Jenny + Sean by Jonny Scott

The mood was understated and natural.

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

We’re Jenny and Sean, based in Auckland – though we try to escape whenever we can. Jenny came back from a stint in London a couple of years ago (which entailed some long, long distance), so we’re both working in the city now. We have family in Matakana and Omaha and spend a lot of time up there – we love being active outdoors, getting out on the water, making the most of what NZ has on offer.

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

We met through mutual friends at Friday night drinks after work in 2018. I thought Sean was mysterious – I already knew his friends, but not him. Sean followed up with a call the next week to plan a first date.

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

The mood was understated and natural. Once we had Ocean’s at Te Arai Links as our venue, we knew we didn’t need to overstyle – it wouldn’t have been us anyway. Anything additional to the architecture and scenery would have taken away from the beauty. We took the colour scheme from the Te Arai website and carried it through to our wedding website and styling accents to keep everything cohesive. Anything that didn’t feel like us, we cut – first dance, sit-down formal dinner, personalised vows – all layers of stress we didn’t need.

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 scenic beauty and existing design of the venue led every decision we made. Our flowers came from Slow Blooms in Matakana – grown locally, in their natural season, using sustainable practices, so they felt at home at Te Arai. They were very green and blended into the surroundings rather than being a statement.

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

I consider myself a planner, so it gives me great satisfaction to have a project like this to bring together. We didn’t use a planner because of that, but the hours that go into planning a wedding are insane – so if you’re not that way inclined, a planner might be money well spent.

The hardest part was the guest list and venue, which are also the first things you need to sort, so it can feel overwhelming at first. But once those are locked in, the next steps flow from there.

I’d recommend jotting down the three or so things you care about most for the day and investing in those, rather than trying to be perfect in everything – or it will stretch your mental bandwidth and budget.

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

Jaimee Booking was our celebrant, but we also asked if she could help with day-of coordinating – it made so much sense to have the same person in both roles. She held a beautiful ceremony completely tailored to us, then made sure the rest of the night ran smoothly – rounding the right people up, adjusting the timeline in real time, and always making sure we had a drink in our hands.  

Our photographer Jonny Scott was incredible. We warned him upfront that we weren’t very affectionate and he wouldn’t get any kissing photos out of us – and he handled that so well, while still managing to coax us out of our shells for a few shots like that too. He took full charge and led us through his vision, which was perfect. 

Having people like Jaimee and Jonny on the day who had the run sheet and knew exactly how everything should pan out was so important – it meant we didn’t have to micro-manage anything, and the day flowed smoothly.

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

I wore my mum’s wedding dress, designed by Kevin Berkahn in 1990 – he was the IT wedding dress designer of the time. It wasn’t always the plan. I remember her pulling it out of the attic 12 years ago for my school ball, and I was absolutely horrified, but I didn’t have the vision yet. This time we had it cleaned, whitened, and altered to fit, and it came out so well. To make things even more sentimental, my Scottish dad walked me down the aisle in the same kilt he wore on his wedding day to Mum.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Sean took full control of the engagement ring – I had zero involvement. He worked with Liv Moor, a family friend who’s in the industry, and they designed it together – it sounded like a fun process between diamond auctions and design, and he nailed it. It’s a three-stone ring with a cushion and two round diamonds on a gold band, and it almost looks vintage. For Sean’s wedding ring, we went with Guy’s Gold – a childhood friend of his.

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 thought about what we love most about weddings we’d attended – and it was always the venue, food and drink, and music. We loved that people could stay at Te Arai and make a weekend out of it. We’d been to Oceans Restaurant before and had one of the best meals, with great cocktails – and service – so we knew it was going to be good.
We’d considered just doing a playlist, but having Mel there DJing brings people in far more than an aux cord could – and you definitely underestimate how much has to flow with the music across the ceremony, between speeches, cake cutting and everything in between.

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

We decided to do a speech right after our ceremony to say a few thank-yous to our guests and each other. We kept all our formalities in the first hour, which we were stressed about, so once the ceremony and speeches were done, we could just enjoy the day – it was such a relief! 

The team at Ocean’s made a plate for us out the back in the kitchen since we didn’t have a lot of time to eat – a moment to just step away. People always say those little escapes together are so important, and we couldn’t agree more. 

My bridesmaids all came in from overseas, and with airspace closures making it touch and go at the time, it was such a relief when they all made it in one piece – we were finally all together again. 

Jonny banging on the bathroom door – ‘The Sunset! You need to get out here right now!’ It was completely unexpected in between the cyclone weather, and we got the most amazing shots.

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

It kind of feels like a relief to be married – we’ve been together for a while, so not a lot has changed day to day, but having the amazing memories and photos to look back on is invaluable. I’d love to create a ritual of returning to Te Arai Links for our anniversary weekend every year – but that hasn’t been agreed to yet!