EMILY + ANTENI by Tim and Nadine

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

Emily: We met in Anteni’s home city of Melbourne in 2011, one night at a bar called Baroque. We then bumped into each other again at a New Zealand vs Australia rugby world cup game and both decided it was time to go on a real date.

We dated for a few months before I moved to London with a close friend. I quickly realised the move wasn’t right as I missed him every day. Anteni came over for a holiday and I moved back to Melbourne a short time later. We both moved to New Zealand in 2015 after a summer holiday where I showed off New Zealand’s most beautiful places. We initially lived in Auckland then settled down in Wellington in 2018. I’m an occupational therapist and Anteni’s in finance and both careers keep us on our toes. We enjoy good wine, the outdoors, visiting friends and being close to the ocean.

Anteni: We’ve chased each other across the planet, moving between cities and countries and changing careers among other things, so we feel like we can do almost anything now. Having a wedding planned a few days before lockdown wasn’t easy, but once we decided to go ahead even if it was just the two of us there (and we could do it safely) it became a lot easier, and we’re so happy with how everything went on the day.

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 wanted a relaxed but classic style on the day. The incredible views and lodge at Boomrock meant we didn’t need to fuss over decorations, as the venue itself was perfect on its own. Emily’s dad, Malcolm made a bunch of Whiskey Mac for our guests as favours which went down a treat and her mum Deborah, was the florist on the day which she absolutely nailed. Our friend Luke from Melbourne designed and made our cake toppers, which had incredible detail and looked just like us on the day. We had our cake custom made by Vicki Eats as a bounty cake with one layer coconut and the other mud chocolate, it was so delicious everyone went back for seconds.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Emily: I always wanted a wedding dress with sleeves but I couldn’t quite find the right one. I found a beautiful dress at Astra Bridal by Maggie Sottero, which had a high neck and low back with a bit of bling. So I thought ‘this is perfect’ however I still wanted sleeves. So I then got it altered by Grace Kleinsman. She did such an amazing job with helping me design the silk puff sleeves and tailoring the dress so it fit like a glove. I wanted a bright red lipstick for the evening which I was lucky to have my sister in law Steph take care of with her own lipstick brand, MAARKS, so my bridesmaids and I were in great hands wearing her signature colours. 

Anteni wanted to keep it simple and classic and he managed to find his suit on ASOS, which looked pretty dashing on the day. He also had an oversized bowtie which he picked up from Working Style in Wellington.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:

As our wedding fell on the 19th of March 2020, emotions were high in the days leading up, with close family and friends being unable to attend from overseas due to travel restrictions. We were unsure if we were safe to go ahead with the wedding right up until a few days prior. So to come to a decision, we wrote a pros and cons list and then realised that even if it was just us, a witness and the celebrant, we still wanted to go ahead and get married. We cried, hugged and then rushed to finalise the last-minute wedding preparations. It was such a relief when we both decided to give it the green light. We were so grateful to our friends and family who came and celebrated with us on the day, partied into the night and that everyone arrived and left safe and well. But also to the many guests who attempted to travel to New Zealand and either got caught in Queenstown and had to fly home, or who had booked flights and accommodation and were unable to come, we thought of them all throughout the day.

The day started at The Bolton Hotel where we both got ready with some of our most favourite people before we walked to Parliament steps for the first look. Our photographers Tim and Nadine were absolutely wonderful, they made us feel super relaxed through every moment. The kids Anton, Allegra, Ella and Jack (the dog), made a dramatic entrance and stole the show. Miranda our celebrant was amazing, she was with us throughout the lead up to the wedding and also made us feel super relaxed. We got amongst Boomrock’s activities including clay shooting over the Tasman Sea. Letting off a few shotgun rounds after the ceremony was actually quite relaxing and we found a few unexpected sharpshooters among our guests too! We ate s’mores over the open fire and watched the beautiful sunset. The speeches were one of the best parts of the day, every single one made us all laugh and cry. Tom, our MC and brother in law, kept things both running smoothly and entertaining throughout the day and made sure we could sneak off to have time to ourselves.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together: On the day, take time for just the two of you even if its just 5 minutes. Challenge each other, but not too much.

Ceremony/Reception Location + Catering/Beverages: Boomrock Wellington | Photographer: Tim and Nadine | Celebrant: Miranda Zander | Flora: Mother of the bride, Deborah Hadlum | Cake: Vicki Eats | Cake Toppers:  Close friend of the couple, Luke Morrison | Wedding favours – Whiskey Mac with personalised photo: Celtic Winery | Emily’s Gown: Maggie Sottero gown from Astra Bridal with alterations, veil and sleeves designed and custom made by Grace Kleinsman | Anteni’s Suit: Asos | Bow tie: Working Style | Emily’s Ring: The Rolling Mill | Anteni’s Ring: The Village Goldsmith | Shoes: Nicole Rebstock | Emily’s earrings: Amélie George Bridal | Emily & Bridesmaids lipsticks: MAARKS | Hair + Makeup: Natalie Fisher | Fragrance: Gypsy Water by Byredo