We wanted it to be a floral dream filled with traditional classic touches.
Ella —— I work in creative advertising and James works in construction. We live in Auckland. We were somewhat of a slow burn love story, a friendship that turned romantic. We met in the Bay of Islands at a mutual friend’s birthday and connected instantly. James was the kindest and most gentle man I had ever met. For James, it was probably more of a crush from the start but it was his perseverance that made our friendship turn into love for me.
James proposed at his family holiday home in the Marlborough Sounds. Our families spent Christmas together there and on my birthday, Boxing Day, he got down on one knee in front of our family with a short but very sweet proposal. It was the best surprise and instant celebration with our nearest and dearest.
I’d dreamt of a big wedding from a young age and we wanted an epic party with all our favourite people there. We wanted it to be a floral dream filled with traditional classic touches.
I tried on a million dresses and nothing really gave me the ‘moment’ that other brides talk about when they know the dress is the one. In one store, I spotted a vintage but unworn gown which wasn’t on the shop floor. I asked if it was for sale and instantly felt that it was the perfect dress. I made quite a few alterations to it, including being able to transform it into a mini dress for the dancefloor later.
For my accessories, I wanted to follow the ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ tradition. I had my something old (the dress), but needed something new, so I decided to go for Jimmy Choos with a satin bow which fit the vibe of my dress perfectly. My ‘something borrowed’ was my late Nanny’s pearls, which my mother actually wore on her wedding day. To go with the pearl choker, I wore James’ late grandmother’s pearl cluster earrings. It was so special wearing something from them both to honour such amazing women. Lastly, my ‘something blue’ was my bouquet, which included blue florals.
My bridesmaids and flower girl wore custom dresses made by my amazing cousin Juliet, the founder and designer of Marle, a gorgeous New Zealand label. They were all in an ivory design that complemented my dress in the most beautiful way. My dress had quite a large underskirt which gave it far more volume and made it opaque, but as I was getting dressed, an hour before walking down the aisle, I realised the underskirt wasn’t in the bag and there was no time for the bridal store to get it to Waiheke, so I went without it. I was gutted for a minute because I’d spent months creating the most beautiful dress, but in the scheme of things, I was just stoked to marry my best friend and that’s what mattered.
LOCATION Mudbrick, @mudbrick_nz PHOTOGRAPHER Keryn Sweeney, @kerynsweeneyphotographer BRIDE’S DRESS Re-designed vintage Pronovias, @pronovias BRIDE’S SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo GROOM’S SUIT Man To Man, @mantomanmenswear GROOM’S SHOES Hugo Boss, @boss RINGS The Village Goldsmith, @thevillagegoldsmith NECKLACE & EARRINGS Family heirlooms FLORIST Eden Kersten, @edenkersten CELEBRANT Ria Vandervis, @riavandervis VIDEOGRAPHER Ethan James, @ethankjames ENTERTAINMENT Zoe O’Sullivan, @z.osullivan HIRE My Waiheke, @mywaiheke; The Island Collection, @theislandcollection STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Stacey Purdon, @stacey_design BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Rose Prick by Tom Ford, @tomfordbeauty GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Tacit by Aesop, @aesopskincare MAKEUP Alex Penton at Penton & Co, @penton.andco HAIR Robyn Munro at robynmunrohair.com / @robynmunrohair BRIDAL PARTY Marle, @__marle
