Caleb + Nadia by Sapphire Studios - Together Journal

Once we got to the cove he set up the VCR camera and said he wanted to get both of us in it for a cute video — I was so aware at this point, so I played along. He came over, I turned around and he went down on one knee. I said yes and that was the end of our magical day together, well… so I thought.

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

Caleb & Nadia: Kia ora, our names our Caleb and Nadia — now the Mitchell’s! Together we run a wedding photography business called Good Grain. It is very special that we are able to do this together as we both have a passion for photography and wanted to share our love for it. Good Grain began just over a year ago now and we are loving every moment of it! Here is our Instagram handle: https://www.instagram.com/goodgrain.nz/

Outside of work, we can be found catching up with family and friends, tending to our garden, going on adventure, enjoying tunes through our record player, or playing music ourselves. The first hobby we connected on was music. As much as we love to listen to it we also love to play it. Caleb can play anything he puts his hand to (bass, drums, piano, guitar) and Nadia loves to sing, as well as dabbles in playing her saxophone. We bonded on this majorly in the early stages of our relationship.

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

Nadia: We met at church in Wellington and I had actually seen Caleb on stage in a church service playing the piano and thought “man… I could see myself marrying that man”. However, once we had a chat that thought was very much a distant memory. We hit it off at first, but after a few interesting topics the conversation quickly died.

A few months later we reconnected and it was a completely different vibe. We easily hit it off (again) but this time nothing went sour. We started talking more and the next week Caleb invited me to a games night at his flat. Little did I know that Caleb and his flatmates had organised this whole night only to invite the girls they liked, which I though was pretty sweet. It was a great night! The next morning I flew to Nelson, my hometown, as I was on my 6-week uni break. This was really hard for both of us as we were already so into each other, but it truly ended up being the best thing for us! For the first few days we were messaging each other novels when we finally decided it was probably time to video chat. From there we really got to know each other; our personalities and how we communicate. Those 6 weeks felt extremely long, but it was special how we connected so much through talking without any of the physical elements in a relationship.

Once I came back to Wellington we had our first proper date, but it felt like we had already had our first date ages ago with how much we already knew each other. It was the most incredible day and Caleb spoilt me! He planned the whole day and night, it really couldn’t have been better. The next day he asked me to be his girlfriend and I of course said yes, and ever since it has been an adventure with him, and I believe it always will be. We will forever make an effort to date each other, especially now being married.

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

There were lots of moments compiled together that made us realise this… However, a big decider was how we worked together when faced with challenging situations. Thankfully, we worked well together and these times really confirmed it for both of us that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with each other.

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

Nadia: The proposal was incredible! Caleb really went above and beyond. We flew to Auckland for a concert and for one of the days we planned to go Waiheke Island. We booked a scooter to zip around the island and a few wineries to go to, and that was it, nothing else…

Later in the day, after we had enjoyed all of the beautiful wine tastings and food, we stopped off at a beach. Caleb was determined to go to the end of the beach where a small cove was. I wasn’t having a bar of it as all I wanted to do was lie on the sand. It got to the point where he had to carry me because I didn’t want to walk at all, I was really making it hard for him, totally oblivious. Finally, I clicked on to what was happening and stopped being difficult. Throughout the whole day Caleb was filming moments on his old VCR camera. Once we got to the cove he set up the VCR camera and said he wanted to get both of us in it for a cute video — I was so aware at this point, so I played along. He came over, I turned around and he went down on one knee. I said yes and that was the end of our magical day together, well… so I thought.

After a good debrief, we headed to dinner and when we arrived I got the biggest surprise of my life. I heard a “CONGRATULATIONS” and there, on Waiheke Island, were both of our families and closest friends. It was a day I will cherish forever.

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

Minimalistic, white, simple, with a touch of earthy colours. The earthy colours came through the bridesmaid dresses and the flowers/greenery.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Photography!

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

Nadia: I honestly can’t think of anything, at this point in time anyway. There were definitely stressful moments, but overall it was the most incredible day.

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

Nadia: I went to Hera Couture in Auckland and tried on so many dresses. I was convinced I had found the dress for me, until I saw a dress behind the counter and fell in love with it. Once that dress was on my body I knew this was the dress.

I soon found out that my dress was the first one made for the new collection, however, it actually didn’t make the cut for the new collection. This was quite special as now my dress is the only one out there, a one-of-a-kind. I adore it and am going to get it made into a 2-piece outfit so I can continue to wear it, instead of selling it or storing it in a box to gain dust. Thank you to the ladies at Hera Couture!!