Fili turned out to be the missing piece in our family.
Freina —— We come from different worlds but share the same core values of family, kindness and respect. We live in Auckland and have three boys: Cadell, 22; Taylox, 14; Obee, 12. I’d separated from my ex husband and was setting up my new home so asked a friend to help me move furniture. When he saw the stairs involved, he said we needed extra hands and called Fili, who arrived in a suit. They started sweating profusely moving furniture. I felt so guilty I offered to buy them dinner. They’d been discussing Fili’s love of donuts, so I offered him a box of donuts if he’d help the next day. The more time we spent together, the more we realised we had lots of mutual friends and things in common. Fili turned out to be the missing piece in our family.
After a sudden death in Fili’s family, he came home and said, “We should get married!” My parents had built a deck at our farm that overlooked the Pakiri Valley and the beach. Fili mentioned that it would be an awesome place to get married and our whole wedding centred around everyone coming up to this spot to enjoy the view.
Fili —— Freina organised all the decorations, mood boards, spreadsheets and runtimes. I would find her in the shed cutting up old bits of wood, painting signs, and picking plants out of the bush. She executed her vision in a few months. Rather than formal tables, we wanted everyone to mingle around, picnic/party/bbq style.
Freina —— I’m a Trelise Cooper girl, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to be wearing TC! Initially, I was going to borrow something from their archives as they have so many beautiful gowns, but after showing Trelise an image of what I was looking for, she custom-made my dress. It was like a Paris couture gown that could be worn on the back of a tractor! Fili chose his wedding attire based on his Tongan heritage. It comprised a tupenu (a wrapped garment made from suit material) and a ta’ovala (mat wrapped around the waist and tied with a kafa, a traditional rope made of woven coconut coir). Fili’s ta’ovala comes from the island of Ha’apai where his family is originally from. His kahoa (necklace) was made by Fijian artist Bayvick Lawrance. Fili had worn it for a photoshoot a few years back and Bayvick kindly flew it over for him to wear.
It’s a Tongan tradition for the groom’s family to present the bride’s family with gifts. Fili’s father gifted a tunu puaka (roasted pig) which was the centrepiece of our table, surrounded by other traditional Tongan food such as lu sipi (onions, corn beef & lamb wrapped in taro leaves coated with coconut milk), talo (taro slow-cooked in coconut milk), and ota ika (raw fish in coconut milk).
PHOTOGRAPHER Charlotte Christian, @_charlottechristianweddings_ LOCATION Family farm in Pakiri BRIDE’S GOWN Trelise Cooper, @trelisecooper BRIDE’S SHOES Melissa + Viktor Rolf, @melissashoes.aus BRIDE’S HANDBAG Bandolier, @bandolierstyle GROOM’S OUTFIT Tupenu & ta’ovala from the Tapa family GROOM’S SHOES Birkenstock, @birkenstockau STYLIST, PLANNER & FLORIST The bride CELEBRANT Katherine Mitchell, @katherine_mitchell_celebrant MAKEUP & HAIR Bride using Jane Iredale products, @janeiredalenz HIRE Carlton Party Hire Warkworth DONUTS Krispy Kreme NZ, @krispykremenz CATERING & CAKE Catroux, @catrouxnz STATIONERY Paperless Post ENGAGEMENT RING Diamonds on Richmond, @diamondsonrichmond BRIDE’S WEDDING BAND Jewellers Workshop, @jewellersworkshopnz GROOM’S WEDDING BAND Bijoux Gallery, @bijoux.gallery.jewellery BRIDE’S EARRINGS Seed Heritage BRIDE’S GOLD BANGLES Family heirloom GROOM’S NECKLACE Bayvick Lawrance, @bayvickdesigns
