Kate + Leighton by David Le - Together Journal

“The following day, he [Leighton] arranged a private boat to stay overnight in Ha Long Bay. This was his original proposal plan, but he forgot to tell the crew he’d already done it, so he had to pretend to propose again, as they’d set up leaves and petals in the shape of a heart on a beach.”

Kate ——We moved back to New Zealand after living in Melbourne for several years, just before the pandemic. We’re both currently at university, enjoying being mature students. Leighton’s studying biochemistry and I’m learning animation. We love living by the sea, music, dancing, cooking, eating, art, yoga, fermenting foods, patting cats, reading, knitting, crochet. We met in Wellington 12 years ago and have been together ever since.

I thought Leighton was so amazing, with his long hair, walking barefoot around Wellington. We balance each other, as I am quite organised and Leighton is relaxed. We were nearing our 10 year anniversary when Leighton arranged a trip to Vietnam and proposed while we were in a small row boat in Ninh Bình – a beautiful place. The following day, he arranged a private boat to stay overnight in Ha Long Bay. This was his original proposal plan, but he forgot to tell the crew he’d already done it, so he had to pretend to propose again, as they’d set up leaves and petals in the shape of a heart on a beach.

For the wedding, we didn’t want anything too flashy as we’re not like that ourselves. I suppose the ideas just evolved into a springtime and vintage floral vibe. We knew that we were going to have the wedding on Leighton’s parents’ property which is beautiful in spring. His mum prepared by planting flowers that would bloom at that time and she didn’t mow the lawn in order to have daisies growing.

The clear marquee was a large part of our small budget, but it was worth it to see the tall trees and greenery through the walls and the roof with the sparkly fairy lights.

Our amazing photographer David Le captured the essence of the day beautifully. It was lovely to look through the album and see our guests enjoying themselves as well as ourselves! Hiring The Conray’s, a local Whanganui soul band was a last-minute decision, but it turned out to be the icing on the cake.

Leighton had his suit and shoes made when we were in Vietnam, which saved a bit of money and gave us a starting point to base our aesthetic on. He went for a forest green linen jacket and pants, although a week out from the wedding, realised the pants didn’t fit so well and instead went for khaki trousers to match all the groomsmen.

I knew that typical wedding dresses and white weren’t my thing. A friend gave me the idea to sew my own. I found a vintage Vogue pattern and some spring-esque fabric from Spotlight and sewed it with the help of my aunty. My bridesmaid Jess lent me a tutu to wear from her costume box to give the skirt more volume. A friend who makes jewellery made my crown, which she sent from Melbourne. She was supposed to be a bridesmaid but unable to come due to Covid so it was lovely to have a part of her with me.