Orla + Jack by Ana Galloway

We wanted to get married in the middle of nowhere, just us.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

I’m from Australia and Jack’s from New Zealand. We met whilst we were both living in Nelson, though whilst we now live in Melbourne, we returned to New Zealand to get eloped! We spent a lot of time in the early days of our relationship travelling around New Zealand. We (mostly Jack) converted a van named Bonnie into a tiny home, and we explored New Zealand in it right after the first lockdown. Since then we find ourselves thriving and most at ease when we are travelling, hiking or spending time away from the city. I’m currently studying climate change and sustainability, and Jack paramedicine. We both care deeply for the state of the earth and its people and find a connection in a future where we can move forward slowly with sustainable living and away from the urban environment.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met at the very beginning of 2020 in a bar/ restaurant Orla was working in at the time in Nelson. I thought Jack was incredibly cute. I didn’t have the courage to ask him out, so a coworker took matters into their own hands and asked him for his number for me as a joke. Jack initially thought someone was having him on, and I was mortified! Little did he know, the joke was on him, what began as something light hearted and endearing quickly turned into something very real.

⁠I really did think one of my friends was playing a cruel joke on me by getting my hopes up, thinking someone like Orla would want to ask me out. I never would have believed a chance encounter like that would have blossomed into what we have now, but I’ll be forever grateful that it did.

Not long after we met, Jack went away to work on a fishing boat for a month. We spent most of that time talking and getting to know each other, and it didn’t take long to realise we had a whole lot in common, even though we came from different places and backgrounds.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

During that month apart we spoke often about everything we could think of and found that we shared so many of the same goals for the future and ideas about the world. It’s something that I think is becoming harder and harder to find, and by the time we had our first proper date, I already knew that this was someone I wanted to spend my life with. We both quite quickly realised this was something different, and at the beginning of March 2020, we took our first trip together to Maruia Hot Springs, the same place where we would get married nearly 5 years later.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding.

We wanted to get married in the middle of nowhere, just us. We wanted it to be moody, romantic and authentic to us. We had talked about an elopement for some time, so when we came to planning, it all fell into place naturally. We didn’t want a manicured look and trusted Charlotte to choose seasonal flowers, leaning into earth tones, which came together beautifully. It was important to us for the day to feel genuine and intimate and choosing an elopement allowed us to feel connected and spend a lot of quality time together, it also removed a lot of anxiety and gave us time to be really thrilled about getting married! Eloping allowed us to create a day that reflected who we are as a people and what we love together.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you?

Ana went out of her way to scout beautiful locations for us. We knew we wanted to get married in Maruia along the Lewis pass, where we had taken our first trip together, but we were somewhat relaxed as to exactly where. We were eloped early in the morning off the track at the Lewis Pass Scenic Tarn. We were so fortunate to have the mountains covered in low clouds and snow. It was beyond beautiful. We explored the beech forest and sluice box bridge that ran over the river as well, which made for some gorgeous photos and memories.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Finding vendors that have worked together before can really take some of the additional organisation and stress out of the day. We didn’t realise when we booked, but Siân and Anna had worked together before and were able to plan the ceremony together seamlessly, this took away a lot of the nerves and made our day just that much more special.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

We both chose local Australian designers. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a dress, so I went with a beautiful off-white slip dress from Shona Joy. I wanted movement and didn’t want to be forced into discomfort as a woman. I’ve since been told in several instances I looked like the 18th century painting of the Lady of Shallot by John Waterhouse.

Orla and I worked with local designer Christian Kimber to create my suit. Steering slightly away from tradition, we chose a deep chocolate tone for his suit pants and jacket and a camel tone for my shirt. Christian Kimber works with small family-run manufacturers in Portugal, and the process felt very much aligned with our vision and values. Christian produced a suit that felt so natural and effortless to wear and perfectly complemented Orla’s dress as well as the scenery.

My ring was a very important part of my outfit. A simple rose gold band, it was worn by my Great Grandfather when he married the nurse who treated him during his recovery from losing his leg during the Battle of the Somme in WWI, making it over 100 years old. It was passed on to my Grandfather, who then passed it on to me shortly after Orla and I announced our engagement. I intend to continue passing it on.

What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?

Given we got eloped, photography was absolutely the most important to us and where we were willing to spend the most, Ana. Ana captured our day perfectly and created a beautiful atmosphere for us. We also wanted where we stayed to be somewhere that aligned with how we live, and Maruia Hot Springs fit perfectly. It allowed us a few days to eat well and spend time together in nature, just us.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

The morning of Jack woke up bright red, which was less than funny at the time! However, after a panicked cold shower, anti-histamine and ibuprofen, it did indeed go away. It had turned out to be an allergic reaction to the bug spray kept out by the hot pools where we were staying!

BRIDE Orla Heaphy, @orlaheaphy GROOM Jack Heaphy, @hackjeaphy LOCATION Lewis Pass Scenic Tarn PHOTOGRAPHER Ana Galloway, @anagalloway FLORIST A Little Bit Floral, @alittlebit.floral CELEBRANT Siân Jones-White, @marriedbysian BRIDE’S WEDDING RING Cleopatras Bling, @cleopatrasbling GROOM’S RING Family heirloom BRIDAL DRESS Shona Joy, @shonajoy BRIDE’S SHOE The Bali Tailor, @thebalitailor BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Necklace – Bayou with Love, @bayouwithlove BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Aesop, @aesop SUIT & SHOES Christian Kimber, @christian_kimber GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Aesop, @aesop