We met while studying geography at university — we got to know each other through field trips and group assignments. On one field trip, we stayed up all night drinking tea and chatting, just the two of us.
In hindsight, that was a sign of Jordan’s interest because he is one of the sleepiest people I know. I told my mum that he was special quite soon after meeting Jordan, but it wasn’t until a friend’s birthday a few months later that he kissed me on the dance floor. We’ve been together ever since. Jordan is my antithesis: easygoing, a little disorganised, and never takes himself too seriously. I’m an over-analyser, a little bossy, and love a good plan. But we work really well together. It didn’t take long for us to decide on Casita Miro on Waiheke Island for our venue. Jordan had taken me there for my birthday and we fell in love with the bright colours, festoon lights, and goats’ cheese croquettes. We knew the spring weather would be unpredictable, but we were lucky. The wind and rain didn’t set in until after the ceremony and the grey skies made for some really beautiful photos. We loved the Mediterranean interiora of Casita Miro so we didn’t do a lot of styling, but I love a DIY project and wanted to mimic the restaurant’s decor with mosaic details and tiles for the place settings and personalised ‘papel picado’ (Mexican paper flags) to hang from the ceiling. The DIY even extended to the bouquets, which I made the day before, with the help of Vicki from Wildflower. She ran a workshop for the bridal party and it was fun to learn a new skill and each create a different bouquet. Jordan and I never envisaged a big, traditional wedding. Our lives were already intertwined and I hate being the centre of attention. But the more we thought about it, the more excited we became. A party to celebrate our lifelong commitment to each other, with all of our favourite people, made sense. We stayed in a big house on Waiheke with our entire bridal party for the weekend of festivities, and all of our friends are close — Jordan’s groomsmen were my bridesmaids’ partners, so getting ready as a group on the day was fun. With Jordan working for the Royal New Zealand Navy, we’ve had lots of time apart and it has been tough at times, but it’s confirmed how much more colourful our lives are together. Absence really has made our hearts grow fonder.
Photography—Coralee Stone | Bride’s dress—Verdelle gown by Grace Loves Lace | Groom’s suit & shoes—Barkers | Hair—Hare and Hunter | Bridesmaids’ dresses—Evolution Clothing | Makeup – Island Beauty | Rings—Grae Jewellery | Videography—Sink or Surface | Bride’s shoes—Chaos & Harmony | Bride’s leather jacket—ASOS | Bridesmaids’ faux leather jackets—Boohoo | Flora—DIY bouquets made in workshop with Wildflower Waiheke | Venue—Casita Miro, Waiheke | Groomsmen suits—Hallensteins | Styling— Bride & groom, with day-of coordinator Lauretta at XOX Waiheke
