We’re both graphic designers, we share an askew, bone-dry sense of humour and an appreciation of anything creative and, at the risk of sounding clichéd, there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t make each other laugh.
Sefton proposed on a beach in the Yasawa islands in Fiji. He didn’t realise I was suffering from a touch of food poisoning that day so the ‘romantic walk’ down to the beach was, shall we say, touch and go. It’s pretty hilarious looking back. We were married in the Opoutere forest in the Coromandel. We wanted to keep things low key and to a budget, so we opted for an intimate wedding of 42 people. It was so nice to get to talk to almost everyone! No amount of man-made anything beats being at an amazing beach or forest and revelling in its natural beauty, so when we stumbled across a property in Opoutere with a really nice laid-back vibe the decision to get married there was easy. The forest was our main source of inspiration for the styling and being on a restrictive budget motivated us to be creative. We did things like hunt through op shops to find Temuka Pottery vases and purchased fabric from wholesalers to make napkins and runs. We also designed our own menus, favours and signage. It was a lot of work but creatively rewarding and a great way to exercise our sense of style. I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress and nothing within my budget in stores stood out, so I decided to create one from scratch with the help of a dressmaker. I researched fabrics that would work well in a forest setting and luckily found some beautifully textured sequinned fabric that was unlike anything else I had come across. I was beyond thrilled with the end result. My dress looked far more expensive than it actually was. Walking down the aisle felt surreal, emotional and momentous. All the whirlwind planning and preparation culminates in this single, solemn act, and it dawns on you that it’s all happening at that moment — it’s quite an overwhelming feeling. Getting married signals the end of the search and the start of a union bound by a promise to always have each other’s back.
Photography – Rachel Soh | Flora – Where Rosemary Grows | Grooom’s Attire – Barkers & Working Style | Bride’s Dress – Jennie Field | Hair – Krystal Hayward | Ceremony Location – Opoutere Beach Recreation Reserve | Celebrant – Dcn Terri Sorenson | Groom’s Shoes – Dune London | Bride’s Shoes – Kenneth Cole | Earrings – From a Whangaparoa Op Shop | Rings – Bijoux Gallery | Reception Venue – Private Property, Opoutere | Food – Nanam
