Real Wedding: Megan & Alex – Photography by Haley Guildford

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

We met at university 9 years ago, in accounting class. Alex caught my eye in a lecture, so my friend and I started an undercover operation to find out more about him! Eventually we met properly at a uni event, and the rest is history. We’ve lived together for over 5 years in Auckland City and have a very naughty 3 year old French Bulldog – Bronson. He’s named after Action Bronson because they share a reasonably similar body type! Because we’ve always been inner city people who live around town, and love the lifestyle of being right in the thick of the action it seemed logical to have our wedding in this vein too.

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…

For us, the main focus for the entire day was to have as much time as possible with our friends and family (and each other!) and to make sure everyone had an absolutely awesome time. We just wanted everyone to have great company, heaps of delicious food and drinks and good music. This made our decisions leading up to the wedding pretty easy – if it wasn’t contributing to our loved ones having a good day, we didn’t really bother to include it. We decided to do the main photos prior to the ceremony to give us more time to relax with everyone. We were worried this might diminish the “special” feeling at the ceremony but we didn’t need to worry – tears were shed the whole way through anyway!

In terms of styling, I wanted the feel of the day to be clean and minimal, with a heap of texture. We were really lucky to find The Quay Project which is right in the city as it fitted in with keeping things hassle free and relaxed for our guests, and has a raw beauty which needed minimal dressing.

Early on I met with Holly Buckley from H. Otene who was an amazing help in terms of interpreting everything I had (vaguely and terribly) described, and adding her own talent to take things to the next level. Nothing was ever too much hassle for her, and she did such a great job of sourcing all the things needed to create the look we had imagined.

My absolute favourite things from the day were the floral garlands hanging from the ceiling and the large floral entry feature down the front door to the venue, these had pops of black roses in them (apparently all the way from Colombia!) which were incredible. There were a million candles through the venue, and the high ceilings had linen draping at different heights threaded through the rafters. I own a home staging company so we provided a lounge area around the entry to the venue for guests to relax in. It was nice to be able to incorporate some of my daily work into the day as well.

Tell us about your main outfits:

I bought a simple silk slip dress early on, but changed my mind when we went to LA for Alex’s sister’s graduation around the middle of the year. I had been looking at Loho Bride’s dresses on Instagram previously and couldn’t pass up the chance to “just have a look” while I was there! As soon as I tried on the Odylyne The Ceremony “Willow” dress they had in store, I was pretty sure I needed to try and get rid of the slip dress! The veil was made in a long length and I fell in love with the sheerness of it.

Alex went to Working Style and the guys there looked after him and his groomsmen incredibly well. This amazing service even extended to the wedding day – when one of the groomsmen ripped his shirt sleeve open as he put it on after some dodgy hot ironing! Working Style had a shirt sourced and pre ironed and they were standing out on the street with it so the boys could drive past and grab it through the car window half an hour before they were due at the first photos!

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

Everything was incredible actually – we were so excited the following morning to talk about all the highlights of the day that we woke up at 7am and couldn’t get back to sleep! There are a few moments that really stand out though, we booked out Caretaker Bar ( HYPERLINK “http://caretaker.net.nz/)” http://caretaker.net.nz/) for the bridal party and their partners after the ceremony. Getting to sit down after the ceremony and relax with our best friends and their loved ones was really special. Also, having someone who knew us well as our celebrant meant our ceremony really reflected who we are, and it was very emotional.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Seriously – don’t stress. The small details really don’t matter! Having said that, there are a few small details that really made the day for us. Focus on the things that will add to your enjoyment of the day and don’t worry about the rest! Timing during the day was a big one for us, as it allowed us to relax and enjoy the important moments without being pressured to move on to the next thing. Designate one person to be “timekeeper” so you don’t need to worry about watching the time all day and running late. Then we’d highly recommend allocating some time after the ceremony to spend quietly with your partner or bridal party – you’ll really remember those small moments which allow you to step back and see what an incredible once in a lifetime experience the day is. Also we’d HIGHLY recommend a great band, it made the dancing part of the night so much fun. Alex and I had such a great time, we wish we could do it every weekend (although our bank account probably doesn’t, haha!).

Other than those practical tips – enjoy the day and just go with whatever happens. Lap up each moment. It’s really over so fast!

Photographer: Haley Guildford  | Brides Dress by Odylyne The CeremonyHeadpiece by Tania MarasVeil by A La Robe at Loho BridePearl ring by Aristides Fine JewelsGroom & Groomsmen–Suit & Shoes by Working StyleRings: Jeweller’s Workshop | Bride’s shoes by Oscar De La Renta | Makeup: Jaz Lee & Co.Hair: Kurtis Counsell at Hair NerdBridesmaid’s outfits from Juliette Hogan and RubyCeremony & Reception location: The Quay Project | Celebrant: Keri Edley | Entertainment: The Beat Council | Styling & Cake: H. Otene | Flora: The BotanistFood/beverages/catering: Hip Group catering