Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
Jake is a bit of everything; he works for a quiz company producing content, editing videos and images and generally providing endless trivia in our relationship.
He also makes music, so our house is full of instruments and recording gear. It’s rarely quiet. While we planned our wedding, I was working in an art gallery while I studied. I actually started my postgraduate degree in Art History two weeks before we got married. We met during a university theatre show, and a friendship grew from there. Theatre, music, film, art – that’s really where our mutual loves lie. In saying that, we’re really different. He’s a hyper-creative, very funny and people-oriented person. I’m a bit more introverted, I like spreadsheets and tend to be the one coordinating behind the scenes. But most importantly; we had so much in common, to begin with, that everything was really connected from the start. Travel is one of our big loves. We didn’t do a destination wedding because we wanted all our friends and family to be able to make it. In saying that, travel has played a pretty significant role in our relationship. We went on an impromptu trip to Paihia about two weeks into dating, we snuck into Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay, we got engaged in New York in a Brooklyn brownstone. We were actually due to head off to Japan on our honeymoon this November, but I broke my leg playing football, so we’re postponing til 2020.
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 didn’t explicitly choose a style or theme, we really just picked what we liked. We both wanted the ceremony in a church. We ended up using Bishop Selwyn Chapel in Parnell, which is ludicrously beautiful. It’s a neo-gothic façade that has been completely redesigned on the interior by Fearon Hay. We first visited during the late afternoon, and it was just swimming in golden light. It was actually set up as an exhibition space, so we were sold on it pretty quickly. For our reception, we wrangled the most amazing little site called Community Hall. It’s opposite Cross St, so we frequented the Market a bit on our wedding day, and they were the sweetest. The actual building was owned by City Vineyard and is this airy space with a high ceiling and wooden floors. It’s so simple, but it just clicked for us. We brought all the furniture in on Friday before the wedding and had this massive pack-in day with our family and friends. It was like packing in for a theatre show. Community Hall has these beautiful iron supports, and we really wanted to make use of them. Jardin Bell did all our flowers, and she made this gorgeous hanging arrangement that framed us at our head-table. Jake & I went to a gig for The Beths and saw these amazing abstract neon lights. We were like “wow those would be sick for the wedding” and next thing I know, he’s chatting to the sound/lighting guy and sorting it out. Suren was incredible. He came in and set them all up for us and is the most laid-back person ever. They made for such a fun ambience during the evening and were so epic when it became a dance floor. Our friends really came to the party with styling too. There was this white square on the wall made for projections, and we didn’t really know what to do with it. Jesse (1/2 of our photographers) dropped in during the morning and had the bright idea to cut a vinyl decal of the font we’d used for our invitations. He went away and made it happen, came back in the evening and installed it. It was so epic and so personal. Additionally, we had this funny little chalkboard on one side of the venue. Our grooms-party went to town, decorating and doodling all over it. We ended up with this awesome caricature of Jake and I. There were so many little details that just happened organically on the day like that, really all because we have a fantastic group of friends and family.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Jake has this knack for vintage and bargain hunting. Early on, he found a suit on ASOS that he thought looked like a match. It was this grey linen blend that’s a little textured with burgundy details around the collar. He got it tailored to fit perfectly, and it turned out to be such a gem of a find. He wouldn’t be caught dead in dress shoes, so he rocked up to Foot Locker and picked out a new pair of Adidas. I trawled the bridal stores for dresses but found it to be a weirdly isolating process. I’m not into anything super dramatic and honestly just wanted to be comfortable. I ended up going for a consultation at Miss Crabb’s boutique atelier ‘Dreams Top Rock’, and it was all go from there. They had this stunning sun-soaked showroom above their Ponsonby. It had all these gorgeous details like this velvet couch, and these Erica Van Zon works. Claire walked me through the whole process, and she was incredible. I ended up wearing a personalised number called the World Record Dress. It’s had a straight neck, a low back and a conservative train. If I remember right, it’s silk and feels incredible against the skin. It’s easily the most luxe thing I own. I’m planning on getting the train removed and getting it naturally dyed so that I can wear it in everyday life; – probably to all the summer weddings that are coming up.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
Maya: I have a couple. One was saying our vows, bathed in sunlight, in front of all the people we love. Like nothing really beats that moment of elation and joy. We met a really cute little Labrador when we were out taking photos, who was just the sweetest and lapped up all the pats and attention. Another was when we went up to the rooftop with Jesse and Jessie. It was dusk, so it was incredibly beautiful, but we had some of those quiet moments up there and just got to sit in the feeling of it all. Jesse and Jessie are actually really close friends of ours, we all starting dating on the same day and they got married on my birthday. It was really special to share that with them because we have all gone through similar things at the same time. The last one is we had booked this epic Airbnb overlooking the domain. When we finally got inside, we flopped down on the couch and just had the best time laughing and recounting all the details of the day that had flown by. Jake: A huge part for me was seeing how it all came together. I’m a real people pleaser and getting to throw this massive party for all our friends and family and seeing everyone having the time of their life was 10 out of 10. It was also a blast taking our extremely close friends out for cool photos, and everyone got a new Facebook profile picture which was a plus. Getting Jesse Peters, who is like a brother to me, and his wife, also Jessie, was so amazing and their photos are all over Maya and I’s walls and phones and computers, we love them so much. Lastly, just getting to spend the day with my best friend was so incredible. More than anything I am just so glad that our special day together got to be as fun as it was, with both of us laughing the whole time.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Maya: Just have fun. It’s so easy to get swept up in the chaos of organising a wedding, but just enjoy the time with your partner because it’s so unique. In terms of life advice, the best thing I learnt from our other married friends was the importance of intentionality. Even when things are hard, or one of you is sick, make that choice every day to love them and to show them that. Know your values and goals and share those, make everything count. Jake: Don’t be afraid of analysing your relationship. You should be able to safely and openly talk about, work on and ultimately improve it. Our relationship works because Maya and I chose to work on it, and at times work really hard, to make sure it not only functions, but thrives, and we are both so happy for it.
Photography: Jesse and Jessie Weddings | Ceremony location: Bishop Selwyn Chapel | Reception location: Community Hall | Celebrant: Dan Sheed | Bride’s dress: Miss Crabb | Groom’s outfit: ASOS | Rings: Meadowlark | Groom’s shoes: Adidas | Bride’s shoes: Sol Sana | Nails: Hello Tanya | Hair and Makeup: By Daisy Creative | Fragrance: Diptique Philosykos | Bridesmaid’s outfits: Mimi Holvast and ASOS | Groomsmen’s outfits: ASOS | Entertainment: Omega Levine | Plateware: Clickforhire | Tables and Chairs: Arkade Hire | Flora: Jardin Bell | Catering: Joe Brockliss (Pukunui BBQ & Catering) | Beverages: Point Wines | Cakes: Fed Street Deli | Lights: Suren Unka
