Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
We both love food, spending time with our friends & going on adventures.Church is a big part of our lives, and that was reflected in our day. The song I walked down the aisle to was a worship song (Phil Wickman’s ‘The Secret Place’ the acoustic version) and we sung Hosana in the service.
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…
Even before we knew we were getting married, we knew that if the day did come, we wanted it to be at Waiheke. I spent my summers growing up there, and it holds a special place in my heart. Once Jason and I started dating, I was able to share that place with him and it become a favourite of his too. We also knew that it would be a cool venue, having our friends and family take the ferry over from Auckland. We thought about having it at my bach, but honestly, the set up is an enormous amount when you are working with a backyard and want 100 guests. So we looked for a vineyard that could double as ceremony and reception venue to make everything simple.
Thomas’ Bach stole our heart with the people who work there, as much as the views stole our breath away.
A special detail was the flowers we had on our registry table. My great grandmother had white lilies in her wedding bouquet, and she planted them after she was married to keep them with her. She would carry a cutting and replant whenever she moved. As she aged and moved into a home, a cutting of the lilies made their way to her daughter, my nana. Just before our wedding, they went into bloom and my nana let us take a few to add to the history of the day. Also with the flowers, the bridal party flowers have cuttings from the backyard of my bach also.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Jason wanted a waistcoat, and even though we all knew it was going to be very hot, he got a waistcoat. And he absolutely rocked it.
My dress, while being stunning (if I do say so myself), was very comfortable and made spending the day in it a breeze. Definitely something to consider when purchasing!
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
The entire day was brilliant, and the ending topped it off. We had sent the majority of our guests off (to make sure they reached the ferry back to Auckland on time), and things were wrapping up with a small number of close friends and family left, when I realised we hadn’t cut the cake. We ended up bringing out the cake with only about 20 people left, cutting it, and even doing an impromptu first dance in this intimate setting. They then sent us off with a tunnel made out of hands, and even a showering of rose petals. It was just a perfect, spontaneous ending to the most emotionally charged, overwhelming and ridiculously good day to become one as husband and wife.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
E- With the wedding, if at the end of the day you have become married, it has been a good day. My dad gave us this advice that we kept close leading up to the wedding, it was ‘don’t sweat the small stuff, and as along as you can still get married, the rest is small stuff’.
With being married, every day make the choice to love your partner.
J – We’ve found that love isn’t what you can get, but what you can give. The more time we take to serve each other & focus less on ourselves, the happier we are.
Photographer: Two Birds & Co. | Ceremony & Reception location + Catering: Batch Winery | Celebrant: Matthew Buchan | Cake: Amy’s Secret Kitchen + Dunkin Donuts | Wedding Dress: Rachel Gilbert from Still White | Groom’s Attire: Rembrandt & Barkers | Rings: Walker & Hall / Herb Merkle | Shoes: Novo & Julius Marlow purchased from The Iconic | Makeup: Island Beauty | Hair: Kirsty Sears | Bridesmaid dresses: Evolution | Groomsmen attire: Barkers & Hallensteins
