Andrew + Sophie by Sapphire Studios

Our vision for the wedding day was chic and timeless

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

We have been together for 6 years. After surviving/thriving in lockdown together in the early days with Sophie’s family, we are now living in London, where we have been for just over three years, after moving here together in 2022 following a 3-month adventure travelling through Central America and Europe. On 24 May, 2025, Andrew pulled off the ultimate surprise and proposed in the flower garden in our favourite park, Hampstead Heath. After five short months of engagement bliss, we decided we didn’t want to wait until 2027 to tie the knot, so we brought the wedding forward to 2026, as we just couldn’t wait any longer to celebrate our love with the people we adore. Andrew, who is originally from Queenstown, works for a European data centre company as an in-house lawyer, and Sophie, from Auckland, is a European Brand Manager for a spirits company. We love travelling, food (finding new restaurants and cooking at home), art, music (including festivals), animals and being in nature.

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

We both went to Otago University, lived only a few doors apart, and had more mutual friends than we can count, yet somehow we crossed like ships in the night and never actually met (despite Sophie knowing who Andrew was, known to her then as ‘the guy in the Arana hall who looks like Ryan Gosling’). Fast-forward to 2019, when the stars finally aligned and we were introduced into each other’s lives through our mutual friend Zoe, who insisted that Sophie should go on Bumble ‘just for fun’, which she agreed to on the condition that she was not going to message anyone. However, when Andrew popped up, and Zoe knew him from travelling, she had a strong intuition that we would get along and insisted Sophie had to break her plan and message him, which she agreed to based on strong trust in her friend’s gut and Andrew’s sexy saxophone playing display picture. From the moment we met, we quickly realised we’d found something truly special together and have been in love ever since.

Andrew’s first impression of Sophie (when she finally arrived, 10 minutes late) to Madame George on K road was that she was absolutely stunning and could ‘talk the back legs off a donkey’. Their first date was a planned drink, which turned into dinner, and finished with Andrew singing Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ to nothing but a piano in a packed-out bar following a push from Sophie to put his name into the karaoke hat.

Sophie’s first impressions of Andrew were that he didn’t disappoint on the Ryan Gosling looks, but more importantly, he made her laugh, was adventurous and confident, and it felt like we’d known each other for a long time after only one night. She will never forget the feeling upon arriving home, unable to wipe the grin off her face and feeling a deep sense that this was just the beginning for them.

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

We always knew we wanted to get married at Andrew’s parents’ beautiful home in Speargrass Flat, and we feel incredibly lucky to have got married in a place that is so special to us both, where Andrew grew up, and where so many treasured memories had already been made. As the property is surrounded by the beautiful mountains with views of the Remarkables and Coronet Peak, and with Andrew’s dad Craig’s stunning work on the lawns, we wanted to work with the beauty that already surrounded us. Our vision for the wedding day was chic and timeless, while adding in pops of colour through the pink, red, burgundy, white and green florals, and the fruit for table numbers. I have always wanted chocolate brown bridesmaid dresses for as long as I can remember, so tying in pops of brown through the velvet linen really brought it all together. We also really wanted to utilise dark woods through the chairs and the bar, to make every styling element feel it fit in with the environment.

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).

Everything came together even better than we could have imagined. It was important to us that we had a sailcloth marquee with open sides so it really felt like we were outside and that you could see the trees and mountains behind us.

Our bespoke forever and ever and ever linen signage, which I purchased in London (actually off the girl Sophie bought her wedding dress from), was such a beautiful statement piece that we will keep forever and added a personal, unique touch to the wedding.

The outdoor checkerboard dancefloor under the trees with the disco balls, we absolutely loved, and we were so lucky with the weather, so that we could keep it here, as my second dress felt like another disco ball and worked so well!

The swan table name cards were super special and important to us, as we love walking through parks and looking at swans and ducks/appreciating nature.

The florals, fruit and colours – simplicity yet so chic.

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

I won’t lie, when we decided in November to bring our wedding forward from February 2027 to February 2026, meaning we would plan the entire celebration in just three months, from London, while working busy full-time jobs, it was an intense few months, but ultimately incredibly rewarding, and we wouldn’t change a thing. What we enjoyed and valued the most was how our friends and family truly showed up for us. It really did take a village, and their willingness to get involved and help bring everything to life made the experience incredibly special, including Andrew’s parents saying YES without hesitation. A particular shout-out goes to Andrew’s sister, Belle, who spent many late nights with us, responding to vendors, being a sounding board, and just helping in all areas whenever we felt overwhelmed, which we will always treasure and be forever grateful for. Planning the wedding on a weekday also allowed us to secure the key vendors we really wanted, and with the confidence from our vendors that we could bring our vision to life, we were able to make quick decisions and focus on what mattered most rather than overthinking every detail.

For couples just beginning their wedding planning journey, our biggest advice is not to sweat the small stuff too much and incorporate elements into the day that feel truly and authentically you. On the day itself, you are surrounded by your favourite people and will feel the happiest you’ve ever been, and that is what truly makes it perfect.

Try to make the planning process enjoyable where you can, put on music, pour a glass of wine, and turn certain tasks into fun moments together. At the same time, don’t expect every part of planning to feel fun. It can be stressful, especially when working with budgets and tight timelines, so don’t put too much pressure on yourselves and overcommunicate with each other. Most importantly, trust your decisions and remember that the reason for the day is celebrating your love with the people who mean the most to you; that is all that really matters.

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

Sapphire Studios and Flatroc. Ash and Zac are both absolute masters of their crafts and brought the best vibe to the day. We absolutely love the photos that we’ve got back already and are just completely reliving the day all over again by looking at them. We’re so excited to see the video from Flatroc, as we know that the energy of the day is going to be translated through that and the epic storytelling Zac does, which we will show our kids and our grandchildren one day. The interviews Zac did with both of us and then also our mothers brought on so much emotion, but he also made it such a safe space and put us at ease. They were both incredible to work with, were a dream team, went above and beyond for us, and we couldn’t recommend them both more highly.

Sweet Mix Kids were also outstanding, running the day’s music so smoothly and rounding out the evening with the best party of our lives with an incredible mix of music for young and old. We had grandparents on the dancefloor until almost midnight and Sophie on the mic for the final 20 minutes.

Our bridal glam squad, Olivia, Liv and Ingrid, made us all feel so gorgeous and had such a lovely energy on the wedding morning. They absolutely got me, and the girls were jazzed up and ready to walk down that aisle!!!

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

So obviously, with pulling the wedding forward so far, one of the very important elements was a wedding dress. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Vivienne Westwood Cocotte; it has always been my dream dress. With the very short time frame not meeting bridal designer lead times, I started to look at Still White for a preloved dress. As I was looking through the Vivienne Westwoods, I came across a Nova Cocotte that was in perfect condition, and the measurements all looked exactly my size. So I messaged the seller (Georgia Haldenby), and she said that I could come over to her house in London and try it on, which I did, and I immediately clicked with her. She herself is a wedding planner, and wore the dress for her wedding reception before she changed into a second dress. The dress was a perfect structural fit and only required minor tailoring, and I just absolutely loved the experience with Georgia. As soon as I left her house, my friends and I all said, oh my god, this just feels so right. When I went to collect it, I ended up spending an hour at Georgia’s house just chatting with her, and we are going to catch up for a wine when I am back in London. I also ended up purchasing our forever and ever and ever sign from Georgia, which she had at her own wedding, too. Knowing she also felt her dress had gone to the right home makes it special for both of us.

For my party dress, I knew I wanted something fun and short that I could change into to really let loose on the dance floor. In January, I went to the Nadine Meribi store to try on a dress that I had in mind, but it wasn’t quite right. So as we’re walking about to leave the store empty-handed and to continue the search, Kylie Minogue’s ” Love at First Sight starts playing, which is our first dance song. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw another dress, this sparkly, embellished mini dress that almost looked like a disco ball. I tried it on, and it immediately felt completely perfect and again so meant to be with the fact that our first dance song, which is when I would wear it for the first time, started playing as soon as it caught my eye. CRAZY how it felt the universe really had a plan for these dresses, and I honestly have never felt better in both of them.

Before we moved our wedding forward, Andrew was with his best friend, Henry, in the P.Johnson store in London, getting a suit made for Henry. When we moved the date forward, choosing to get his suit made by P.Johnson made so much sense, as Andrew could see how professional and caring they were in creating Henry’s suit, and the results speak for themselves.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

For Sophie’s engagement ring, I knew that I had an uphill battle after being dragged into a high-end shop or two when Sophie and I were shopping in London, but I knew roughly what she wanted. When I made the decision that the time was right, I recruited my sister Belle to sense check my choices. After a brief stint at Hatton Garden, we ended up at Rachel Boston in Shoreditch, which was a wonderful experience. They brought my idea to life on paper as I described it, and Belle agreed with me that it was perfect. It wasn’t quite ready in time for our Easter trip to Paris, so Sophie was very caught off guard when I didn’t propose then… Little did she know that it was in the works and would be pulled out weeks later in Hampstead Heath. The ring itself has a beautiful vintage style cathedral mounting, which emphasises the diamond – my favourite part is being able to see the tip of the diamond at the bottom through the side of the ring.

For the wedding ring, we wanted to get something simple for Sophie so as not to take away from the beauty of the engagement ring, so we had a simple yet effective band made in Hatton Garden. I also had my gramp’s ring resized, which he gave to me a year or so ago, as it no longer fit on his finger. It is very comforting to have his ring on my finger now – a ring which has been with them for over 60 years of happy marriage.

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?).

Photography and videography were always extremely important to us and something that we locked in right from the get-go. We had actually already booked Flatroc and Sapphire Studios for our 2027 wedding day, so we were absolutely stoked when they were both available for our 2026 date. We absolutely love the photos that we’ve got back already and are just completely reliving the day all over again by looking at them. We’re so excited to see the video from Flatroc, as we know that the energy of the day is going to be translated through that and the epic storytelling Zac does, which we will show our kids and our grandchildren one day. So those were definitely the two things that we were willing to invest in and have absolutely zero regrets on. They were both incredible to work with, were a dream team, went above and beyond for us, and we couldn’t recommend them both more highly.

And we wanted to make sure that we had great food, as we’re both such foodies. We’re always cooking for friends, family and each other, so we wanted to make sure that what we were serving aligned with our love for food. Queenstown Catering absolutely delivered on this, and the food was incredible.

As we wanted to make the beautiful natural landscape pop, we utilised, we didn’t feel the need to overinvest in flowers, but instead we utilised our beautiful florals in several different locations around the venue, which made it feel like they were always a centrepiece and worked so well in all the different locations.

And then lastly, making sure to hire a great on-the-day coordinator to ensure the day runs smoothly, Harriet and the Alexandra Kate Creative team were amazing on the day, and everything went so perfectly, and we couldn’t be happier.

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

Honestly, the entire day was just so perfect, but there are a couple of key things that stand out to us, the special moments. The first being the ceremony and walking down the aisle. We decided not to do a first look, so the first time we were seeing each other on the wedding day was at the ceremony, and I would 100% recommend doing that. The emotion was so raw, so special, and it just felt absolutely perfect. Also having two of our best friends and Andrew’s band mates, Phoebe and Nick, who are in his band Little Sunday, sing us down the aisle to Stand By Me was so powerful – This was a real tearjerker for everyone, including Andrew, right from the start.

Second favourite part of the wedding has got to be when we entered our reception. Andrew, as I mentioned earlier, plays saxophone and is in a band. And so for our wedding intros, we had all the bridal party come in one by one to Ray Where Is My Husband. And then at the end, when the MC’s introduced us both to the reception as Mr and Mrs Benington, only Sophie came out as the song Where Is My Husband was ending, looking shocked and hunting for her husband. The guests have compared it to a Broadway show, and I honestly felt like I was acting. And then, as the song dramatically ended and the guests were confused, Andrew (who had been secretly practising) came in, absolutely smashed, playing Jubel on the saxophone and walking around all the tables performing it to the whole wedding. And it just absolutely turned up a notch, all complete vibes. Everyone was jumping up and down, people on their chairs. It was seriously crazy energy.

And then lastly, a special moment that we will always treasure was at sunset. We went down the road to the Airbnb where Sophie and her bridesmaids and parents had been staying with Ash and Zac, our photographer and videographer. And Zac was playing Fred again, Dermot If Only You Could See Yourself in My Eyes, and we were just so euphoric, dancing around as the sun was setting. It was the most perfect, beautiful sunset, and it was a really special, intimate moment that we got to have the two of us. And honestly, the photos from up there are some of our favourites from the entire day. You can just feel the happiness coming off our smiles in those photos, and both Zac and Ash absolutely hyped us up; those two were an absolute dream to work with. So those three would be the most special moments for us.

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

Being married to us means showing up for, loving and choosing the person who makes you the best version of yourself every day. And it means a commitment to the team and the life that you’re building together.

A ritual that we have in our relationship, which we’ll bring through into our marriage, is what we call the ‘capybara dance’. Basically, it’s a little dance that we once saw on TikTok or something of a capybara doing a funny little dance, and now if we’re ever feeling tense or we need just to lighten things up a bit, or even if we are in a good happy mood actually, if one of us starts to do the capybara dance, the other person has to do it too. And it always makes any situation feel a bit lighter, and it always makes us laugh. We actually incorporated the capybara dance into our wedding first dance, and I mentioned it in my vows that I would never stop doing it. People were probably like, ” What on earth is this? But it’s a little ritual that we’ve used for years and we just absolutely love, and it’s so authentically us.