful it did. We were able to take our time with planning, and because we’d organised such incredible vendors, the change in date really didn’t matter.

I’d really recommend enjoying the process & taking your time, we didn’t have a wedding planner and did it all ourselves – if this is your reality as well, then time is your best friend, biting it off in small chunks when you feel a bit of energy towards the tasks at hand!

Also – divide and conquer! Don’t put pressure on yourself to make every decision as a unit; come together for those key things that are both important to you as a couple.

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

We had the most incredible vendors and were so lucky that we had a few friends in the industry to help us along the way.

Our florals by our friend Ainsley at Floralcentric were a standout. She worked hand in hand with our stylists and friends Jacque & Lauren at LVR bridal, whose styling absolutely blew us away on the day.

Our friend Maddy was also such a fabulous addition, who did our on-the-day coordination. I could not recommend enough having someone to support the vendors during setup. She was phenomenal and made the whole day so relaxing.

My team on the day for hair and makeup were also such a dream team. Claudia and Amanda worked so well together and made me & my girls feel like a 10/10, even when I changed my hair post-trial from an updo to a natural curl.

Of course, the talented Ash Muir captured our day perfectly; the photos are a dream, and to have those moments also on film was very special.

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

Mitchell purchased a custom tux made by his good friend Tim Begg. He also did a few of the groomsmen’s suits in the bridal party.

My dress – I looked in both Auckland and Sydney, and ended up purchasing a dress from NSW designer L’eto Bridal from Auckland boutique LVR Bridal. It was always a brand I absolutely loved but couldn’t get a try on when going to Sydney.

I did do some slight customisation on the dress, including removing some pieces to create the dramatic low & open back. The simplicity of the dress with the structural neckline was something I loved and meant I could be a bit bold with my veil, which the LVR Bridal girls custom-made in full lace at fingertip length. It was elegant and beautiful, definitely my most commented-on piece for the day.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Mitchell proposed with my dream ring in LA at the Griffith Observatory.

We had done the design process together, but I had always known what I wanted – three emerald cuts, one in the middle with two smaller ones on the outside. I opted for a low setting, as I am rough with my hands, and anything too high I was terrified would get caught.

We had done the process not long before going to America for a holiday. I’d initially had a feeling it was going to happen there; however, Mitchell cleverly got the jeweller to send an email saying the ring was lost in transit to New Zealand and would not make it in time before we left for the trip. In actuality, Mitchell picked up the ring at duty-free while I roamed around buying skincare, completely oblivious.

We opted for simple engagement rings, both selecting plain gold bands. Mitchell wanted his ring to be just like his grandfather’s, with rounded edges, and I wanted something that reflected the square edges of my engagement ring, so I opted for a sharper-edged ring.

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?).

We have always loved good food, good wine and a good time.

This meant having the amazing food truck Roaming Flamingo come over from Auckland that served unreal tacos. It was something we spent more on getting it over from the mainland.

We also went to see the team at Maison Vauron for our wine, as we’ve always loved French wine. They were amazing and gave us some incredible prices on our favourite Chardonnay, Syrah, Rose and sparkling for the night.

A heaving dancefloor was also essential. Getting Lewis McCallum, who could not only DJ but also play the saxophone, made the vibes immaculate and made such a huge difference in getting people out onto the floor!

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

Our favourite moment was being together at the end of the aisle.

In the lead up to the idea of getting married in front of so many people felt very daunting, but once we were there together, all our anxiety fell away, and we felt very at peace whilst doing our vows. The lack of nervousness made us realise how right it was.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

Marriage to us means a partnership. We chose to spend forever together because we provided the things that were the most important to us in life – bringing fun and laughter, supporting each other through everything and making each other feel safe.

We’ve loved each other for 10 years and already built a life together, but marriage felt like a commitment beyond the everyday, where we actively choose one another for the rest of our lives.