Stanley and I are quite different which can be challenging; he is logical and detailed, whereas my mind is filled with crazy ideas and I am always looking for a shortcut because I am so lazy. We don’t always work well together but we try and learn from our differences and influence each other in positive ways.
One thing that we have in common is our love of family and always looking out for those we love. Stan proposed to me at the same place we first connected a few years prior. On this occasion, it was a Christmas party and we had organised a ‘Secret Santa’ game with some of our friends. One of the gifts was a photo album Stan had created filled with photos of the two of us, coincidently this was the present that I gravitated towards. I remember thinking how awkward it was that Stan would give away a present to one of our friends filled with photos of us! But he then told me to go to the last page of the album which had a note that read, “Will you marry me?”. We wanted to get married outside of Auckland, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We both love nature and wanted our wedding to have that rustic, “untouched” feeling, so we arranged to visit Old Forest School to see how it would feel as a venue in autumn. It was 250km outside of Auckland and when we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone coverage, we felt a little uneasy. But as soon as we arrived we were blown away; the venue was filled with copper, plum and rust red tones, and there was a warmth from the sunset that filled us with happiness. Having no cell phone coverage at the venue became a real bonus – ‘disconnect to reconnect’! Our guests were able to put their technology aside and simply enjoy spending quality time together. We wanted the freedom of styling and creating our own wedding, so we hand-picked all the decorations, designed the wedding stationary ourselves, and put together the wildflower centre pieces the evening before. Our guests commented that they could feel the love and effort we had put in to the decorations. To us, marriage is like planning a wedding: it involves commitment, appreciation and respect. It is no longer about “me, I, or you”, it is “we and us”. We love the quote, “When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It is to enjoy each step along the way.”
Photography, Courtney Horwood Photography | Groom’s attire—James Loft jacket, BEAMS Japan pants, Working Style shirt | Bride’s dress, Sophia Kokosalaki | Venue, Old Forest School | Styling, The Knotting Hill Store | Flora, Rosies Wildflower Co | Celebrant & MC, Will Johnston | Food, Big Smoke BBQ | Cake, Nona’s Homemade Cakes
