Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:
We both left our home countries (Lucie is from Czech Republic and Jordan from New Zealand) looking for an adventure and we ended up finding each other on Sydney’s northern beaches. Our beginnings were challenging in terms of communication with Lucie’s broken English and Jordan’s strong kiwi accent, but somehow we understood each other and everything felt so easy and natural.
A year on we decided to buy a van and travel around Australia, clocking 10,000kms over 3 months. Bank accounts depleting we jumped the ditch to New Zealand where we welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Ziggy the next year. The decision to get married wasn’t anything spontaneous but something we talked about a lot, especially in terms of having the same last name as a family. We even talked about skipping the whole engagement stage and just eloping secretly but never actually went ahead with it. When we were in Europe later that year visiting Lucie’s family, we took a little road trip to Italy and on the way back we spent a day in Salzburg. Thats where Jordan popped out the question: ‘would you like to pick your engagement ring?’.. who would say no to that? Neither of us is a big fan of surprises, especially when it comes to something you ought to wear for the rest of your life. We had so much fun that day and ended up picking a stunning ring from this beautiful family owned jewellery store in the heart of Salzburg and it all couldn’t be more perfect.
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 thought about all the possible ways we could have a wedding that could include both of our families and friends but with such a huge distance and language barriers, we decided the conventional wedding was off the cards. So instead we opted for the wedding that would provide us with a chance to spend some quality time with the friends that have played a key role in supporting our relationship. For us it was never about just that one day but about being married and spending the rest of our lives together, wedding was always just a great opportunity to remind ourselves why we love each other. With this mindset, all the pressure of planning every little detail in our wedding just disappeared and we managed to have stress free, fun day and enjoy every minute of it. There is nothing more ‘us’ than spending time on the beach with our friends, so this time we just made it all a bit more special. We just picked all the stuff we love and put them together, neutral colours, no shoes, comfortable clothes, great food and drinks and Lucie’s favourite ‘fluffy weeds’ (Hare’s Tail Grass) picked right from the beach as a bouquet – still sitting in a vase on our dinning table now year later.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Barefoot, linen on linen. Simple, comfortable and beautiful, something we could wear again and again. Finding beautiful linen wedding dress turned to be quite a challenge but things fell into place as always and Lucie found the perfect dress from Hamilton based label All The While. Their linen dress design was still in making at the time but Ella from ATW was so helpful thorough the whole process and the finished ‘Lucie dress’ arrived just in time for the wedding.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:
Walking to the beach from our house carrying all of the picnic settings, food and drinks all at once was bit of a unique moment, even our celebrant Bernie and photographer Kimberley chipping in, getting prickles into our feet on the way. Writing and exchanging our own vows was also a beautiful
experience that allowed us to reflect on our relationship and be real about what we want to promise to each other for the future. To top off our informal ceremony we signed our marriage certificate on each others back. We also ended up having little afterparty at our house after sunset, playing games and eating pizza which was a perfect way to end the day. The whole wedding was just filled with so much joy and laughter.. that’s the main thing we will remember about that day.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:
In a relationship, when you know, you know! But get to know each other in all kinds of different situations, go traveling, do crazy stuff together, be best friends but also stay individuals. And be together not just out of comfort but because life is better when you’re together. For your wedding, remember the only opinion that matters is yours, not your family’s, not your friend’s, not the society’s.. so do whatever feels right for you two so you can enjoy your day to the fullest.
Photography and Videography: @kimberlyrich.photo | Ceremony and Reception location: Papamoa Beach, Bay of Plenty, NZ | Celebrant: @berniecowan | Bride’s gown: @_allthewhile | Groom’s outfit: @hm | Bride’s ring: @juweliernadler | Groom’s ring: @goodgoldnz | Baby attire: @rain_thelabel | Catering and Beverages: @easylager
