The chopper stopped with a view and we got out, Matt got down on one knee and proposed here, he was shaking with nerves but his words were so special and it truly was the best moment ever.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are a business couple who love to keep busy – I am a Life Coach for Teenage Girls & Young Woman in their 20’s seeing 1:1 clients in person in Hawkes Bay & over zoom New Zealand wide.
Matt spends his days running our nationwide company, The Betta Group, in the property industry.
Our love language is quality time – we love being together and always want to be out and about. You’ll find us walking with our cavoodle dog Charles and our daughter (who came along very quickly after our wedding) in Alaska, at our local coffee shops, shopping, travelling, and at the beach, and I will be getting Matt to try every new wellness trend under the sun which he will give anything a go so is happy to go along with my antics (Hello red light therapy, contrast therapy, tongue scraping – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) as well as cooking and most importantly, navigating our most proud chapter yet of being new parents. We do love to indulge in the finer things in life but also balance that out with trying to keep life as wholesome as possible!
We truly love life and each other.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Our relationship was 0 to 100. We met through a family friend, which quickly sparked our interest in each other. I was instantly drawn to Matt’s big personality and enthusiasm for life. We both liked that the other had a lot going on, and we were both in a place where we were really happy with our own lives – we just wanted that person to share it with. We both knew that this was something. A few days later, we were both coincidentally (Napier is a small place) out at Market St, a bar here, with groups of friends separately, which then turned into a night out together. Our official first date followed this. It was a walk & breakfast date, which then turned into the whole night. We lived together from that very first date.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
I’ve stolen this from my wedding vows, but it sums it up – “Buddha says that when you meet your soulmate, you’ll feel calm. No anxiety, no hesitation. I knew you were the one from that very first day.”
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Yes, of course! Matt made it very clear to me early on in our relationship that he wanted to get married, so I really thought that he would propose truthfully within the first 6 months of our dating, so every trip away or special moment had me questioning if this was going to be it. We started dating in October 2019, and finally, in February 2022 – we were celebrating Valentine’s Day, and he told me to pack a bag and dress up. We drove to the airport, where a private chopper was waiting for us – by this point, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think this was it – but I had thought this prior, so I had to contain my excitement. The chopper stopped with a view and we got out, Matt got down on one knee and proposed here, he was shaking with nerves but his words were so special and it truly was the best moment ever. We then flew to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, a lodge where, little did I know, another surprise was waiting – both of our families were waiting for us on arrival. We all had lunch together, and it was so special to share this moment with our families. We then spent the night there and very quickly got onto the fun part – wedding planning!
Matt was very old school in the way that he wanted to choose my engagement ring – this was something I respected, and he never sent hints or spoke about what kind of ring I would like. I left this in his hands totally. He surprised me with the most beautiful yellow diamond ring and it feels so special to me knowing that he chose this with the help of my brother and Queenstown Partridges.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
We wanted a theme – so we went with black and white. Yes, even the women were allowed to wear white. I knew that Anita at Vinka would know if a guest was confused with being the bride we had not done my dress right. We wanted it to be a Gatsby garden party, very classic in style yet modern in feel. We did not want a sit-down meal – we wanted it cocktail style, full of canapes and cocktails so that all of our guests could be social and party once the formal ceremony was done.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
The venue was super important to us as we knew this was the base for everything.
The Brazilian Diva Dancers. Entertainment is something that we really had to find space for in our budget but they added such a unique experience and were so fun!
If you are second-guessing a videographer – we would also say it’s worth it!
The dresses – of course!
It’s so easy to be happy to splurge on everything, let’s be honest, so I think when you are doing your budget, you also need to say what you aren’t so happy to splurge on and stick to this.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
I forgot our entire first dance – one too many espresso martinis were had. This was after many weeks of very serious dance lessons taking up our Sundays and late nights (that we never wanted to attend, but we thought the dance would be so special!) We probably talk about it more now that it didn’t go to plan vs if it had!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I loved working with Anita from Vinka Design with the help of my Mum to create my first custom dress – Anita is truly so talented, and I always say that I would also like to marry her for creating the dress of my absolute dreams! My Mum being a part of the process is one of my favourite Mother/ Daughter moments.
My second dress, Anita, named the Asha, and it is now available for purchase, which is super special.
We also loved working with Working Style for Matt’s custom suit.
CEREMONY & RECEPTION Te Mata House, Havelock North, New Zealand, @te_mata_house PHOTOGRAPHER Zara Staples, @zarastaplesweddings VIDEOGRAPHER Jusy Davis, @whatisjusy STYLIST & PLANNER Kathryn Mackenzie – One Fine Day, @onefinedayweddings FLORIST Botanical Lane, @botanical.lane CELEBRANT Sarah Kelly – Close Friend ENTERTAINMENT Ceremony Acoustic Singer – Reid, @reidnotread Managed by The House of Bonnie, @thehouseofbonnie; Band Groove Foundation – Local Band; Brazilian Divas, @braziliandivasnz HIRE & MARQUEE Twelve Tables, @twelve_tables CATERING Mitzi & Twinn, @mitziandtwinn CAKE Macaron Tower by Monsieur Macaron, @monsieurmacaron STATIONERY Poppy Paterson, @poppyp_design SIGNAGE Paper Darling, @paperdarlingnz RINGS Partridge Jewellers, @partridgejewellers EARRINGS Christian Dior BRIDAL DRESS Custom Dress – Vinka Design, @vinkadesign SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo MAKEUP Candice Dear, @candicedearmakeup HAIR Season Maree, @season.maree.hair NAILS Jackie Lamprecht Viljoen, @holisticbeautystudionz FRAGRANCE Louis Vuitton, @louisvuitton CUSTOM SUIT & SHOES Working Style, @workingstylenz CUFF LINKS Louis Vuitton, @louisvuitton BRIDESMAID DRESSES Custom – Obriasco Studio, @obriasco_studio GROOMSMEN SUIT Rembrandt, @rembrandt1946
