AMANDA + TIAAN by Bek Smith - Together Journal

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

We met at university as we both studied law together. However we didn’t meet each other in class, rather we met at a volleyball court!

I had volunteered for the “social” law school volleyball team, having very little experience, without realizing all the other members of this volleyball team had played competitively while they were at school. Tiaan was watching one of his best friends (who was also in my team and could actually play). Inevitably, during the game I embarrassed myself. I was laughing at myself, and he laughed at me. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but Tiaan felt bad about it and came and talked to me after the game. We instantly connected, and talked for hours (after he had apologised)!

Despite studying law, I couldn’t resist the thought of embarking on a career in banking and am now working in Corporate Finance for Institutional Banking clients. However, Tiaan has continued with law and is now practising as a barrister. He was also recently accepted into Harvard Law School to study a Master of Laws next year! I am so proud.

I believe Tiaan and I complement each other perfectly. I am half Italian – loud, passionate and an absolute romantic. He is more calm, reserved and is far better at keeping his emotions in check! From the moment I met him, he has made me happier than I ever thought was possible for a person to feel. I am so excited to be able to spend the rest of my life with him.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details:

We wanted the theming for our wedding to be romantic and timeless. We set the tone for this through our first communication with our guests (our invitations), which were a classic black and white monochrome theme. We also carried this theming through the bridesmaid style on the day, with the soft, blush tone of the bridesmaids’ dresses complementing my dream colour scheme for the floral arrangements.

For the reception setting, one of the locations my Dad suggested (emailed through to me while we were still in New York, days after we got engaged!) was the Auckland Art Gallery. Architecturally the building is very exciting, and the Gallery won the World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in 2013 after its refurbishment. After walking through the Gallery again on our arrival back to New Zealand, Tiaan and I looked no further. The idea of creating a journey throughout the entire Gallery for our guests during the reception seemed surreal. Our guests were able to journey through and view different galleries throughout the evening: the pre-dinner drinks and canapés, the banquet, and cutting the cake and after-dinner dancing were each staged in different galleries within the building. We were fortunate enough to be able to host the banquet in the MacKelvie Gallery. The MacKelvie Collection itself has over 2,800 pieces and has been described as being “intrinsically and aesthetically, more valuable than all other public collections combined, in the whole of Australasia.” It was perfect.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Mum and I had decided we would take a girls’ trip to Sydney to shop for the dress. With limited time (four days), I thought it would be best to do my research and book spots in advance of my visit. The first boutique I had booked to visit was to see Galia Lahav. I remember the assistant saying to me “Are you sure you want to go upstairs? [To see Galia Lahav dresses] If you go up, you won’t want to come back down”! She was right. I went upstairs and I fell in love with the first Galia Lahav dress I tried on (also the first wedding dress I tried on of the nine different designers I visited that week)! No other dress compared – I felt it encapsulated my personality, was romantic, elegant, and perfect for the setting. A dream come true. From the moment I tried on the sample in the boutique I knew I was meant to be a Galia Lahav bride. My dress was a work of art: the detailing throughout the bodice was exquisite, not to mention the intricate floral lace and edging that framed the dress’ soft silhouette. Being able to wear Galia Lahav on my wedding day was an absolutely surreal experience, I feel so incredibly lucky.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:

Undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments from the day would be when my dad walked me down the aisle, and I saw Tiaan waiting for me. It’s one of those moments I don’t think words can ever do justice to describing the emotions you’re feeling. I have always shared a very special bond with my dad, so feeling his love and support during such a big moment meant the world to me. Combining that feeling with seeing Tiaan, the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with, and seeing his love for me and happiness as I walked towards him, was incredible. It was pure happiness, I will never forget it.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:

Enjoy! There were definitely times when planning seemed overwhelming, and it can be easy to focus on the stress that minor details can (somehow!) bring rather than appreciating the time being engaged with your partner. I think it’s always important to remind yourself that your wedding is all about celebrating the love you and your future husband (or wife) share, and that appreciating and nurturing that love is the most important thing.

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