Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:
We were high school sweethearts. I met Andrew when he and I were both 16 years old. He said hi, I smiled back and before you know it we started to hang out regularly. Talk about young love. If you know, you know I guess.
We laughed, cried, travelled the world, and became each other’s support pillars. In 2017 something magical happened. It was as if all the trees, the lights and all of the stars smiled with us and just like that – Andrew proposed. We were in Paris, the city of love. Clichè to some, but to me, it was a very special place.
That evening Andrew made reservations at a lovely restaurant. He seemed nervous and I knew there was something going on. We made our way to this secluded garden which overlooked the sparkling Eiffel Tower. I remember thinking, look at this view, thinking to myself “how is he not hugging me?” As I turned around, he was knee bent on the ground. He said “Will you make me the luckiest man alive? Will you marry me?” Tears fell down my cheeks before I could even reply. He later proposed in Santorini outside our villa balcony before the canopy of stars a second time “just to make sure”. Two years later, after being together for over 10 years, we finally got married with our closest family and friends beside us. Currently, I’m working as a user experience designer and Andrew is a Building certifier. We both want to start our own business before starting a family.
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 knew we wanted an outdoor wedding but I couldn’t picture myself getting married at the beach. Instead, one evening laying in bed, Andrew and I were browsing online. We stopped scrolling and froze as we knew we had found where we wanted to get married when we saw Jack’s Point. With an unparalleled lakefront position, the spectacular Queenstown scenery was just magical. With the brilliantly clear sky above, Jack’s Point served as the perfect backdrop to our special day. We had travelled to Queenstown many times and it had become our little winter escape. Although the temperature was always cold, we felt warm and loved. We hosted a breathtaking ceremony followed by a helicopter photoshoot at Cecil Peak, returning to a leisurely cocktail hour and family dinner reception at the clubhouse. We honestly could not have chosen a more picture-perfect place to hold our wonderful day.
The One Fine Day team looked after us and executed our vision beyond what we could have imagined. The florals featured pom pom chrysanthemum roses, phalaenopsis orchids and ivory roses positioned on clear perspex plinths. The overall look was timeless and classy and we made sure to pay attention to all of the finer details. Andrew and I prepared our wedding day for over a year and so we knew it was going to be a magical day. We both wanted all of our 80 guests to have a great time and enjoy all that Queenstown had to offer.
When brainstorming ideas for the guest wedding favours, we wanted to make sure our guests would cherish this. Seeing as it was a destination wedding, we knew our guests were limited in what they could travel home with. Alas! How nice would it be if everyone could have a polaroid of us and them that they could put on their fridge when they got home. Each photo was unique in itself and we were able to share a moment and a story with our loved ones. In addition, our guests took polaroids to place in our guest book. We made sure to tell them to take extras to keep and remind themselves of the good times.
It was so nice to relive those moments with everyone’s messages and smiles.
We originally organised with Danilo & Sharon to be our photographers on the day. I had been following their work for the longest time and when they agreed to capture our day I was ecstatic. However, due to some unforeseeable visa circumstances, they couldn’t make it. I remember crying as I heard the news – this was 4 weeks before our special day. With just 3 weeks to find another photographer, we were blessed to come into contact with Ana Galloway. She was like a breath of fresh air and took some incredible shots. It felt like connecting with an old friend and Andrew and I had the best time doing some of the pre-shoots. Thanks to Ana we will never forget the view from Cecil Peak and the amazing backdrop during our ceremony.
After the ceremony we served canapes – fried chicken oysters (karaage style), pumpkin seed & thyme biscuits, goats curd, local honey (my favourite) and ink crackers, salmon, fennel. We went with a shared menu, it was cosy and everyone commented on how ‘homelike’ it was. For starters, we had delicious baked sourdough, cultured butter and goats cheese & shallot tart, followed by roasted beets, crabapple, walnuts & watercress salad (which was to die for). The main dishes were ‘Pork Belly & Crackling and ‘Harmony boneless whole chicken’. For our vegan friends, we served roasted celeriac, mushrooms, truffle, native spinach and they loved it. My favourite were the sides – red rascal potatoes, garlic, rosemary and roasted pumpkin, peanut dukkah spice which complimented the mains so well. Three desserts were served – lemon tart, tamarillo & fennel pollen, the second was a cacao nib, chocolate cremeux and lastly a raspberry hazelnut financier. They were all so divine! Our signature bride and groom drinks were Espresso Martinis (vodka, quick brown fox coffee liqueur and honey) and a Sloe Gin Spritz (Hayman’s sloe gin, Amisfield pinot gris, summer fruit tea syrup and soda).
On the cake: For our engagement cake we had two layers so for the wedding I knew I wanted an extra layer. I wanted a simple and elegant design incorporating the same flowers as the reception, in order to extend the same theme. We chose a vanilla cake with raspberry filling. I commissioned a lovely lady from Sugarflowers to make the sugar flowers and carried them on the plane with me, fearful they would break. The cake artist in New Zealand from Cakes by Kim arranged them for me and it looked amazing.
I picked white roses for my bouquet because they are traditional and the most romantic flowers in my opinion. The ceremony flowers featured two acrylic plinths – housing pom pom chrysanthemum, roses and phalaenopsis orchids placed behind the entrance of the aisle. For the table arrangements, we had the same minus the orchids, the bridal table slightly larger than the others. We kept the florals minimal as we thought mother nature had already helped us in that department. I wanted to create a timeless and simple concept. The night would be filled with sparkles and our chosen family would be well fed and would dance and drink the night away.
Tell us about your main outfits:
I’m a creative and user experience designer so just like a lot of the females, we all had a vision of our wedding dress on our Pinterest boards. The reality is, everyone’s body is unique to themselves and I struggled to find the one. After trying over 15 dresses I was beginning to lose faith. It wasn’t until my MOH sent me a text saying, “Why don’t you just book an appointment and try this place out – Blanche Bridal”. I walked in and immediately loved the detailed embroidery on the display gowns. My fairytale had come true when I tried on my dress, I knew she was the one. The gown hugged me in all the right places and made me feel so comfortable. I face-timed my girlfriend to show her the dress and the next day we drove up from Melbourne for her to see me try it on again.
For Andrew, it was a much easier choice – he has a very clear vision, he wanted a classy suit that was timeless, the type of suit that never goes out of style. The first one was a black tuxedo with a satin lapel with peaks and a white t-shirt for the ceremony. When we left for photos he changed into a velvet blazer and rounded satin lapel which complimented the snow so well. He wanted to make sure his suit was comfortable and tailored.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
The most unexpected moment was when I surprised Andrew with my all-time favourite song “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. I started taking piano lessons when Andrew proposed as I knew he was going to be surprised on our special day. So every time, he hit the gym I drove to my piano teacher’s house to learn Jingle Bells – all the way through to “If I Ain’t Got You”. It was a great personal accomplishment, not only to learn a new instrument as an adult but to show to the love of my life that I would put my heart and soul into everything we did together.
Our memorable times were the simple moments we had together, whether it was the helicopter ride up in the mountains or running towards the sunset at golden hour. The speeches from our family and friends were my favourite, the had the whole house in tears and then laughter and then more tears and then laughter. Oh, just everything was memorable to us!
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Do everything with love. Do you. Do everything how you want and not what is expected from anyone else. Enjoy every moment, enjoy the process and everything will come together how it should be. Have fun and have faith. After marriage, remember to work as a team and give each other time to grow as individuals and as a strong unit.
Photography: Ana Galloway | Ceremony and Reception location: Jack’s Point | Videography: We are Bubble Rock | Celebrant: Average Angela | Bride’s gown: Blanche Bridal | Groom’s suits: Politix | Rings: Parade Jewellers | Shoes: Politix | Makeup and Hair: Georgie Henderson | Fragrance: Chanel | Bridesmaid’s attire: Forever New | Groomsmen’s attire: Politix | Entertainment: Mountain Beats DJ Co. | Styling Planner, Hire and Flora: One Fine Day | Catering and Beverages: Jack’s Point | Invitations: Jledesign | Cake: Cakes by Kim | Helicopter: Fly NZ
