We wanted good food done well, so decided on a long, sit-down Mediterranean-style dinner.
Alishia —— We live in Auckland where Harry is a landscape gardener and I have a background in fashion and management. Harry is keen on things like snowboarding, surfing, dirt bikes and skateboarding, while I find joy in a more relaxed and serene lifestyle, working in the wellness space. We first met 11 years ago through friends, and started dating soon after. We got married on our 10-year anniversary, which made it even more special.
The proposal was very much a surprise. Harry bid on an antique ring, won the auction and a week later took me down to Ohakune to our favourite spot by the river. It was here that Harry got down on one knee and proposed. We knew from the beginning that we wanted our wedding to be held at our family property in Ohakune and to be a real family affair. All the vendors and people involved were friends, family and suppliers who we’ve worked with for years.
We wanted the style of the wedding to complement the existing beauty of the property. We worked together on all elements of the wedding. The house is where we got engaged and where we spend every winter, so it was already a very special place for us, and we were excited to create another memory in Ohakune. We wanted good food done well, so decided on a long, sit-down Mediterranean-style dinner. We were lucky to work with Hercules Noble to come up with our dream menu.
I had three dresses made by my brother, Benjamin Alexander. We had too many ideas about what we wanted the look to be, so thought we’d just do them all! The train for my first dress was a no-brainer and I knew I wanted something corset-like on the top. There was about 15m of fabric in the dress. I bought the antique veil on a trip to Europe and we hand-stitched pearls from my mother’s wedding dress into the embroidery. It was pinned on my hair with flowers that also came from my mother’s wedding dress.
We stumbled upon an antique pleated silk with beautiful manipulated fabric panels along the bottom which we gathered into a skirt, and used the off-cuts to make a cute little ‘boob tube’ for the second look. The third dress was a cute party number that was very short and made from an ivory duchess silk satin. It featured beaded net and lace draped over it, as well as a swooping beaded crown from the 1940s to bring it all together. We worked with Crane Brothers on Harry’s suit, which also had flowers from my mother’s wedding dress on the lapel.
LOCATION Family property in Ohakune PHOTOGRAPHER Eilish Burt, @eilishburtphotography BRIDE’S DRESS Benjamin Alexander, @heisbenjaminalexander, @benjaminalexander_ BRIDE’S CEREMONY SHOES The Row BRIDE’S VEIL Jane Bourvis, @janebourvis GROOM’S SUIT Crane Brothers, @cranebrothers GROOM’S SHOES Gucci, @gucci GROOM’S BOUTONNIERES Benjamin Alexander, @heisbenjaminalexander, @benjaminalexander_ (made from bride’s mother’s wedding dress) GROOM’S HAIR Sean Patrick Mahoney, @seanpatrickmahoney BRIDE’S MAKEUP Lochie Stonehouse, @lochiestonehouse BRIDE’S HAIR Sean Patrick Mahoney, @seanpatrickmahoney ENGAGEMENT RING Webbs, @webbsauctions BRIDE & GROOM’S WEDDING BANDS Partridge Jewellers, @partridgejewellers BRIDE’S EARRINGS Antique from Jems of Remuera, @jemsofremuera STYLIST & PLANNER Benjamin Alexander, @heisbenjaminalexander, @benjaminalexander_ FLORIST Felicity Jones, @greenisthething CELEBRANT Family friend ENTERTAINMENT Roxy Strings Quartet HIRE Lucy’s Event Hire, @lucyseventhire; Vitrine, @vitrine_nz; Royal Laboratorie, @royallaboratorie MARQUEE & CATERING Lucy’s Event Hire, @lucyseventhire BRIDE’S RECEPTION SHOES Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik
