Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
We met in high school when we were both 15 years old. We have been together ever since!
My mum actually taught Bill (Parinya) english back in primary school (we went to the same primary school as well, but didn’t know each other then). Our relationship is weird and fun and we do life by enjoying the little things and getting excited about future adventures. Bill being buddhist and growing up in Thailand is so fascinating, I learn so many amazing things from him daily. You’d think I’d know all there is to know about someone who you’ve been with for nearly 10 years but I still continue to learn something new and amazing from him every day. He is so open hearted, our relationship is very much founded on happiness. He is a solar panel technician and loves talking about the sun, I make coffee and sell doughnuts but I’m also a Reiki Healer on the side. We love life and the colours orange and green! The future is this huge, magical, exciting unknownness waiting to be discovered and we want to discover it all together!
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…
Our wedding day was part buddhist/celtic/pagan/christian… literally all of the things which i feel explain a lot about who we are. Just a little bit of everything! The style was boho, beachy, barefoot. Succulents, crochet and crystals were a big part of the style because they are 3 of my favourite things ever! We loved the idea of having a sort of put together but also not so put together wedding.. if that makes sense? The flower bouquets had that wildflower look to them, the driftwood altar was put together by hand by my dad with wood from that very beach, I had flowers in my hair and no shoes on my feet, the guests were sat in a circle to create a more intimate atmosphere, the rugs down the aisle were my favourite, I found them all from different op shops. It was so fun to go hunting around op shops to find them!
You’ll see in the photos we used an orange fabric around Bill’s neck after we did the hand-fasting. This orange cloth was actually Bill’s belt that held his Monk robe together when he became a monk in Thailand back in January. That was a super special part of the ceremony! My mum also hand made us this gorgeous hand fasting rope with little dainty charms hanging off of it that she had collected.
The beach that we got married on is my favourite beach! I grew up 2 mins up the road from that beach and I have so many beautiful memories there. At the end of the wedding ceremony we walked back down the aisle and everyone threw colourful dried flowers all over us as we walked down, that was so much fun!! Some of those dried flowers were from my mums backyard. All the succulents that were used in the bouquets and on the reception tables were all grown on my mums property, which makes it quite special too.
Tell us about your main outfits:
My wedding dress was an absolute dream!!! My mum, sister and my best friend went with me to this gorgeous little boutique in Kumeu to help me find the perfect dress (Secret Lace Bridal – they have vintage and second hand wedding dresses). I tried so many on and the last one I tried on, was the Rue De Seine “Blossom” dress. My friend told me that I just have to try this last dress on just in case… cause’ I didn’t think I’d go for that style. But it turned out it was the perfect dress! I had already bought all the bridesmaids dresses in Thailand prior to choosing my wedding dress. And this dress just fit so perfectly with the bridesmaids’ dresses and with the boho theme and everything!
Bill wore a white cotton button up shirt and brown trousers from Hallensteins. His wasn’t as exciting as mine, haha! But he looked very handsome! His orange monk belt around his neck was the most special part to his outfit.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
Some of my favourite parts from the day were when a bee landed on my flower crown during the ceremony, when Bill picked me up and swung me around right after we became husband and wife, and when me and the bridesmaids swung our dresses around and danced barefoot on the rocks at the beach. The speeches were so beautiful too, I adored every word shared by so many people that day!! Bills favourite moments from the day were when he was doing his speech and he stood up and saw all the people, family and friends that he loves all gathered together in one place and sharing an amazing day with them. He also loved our first dance, we practically winged it and it turned out so naturally perfect, everyone started joining in as well and the sight of it all was so beautiful.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Just enjoy the little things, the process of creating this day was so magical and sacred, so try not to stress over it. Go with your gut feelings and don’t feel like you need to have a wedding with all the bells and whistles, the day will be perfect regardless. It’s all in the feeling of the day not necessarily just the look and image of it all. Yes, I wanted it to look a certain way and we had our own style but its the feeing you feel leading up to the wedding, the feeling on the day and the feeling you get from others that truly creates it and makes it your own.
Love is ridiculously powerful. Laugh with your partner as much as you possibly can! Life is so weird and unexpected so make the most of it all, especially the little things!
Photographer: Revera Studio | Ceremony location: Stanmore Bay Beach | Reception location: Stanmore Bay Community Hall | Celebrant: Linden Cowan | Entertainment: Velvet Tones | Lighting & Sound System: Audio Visual Hire | Flora: Honeysuckle Flowers | Catering: Charm Thai Restaurant | Cake: The Sweetest Things | Bride’s dress: Rue de Seine Bridal ‘Blossom’ dress from Secret Lace Bridal | Groom & Groomsmen’s attire: Hallenstein Brothers | Bridesmaid dresses: Handmade in Thailand | Rings: Michael Hill | Shoes: Barefoot sandals made by Secret Lace Bridal | Makeup: RCD Beauty | Hair: Samuel Paul