Real Wedding: Briede & Shanon – Photography by Barefoot and Bearded

We are opposites who have a lot in common. We love farming and the outdoors. We love the South Island and try to tick off a Great Walk every year.

We love New Zealand’s diverse landscape, from the native forests to the high tussock hills. Conquering a mountain together is our ultimate date. Shanon loves hunting and fishing and I enjoy horse riding and running. Together, we love tramping, our vegetable garden, animals and having conversations about health and farming. Shanon has a cheeky personality. He makes me laugh every day, even at 5am, milking the cows together. He’s caring, driven and can fix anything. He lets me be who I am, which is often silly and weird, and puts up with my obsession with organic living. He respects that I have a crazy love for animals and my need to save every stray. I even managed to get away with bringing a sick calf inside to warm her up on a cold rainy night. We’re a great team and always each other’s biggest supporter. We wanted our wedding to be natural and relaxed, with a folksy feel and a big family focus. It was definitely a country wedding, up in the hills in a clearing surrounded by native bush. The ceremony took place amongst the trees, with a beautiful post-rain mist surrounding us. We had country singers set the mood early on in the evening, a rustic and wholesome grazing table, and an eclectic mix of old school furniture and decor. A year before, I’d shared my ideas for dried flowers with my florist, who was excited to create something different. When February came around, she had a year’s worth of dried flowers hanging in her shop! A lot were leftovers that hadn’t made it into bouquets, others were foraged. We loved that our wedding reflected us perfectly — the rings, the cakes, the old school Landcruiser and the country singers. We love that our photographer embraced our regional New Zealand venue and style. Things that will always remind me of our wedding include the sound of the harmonica, my gorgeous bouquet which hangs in my house as a keepsake, banana caramel cake, crazy dance moves, saying our vows under the tree canopy, and the help I got from my wonderful family and friends.