Annie + Vincent by Amour Weddings - Together Journal

We wanted something timeless, elegant, and modern.

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

We both grew up together in Auckland. Vincent owns and runs a very successful drainage company, and I am an ECE teacher leading a team of 5 in a boutique centre in a cute little village. We love spending quality time together, quiet nights in, and dinner dates with friends and family. We enjoy our home together, cooking dinner after a long day of work and Saturday night movies.

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

Our whirlwind love story began many years ago when I was six years old. We went to primary school together and began dating in intermediate. Vincent then moved away with his family, and one day, a few years later, at 17 years old, we bumped into each other again. Vincent then asked me out for our first Valentine’s Day date in 2013.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

For as long as we can remember, we have always known we would somehow make it back to one another someday. I always told my friends he was the one without them even knowing who he was when we bumped into each other one evening. I remember being lost for words and couldn’t get him off my mind. He then got my number from a friend, and I received a message asking me out for a date on Valentine’s Day. The date was a bit of a disaster with no reservation and a broken down car, but I just remember being so excited to have him back in my life that it was the most perfect disaster date ever. He was the one, and the rest is history.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

After being together for ten years, There was the most intimate proposal, and it was perfect in every single way. Vincent proposed to me on a Monday evening at our summer dinner date spot at Little Old Bucklands Beach in East Auckland. I was very much caught off guard being a Monday night; I had messaged him like I do every sunny summer day, suggesting we have dinner at the beach because it was a beautiful evening, to which he replied with, “I’m going to the gym” little did I know he was with my dad discussing the perfect proposal. I got home after work, and he told me we were, in fact, going to the beach for dinner and to get changed so we could go before the sun went down.

At this point, I was blissfully unaware of what he was planning. We had finished dinner, and I told him to grab his fishing rod so he could have a flick before going home. Instead, he pulled a ring from the car and got down on one knee, leaving me absolutely speechless. It was perfect in every single way.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

We began planning the big Waiheke wedding and quickly realised it was not what we had dreamed of for ourselves. We are both very private people and don’t love lots of attention on us, so an intimate destination wedding with the people we love most was all we could dream of. We could tick off our honeymoon along the way by getting married in Greece.

I just love candles and white flowers. My mood board was very simple yet classic and romantic. We wanted something timeless, elegant, and modern. However, I forgot all my bows back in Auckland, so my beautiful silk bows were missing. I found a wedding planner in Santorini who aligned with my vision, and she was the most amazing planner. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Photography, to us was the most important element of our day ofc other than getting married. I searched endlessly to find the photographer that ticked all of our boxes; I took one look at Amour Weddings Instagram after being recommended them by someone I followed on Instagram and knew Sarah and Connor were the ones we just had to have, and they were everything and more that we could have dreamed off. It was also so lovely to have photographers from home with the same banter. They really made us feel so comfortable, and the photographs were more than we could have dreamed of!

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

It was WINDY!! My hair was ruined just from stepping outside, and I kept getting so upset that my veil fell off. We were on a cliff in Santorini, and the wind was just blowing me away during the ceremony. My hair was everywhere. I remember getting out of the car with my dad, and my veil flew right off of my head; dust was going all over my eyes, and we had to wrap my veil around our arms while walking down to Vincent. It was not what I imagined waking down the aisle would feel like. However, when I locked eyes with him, I felt calm and so relaxed. It was seriously the best day.  

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

I actually chose my shoes before my dress; I planned my entire outfit around the shoes. My heart was set on Christian Dior sling-back pumps, so I based my dress around those. I spent hours looking for the perfect dress and tried on so many, but I just didn’t feel like myself. I then came across a small brand in London called Rosie Etienne, that only launch very few dresses every few months so as soon as the Isabelle. 