KYRA + LOUKAS by Hollow & Co

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

We are complete opposites, Loukas is an introverted data scientist and Kyra is an extroverted Advertising strategist. We’ve been told we balance each other out quite nicely, which is probably why we work so well.

Aside from Kyra, the loves of Loukases life are data (I know right) and KFC. Kyra loves a glass of wine, music and exploring new places. Both of us love spending our time with our family and friends.

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 had planned to elope in New York City, but our plans were cancelled due to COVID. Instead, we adapted our city wedding to New Zealand.

We always wanted a smaller wedding, with a casual and relaxed atmosphere. For us, we wanted it to feel like a party, so we focused on making sure we loved the food, drink and entertainment.

We decided to start where it all began, where we had their first date; Ponsonby. Specifically, in Ponsonby Pool Hall and Bedford Soda Liquor. The Sapphire Room in Ponsonby Central was the perfect location, a space with a great casual, urban, feel and close enough to where we had our first date so we could take a few pictures!

We loved the cocktail style catering, and how our unbelievably talented Celebrant / MC / Singer / DJ Aaron helped make the day seamless. Having the recep=on and ceremony in the same space was perfect, creating a casual, intimate, atmosphere from the very beginning. We loved that the location was right in the middle of Ponsonby, so we could feel the buzz all around us, all night.

If we were to put our wedding down to a style, we would probably say urban and modern with some subtle nods to the 1920s. My engagement ring is an art deco style ascher cut diamond ring and our initial plans were to elope and get married in a New York City prohibition era speak easy, so we wanted a few nods to that within the styling of the day. I wanted my whole look to be modern and simple, but still taking inspiration from the 1920s.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Kyra

I wore two custom made dresses, which was a bit of a happy accident. I got the first dress made for our New York summer wedding, but when plans changed, I decided to go all-in on a long white dress for the wedding and use my New York dress as the reception dress.

I was lucky enough to design both my dresses with Harriet Falvey. The process was amazing, we went through what I liked and talked about my personal style and style of the wedding, and she came back with sketches and ideas that I never could have imagined. Both dresses were designed to be modern, minimalist and simple, with tiny details that gave them a hint of old world glam. My favourite were the tiny pearls sewn into the hem of my wedding dress; it was such a clever way to add a bit of old-world glamour in an understated way. I felt amazing wearing dresses that were made for me, the fit was perfect.

Loukas

Unfortunately, Loukas can’t buy suits off the rack because he doesn’t fit them (he is 6, 8”), so he got his suit custom made by Hockerty online. He wanted to look modern and timeless opted for grey, white and black. He went for a 100% linen suit, mostly so it was breathable on the day.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:

Having a first look was such a good call, as soon as we saw each other we got excited and were able to relax. It was nice to have that moment to ourselves before we got swept away with the day.

Arer the ceremony we just walked around Ponsonby with our bridal party, having fun whilst we took our photos. It was so unreal walking down Ponsonby road dressed for a wedding, with random people walking and driving past us wishing us well.

We also had a moment to ourselves in Bedford, Soda & Liquor, which was where we went on our first date. I found out later that the first stop on our first date, Ponsonby Pool Hall, was a test. Loukas figured that if the chat was terrible at least we had a game of pool to focus on, and he also had a pretty solid exit strategy when the game of pool ended. Luckily, I passed the test and got invited out to Bedford for a drink arer our game of pool, so it was pretty surreal doing a shot of tequila on our wedding day, inside the bar where we had our first drink together 4 years earlier.

Another moment was when my girlfriends did the W.A.P dance, arguably inappropriate for a wedding but it was absolutely iconic.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:

We pulled our wedding together really fast and tried not to overthink it. We went with our gut on all of the decisions, didn’t ask for too many people’s opinions, and it honestly worked out perfectly.

Ceremony and Reception location: Ponsonby Central | Photographer: Hollow and Co | Celebrant & Entertainment: Aaron Bloomfield | Hire: Flock Events | Flora: Vida Flores | Catering + Beverages: Little Wolf Catering | Brides Dresses: Harriett Falvey | Grooms Attire: Hockerty | Rings: Braverman Jewelry | Brides Shoes: Vince Camuto | Grooms Shoes: Number One Shoes | Brides Earrings: F and H Jewellery | Makeup and Hair: Ruth Baron | Bridesmaids attire: Chancery The Label | Groomsmen attire: Hallensteins