Matt + Olivia by Nectar Photography

Liv won’t mind me saying she can’t dance, and it’s a debate as to who is worse between us so it made for an entertaining first dance. Luckily our bridesmaids and groomsmen were well versed and bailed us out quickly!

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Olivia: I work as a lawyer and Matt runs his own business, we also do some property development together. We both grew up with pets and we immediately bonded over my dog Lulu. Most weekends we will be taking Lulu for walks at the beach or out for coffee. We like to travel as much as possible, we just got back from our honeymoon in the Maldives and across Europe – it was so refreshing to get back to travelling and exploring!

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Matt: A mutual friend of ours was very keen to introduce us so we arranged to meet up – first impressions were good! The only thing was I flew out the next day to go travelling for a few months, then Liv herself was going overseas for a while. It was 6 months before we were both back in Auckland again, but we were speaking a lot in the meantime so I could tell something was brewing!

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Matt: Once we were both back in Auckland we started catching up and everything moved quickly. It was springtime so we spent a lot of time outdoors, heading to the beach, walking with Lulu, going for picnics. By the end of that summer, we were spending a lot of time together and had booked to go to Fiji. For me I could tell it was special.

Liv: I can’t say for sure but I do remember a particular time quite early on when I went away with my family. It was at the stage where Matt was treating Lulu like his own and I trusted him to house and dog sit. Whilst I was away I kept getting photos of Matt and Lu out and about having a great time and it made me realise that he could be the one.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Matt: Liv was hardly subtle with her hints with the wedding magazines and there were a few comments from the in-laws, so I knew I had to start thinking about it! For the ring, I had a feel for what Liv liked so came up with a design and worked with the jeweller to make the ring over the course of a few evenings after feigning working late to Liv! We had a trip to the South Island coming up, so I surprised Liv by changing the last couple of nights of the trip to Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat which overlooks Lake Pukaki across to Mt Cook. It was the perfect setting to propose in such a stunning part of New Zealand. Given Liv obviously said “yes”, I must have got something right!

Liv: When we go away I typically do most of the organising so I was suspicious when Matt insisted on organising accommodation for some of the trip. When we got to the retreat I knew something was up and when there was talk of a helicopter ride I knew it was coming.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Matt: I think I’ll leave this answer to Liv, but Liv with Jess from Two Foxes did a fantastic job. McCallum is a beautiful property and the marquee itself was stunning so there was no need to overdo it on styling. It was simple but very refined.

Liv: I wanted a very elegant and classy vibe, so we went light and bright for all the decorations in the marquee and for the bridal party we had a black and white theme. The lighting was a personal favourite and whilst we went a bit overboard with flowers, it looked phenomenal on the day so it was well worth it.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Liv and Matt: We spent quite some time picking a venue as if we got that right, we felt everything else would then fall into place. We wanted the feeling of a destination wedding with all the convenience of being close to Auckland for family and friends. McCallum residence ticked all the boxes, it is a superb property, and the homestead is magnificent. McCallum can also accommodate 18 people so much of our family stayed on site with us for the two nights. We stayed for an extra night after the wedding so just the two of us could relax and enjoy the property for ourselves and it made the perfect end to a magical weekend.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Matt: Liv won’t mind me saying she can’t dance, and it’s a debate as to who is worse between us so it made for an entertaining first dance. Luckily our bridesmaids and groomsmen were well versed and bailed us out quickly!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Liv: No story as such with the dress – I had done some research online and flicking through magazines and I had a few style ideas, so I worked with Trish Peng to come up with a final design. The aim was to have something super elegant and Trish did an amazing job bringing those ideas to life, it came together perfectly.

Matt: I knew I wanted a tux and shopped around a bit before meeting Murray at Crane Brothers. I’m renowned for leaving things late so I think I gave Murray a few headaches tracking Italian tailors for a while, but he got there! Murray was great helping us decide on all the final touches. I finished my outfit with my football team’s cuff links (typical Englishman) and Liv gifted me a stunning watch to wear which blew me away!

Ceremony + Reception Location: The McCallum Residence, @themccallumresidence / Photographer: Nectar Photography, @nectar_photography / Videographer: New Zealand Wedding Films, @nzweddingfilms / Celebrant + Entertainment + MC: Aaron Bloomfield, @aaron__bloomfield / Styling + Planner + Flora: Two Foxes Styling, @two_foxes_styling / Lounge Furniture, Leaners + Umbrellas Hire: Two Foxes Rentals, @twofoxesrentals / Marquee + White Wall, Bar, Flooring, Table + Chairs web + insta: Twelve Tables, @twelve_tables / Catering: The Great Catering Company, @greatcatering / Cake: Bluebell’s Cakery, @bluebellscakery / Stationery: Just My Type, @justmytype_nz / E-invites: Bliss & Bone, @blissandbone / Marquee Lighting: La Lumiere, @lalumiere_nz / Glassware, Cake stands + Plates: Royal Laboratorie, @royallaboratorie / Pug: @_puglulu / Candle-ware: TableLook, @tablelook / Napkins web: Tble. Linen, @tble.linen.hire / Cutlery + Candle-ware: The Pretty Prop Shop, @theprettypropshop / Bride’s Dress: Trish Peng, @trishpeng / Groom’s Tux: Crane Brothers, @cranebrothers / Groomsmen Suits: Rembrandt, @rembrandt1946 / Ring/s: Louis the Goldsmith / Bride’s Shoes: Senso, @senso / Bride’s Bracelet: Tiffany & Co., @tiffanyandco / Makeup + Hair: The Peach Club, @thepeach_club / Bride’s Fragrance: The Virtue, @the_virtue / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Blak Bridesmaids, @blakbridesmaids