Haley + Chris by Samantha Donaldson - Together Journal

Chris’ nerves were getting out of hand, I was distracted by cute wildlife, but everything unfolded perfectly and Chris got the huge yes he was hoping for.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We’ve been together for 5 and a half years, both work in Marketing and live in Auckland with our Spoodle called Archie. We love spending our time going for walks, cooking delicious food and our next project is to tackle a renovation of a new home now that the wedding is over!

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
It was love at first swipe for us, we met on Tinder in 2017 and had our first date at the Glass Goose for cocktails. Funnily enough, our first impressions weren’t necessarily aligned. I was filled with blind date nerves after meeting this very handsome man, and seemingly procrastinated getting our date started by having a long catch up with an old work friend I happened to bump into at the bar. While Chris stood to the side and awkwardly waited for the date to continue, he wasn’t exactly filled with confidence. However, by the end of the date we were both completely enamoured and knew we were in for something special.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
From our first date onwards, we both felt completely at ease and confident. Chris made me feel like I was the only person in the room, and his kindness blew me away. I knew straight away he was a genuine, beautiful man and that’s the kind of person I wanted to be my person! I don’t think there was a defining moment when I knew, for me it really was love at first sight and I was so excited for our future.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Both Chris and I talk really fondly of an incredible day on our first overseas trip together to Malaysia, where we planned a big jet ski tour. I was already a bit nervous about the trip, it really felt like a big moment, so had attempted to impress Chris by telling him I was pretty much a pro jet skier, when in reality I vaguely remembered enjoying the one time I’d been on a jetski. But after a very loose safety briefing it all became too real and I started to panic! Thankfully Chris came through with that same kind nature that put me at ease on our first date and we went on to have an amazing adventure together. To Chris, it felt like the perfect day to recreate in our very own oceans and ask this important question.

So, in amongst an incredible trip around Northland, Chris finally hinted that he’d planned a surprise and to get ready – but not in the beautiful dress I had on, which completely threw off any inkling I thought I had. But of course all was revealed when we arrived at a pier to get a much more thorough safety briefing to take a jet ski tour around the Bay of Islands. But of course, choppy waters and me still not being the professional jet skier I had claimed to be in Malaysia, I got nervous – Chris was all for recreating that day but didn’t quite anticipate the deja vu. However, just like last time, he reassured me and supported me through it, and at the end my resilience and determination won and we set off. This was of course entirely worth it when they pulled up to a bay on Urupukapuka Island. Chris’ nerves were getting out of hand, I was distracted by cute wildlife, but everything unfolded perfectly and Chris got the huge yes he was hoping for.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
We wanted an understated elegant wedding that would be timeless. We brought this to life with a formal dress code and beautiful styling. We had the most beautiful statement lighting from Vintage & Style, furniture from LL Hire and styling and florals by Leaf & Honey. Naomi from Leaf & Honey created the dreamiest gypsophila arch for us that was against the stunning side wall of Kauri Bay Boomrock, creating a modern, clean look for the ceremony.

All we wanted was our guests to have fun, relax and enjoy themselves. Boomrock is an incredible venue for this as we had the games available, with their incredible golf set up so everyone could have a go hitting the balls off the hill. We made sure we had incredible food served in abundance, with lots of oysters and champagne to celebrate.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
We’re lucky that nothing happened to reflect back on and wish we had changed, but I’m very glad that I listened to Chris when he said he really wanted our puppy Archie to be involved in our day. I was very hesitant about having a naughty Spoodle there, but he was dropped off for an hour by some wonderful work friends of Chris’, and he absolutely made my day. We have some incredible photos that I just love!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
For my bridal look I really wanted something classic and elegant, but never thought I would end up with a strapless dress. My beautiful bridesmaids and I went shopping and Penny from Made with Love was one of the first gowns I tried on at Felicitys Bridal. Nothing I tried on after her made me feel the way I did in that dress, she was so stunning and I knew straight away this was the dress for me. For my something blue, I had a custom blue pansy embroidered into my dress to celebrate my beautiful nana.

Chris had an amazing experience with Murray Crane from Crane Brothers, creating the most beautiful black tuxedo that he will treasure forever. The details are incredible from Crane Brothers, from the beautiful custom lining, to the embroidered initials on his shirt cuffs.