Emma + Josh by Abi Hackling Photography - Together Journal

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

Josh and I are a little bit like Ying and Yang. I am very chatty, bubbly and love to be around people and definitely don’t mind a wine over some cheese and crackers. Josh is slightly reserved, an observer a very practical type of guy who loves his bananas and apples!

Although we are opposite, I totally believe that is why we are so attracted to each other. We are both Primary School teachers and I (Emma) have been a Pilates Instructor for just over a year now. Our true love is travelling and creating new adventures, even if it just tackling a new walking track! Josh and I are lovers of the outdoors, being active and indulging in delicious food in the sun.

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

Being school teachers, it was inevitable we would cross paths. Josh was in his 3rd year of teaching and I was a beginning teacher just starting out. After a few months of getting to know each other at school, we had an end of term staff gathering and let’s just say our journey began there! The first impression I had of Josh was, tall, dark and handsome who also needed a decent haircut! I thought he was extremely kind, caring, softly spoken and had an instant calming vibe about him; Perfect for me. I (Josh) thought Emma was a little bit of me with long legs and a beautiful smile that caught my eye. She had bright blue eyes and a very friendly personality which made me want to get to know her even more.

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

We had been secretly getting to know each other without the staff members of our school knowing for over 5 or so months (we found some great hang out spots at some beautiful secluded beaches in Taranaki) We took the leap of faith to go travelling to Asia together. Yes… after 5 months of knowing each other we went on a holiday together, both never having gone further than Aussie! It was after that trip that Josh and I knew we were designed for each other, especially when we could handle one other in extreme heat and our hangry states.

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

The proposal was more than epic! It was a complete surprise. Josh gave me a note on a Friday afternoon saying that we were going away the next morning. I needed to pack a bag with activewear, casual gear and a couple of nice outfits, the car will be packed and be ready to go at 9am. Saturday morning rolled around and Josh had still not told me where we were going until we got past Piopio. I guessed we were going to Raglan (one of our favourite spots in NZ) which was correct. We drove into Raglan past the Bridal Veil Falls and into the town centre, me thinking we were heading to find our accommodation. Josh gets into the town centre and turns left and keeps driving for a good 15 or so minutes. I was completely confused as to what was happening and it hadn’t crossed my mind what would be coming! We arrived at the beautiful spot of Te Toto Gorge and the sun was beginning to set (sounds like something out of a movie!) and Josh asked if I wanted to take my drink bottle in his backpack – which I thought was super strange he was taking his backpack for a 5-minute walk.

We started to walk down the tussocks and found a spot to ourselves looking out over the sea. Josh sat next to me nervously and began to show me a video of all our travels and adventures ending with “now we are ready for our next chapter..” and then he grabbed his backpack and out of it, pulls a little box! He got down on one knee (on the side of a cliff) and asked me to marry him! It was the most amazing thing to happen and I realised why he needed that backpack!

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Exactly what we created! Beachy sophisticated vibes, with beautiful pinks, oranges, browns and neutral tones. We really wanted a venue that was near a beach with something that was outdoors, as I feel like that is Josh and I to a Tee.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
This was a hard one because I wanted to splurge on everything! But definitely our florist and photographer. Josh and I agreed not to get a videographer so knew we wanted some bomb photos and Abi 100% delivered on that. Rebecca from Pineapple Sage Florist did not disappoint us either. I think flowers set the tone for the wedding and we were in awe of what she created, so very happy to have splurged on both of them.

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

Not on the wedding day but as silly as it sounds I (Emma) have never checked the weather forecast so much in my life. The weather on our wedding day was absolutely beautiful until about 7 pm. We were extremely lucky because the next day it was very stormy and even had a power cut at the venue.

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

I knew I wanted something unique and a point of difference. I tried on so many beautiful gowns but it just didn’t give me that “wow” factor. I had seen a style similar to my dress design online and had an appointment with Liah Roebuck Bridal a week later. I took the idea to her and with one of her off the rack dresses she kind of showed me how we could make it work and It was an instant yes. The style we came up with together ticked all the boxes I was after in terms of elegance, having a point of difference and just feeling stylish and fabulous! She was a dream to work with. Josh was after a classic and simple look which Barkers absolutely delivered on. He loved the idea of a black suit with a bowtie, which I thought he looked extremely handsome in!