Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship … I’m a florist, originally from the UK and Dane is a builder and mad keen surfer! We met within the first month or so of my arriving in NZ on an OE.
I was only planning on doing a years working holiday visa, travelling around both islands, I made it as far as Christchurch to Kaikoura and then met Dane. He was playing in a band in a local bar, we instantly connected over our mutual love of music and were pretty much inseparable from then on. I knew he was a keeper when he bought me a Smiths record for my first ever gift … I didn’t really travel any further than Kaikoura for the next 18 months!
We both love to travel though, and decided to spend some time living in the UK and visiting different places in Europe. Dane proposed to me on a beach in Cornwall in 2014… it was pretty low key, just like Dane but he had secretly hunted down an antique opal ring I’d pinned on Pinterest, needless to say, there were tears!
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 originally thought we’d get married in Kaikoura, but being from opposite sides of the world it was becoming a bit stressful wondering if I could get my friends and family to come all the way from the UK.
Neither of us really like being the centre of attention and Dane and I are really independent in our relationship, it’s always just been about the two of us, so we decided to ditch the big wedding plans and elope instead, make the wedding just for us. Our plan from the beginning was to head to California for our honeymoon and drive the Pacific Coast highway so Dane could surf! We thought why not get married at the same time. We looked at lots of possible elopement locations in California, our first thought was a beach wedding but we spend so much time at the beach already, we decided we’d do something completely different, a once in a lifetime experience and get married in the desert.
We both love 60s and 70s style, fashion, music and design, we were definitely born in the wrong era! It was the mid-century architecture that first drew me to Palm Springs, I was obsessed with the Jonathan Adler interior of The Parker and the retro vibes of The Ace hotel, we couldn’t decide between the two, so we did both… naturally. We stayed at The Ace for a few days, then got ready at The Parker and stayed there the night of the wedding. Our celebrant Nanette helped us choose the location for the ceremony; Thousand Palms Oasis a beautiful nature reserve around a palm-filled oasis in the Coachella Valley. We loved the vast landscape and the desert wilderness setting. We ended the day with rooftop cocktails back at The Ace.
Being a wedding florist, the flowers were pretty important to me. I was toying with the idea of doing my own flowers for a while but changed my mind as I really wanted to be the bride for a change! I love colour and knew I wanted a big bright bouquet, I was so excited to have one of my favourite florists create my florals!
Tell us about your main outfits: We wanted to continue the 70s vibes and the retro colour palette. Dane’s not a big suit wearer, typical shorts and a floral shirt surfy, so he chose a more relaxed look with a burgundy suit, floral shirt and his Dad’s burgundy leather inch wide tie from the 70s.
I struggled to find the right dress at first, I wanted something vintage and long-sleeved but everything was too lacey for me or didn’t suit my curves, so I decided to have something made. I found an original 1970s Emilio Pucci Vogue pattern on Etsy and it was perfect. It was handmade by a lovely local lady in Kaikoura with silk I brought back from my hometown in the UK. I went for 70s inspired hair and makeup, layered rose gold jewellery and statement sunnies. Everything suited our personalities perfectly.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day? There were lots! From our first look in the beautiful gardens of The Parker to when we arrived at Thousand Palms Oasis…. there were a few tourists in the car park who we randomly ended up having our picture taken with, our Mexican twin bridesmaids, that was very cute.
Back at The Ace, two lovely ladies waiting in the foyer decided they would sing a wedding song for us and we had a little dance, that was such a beautiful moment.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together? Not sure we’re all that good at giving advice on relationships, but I guess always be a team, that’s how we’ve managed to get through everything life has thrown at us… as a team.
Advice for your wedding day, invest in a great photographer! It’s worth every penny, especially if you elope. We look back on our wedding pictures all the time (well I do… I’m pretty sure Dane gets fed up of me always getting them out!) and it transports us straight back. A great photographer will capture all those details you put so much thought into, and all the emotion of the day. We were so lucky to have Sarah Falugo shoot our day, Sarah has always been my favourite photographer and it just so happened she had recently moved to California around the time of our wedding. She captured everything so perfectly, our personalities, the stunning setting and we felt so comfortable with her around all day we forgot she was taking photos of us the whole time, she was amazing. I highly recommend finding a good photographer.
Ceremony location: Thousand Palms Oasis, Coachella Valley California | Reception location: Cocktails at the Ace, Dinner at the Parker | Photographer: Sarah Falugo | Celebrant: Nanette Brendon | Flora: Siren Floral Co | Bride’s Dress: handmade from original 1970s Pucci Vogue Pattern | Groom’s Suit: Hallensteins | Groom’s Shirt & Shoes: Ted Baker | Ring/s: Filigree Fine Jewels Christchurch | Bride’s Shoes: Sandro Rosi from Anthropologie | Bride’s Necklaces: Freepeople and H&M | Earrings: Delia Langham | Groom’s Tie: Late Dad’s 70s leather Tie | Makeup & Hair: Chelsea Nicole Makeup & Hair | Bride’s Fragrance: Tom Ford Velvet Orchid | Groom’s Fragrance: Tom Ford Black Orchid
