Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
Our first encounter was one Friday afternoon at “after work drinks” and we were introduced to each other through a mutual friend. A few weeks later I spotted Venetia in/on a bar dancing like a maniac and I immediately fell in lust.
After a long night of flirting Venetia offered to split her cab with me as my place was “on the way “. She even stepped out for a cheeky kiss on departure. A few weeks later I learnt that she lived approximately 20km in the opposite direction when picking her up for a follow up date.
Fast forward 5 years, 1 house, an interstate move, 1 coffee shop, 1 labrador retriever, 4 international tours and thousands of gorgeous memories later, I decided it was time to seal the deal.
27, December, 2015. Man O’War Bay, Auckland.
This year our family Christmas was spent sailing and exploring the islands off Auckland. One gorgeous afternoon, I woke Venetia from a nap and asked her to come and watch the sunset with me up the front of the yacht. I think she was still half asleep, because half way through my rambling she said “are you ok, what are you doing?”, to which I nervously spewed, “Will you marry me?”.
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…
Our vision was to have a classic and intimate wedding celebration with our closest friends and family. The estate was absolutely gorgeous and styling was kept to a minimum to allow the property to really shine.
The ceremony and cocktails were hosted on the lower lawn beside the house overlooking the sea, before moving to the upper guest lawn for the reception.
We really indulged with the food, serving beautiful local produce, except for the dessert, which were cannoli’s that were flown in from Brisbane from Venetia’s favourite sweets cafe. We loved the idea of having big share plates of food dropped for guests to enjoy, like a sunday roast.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Ty – Suit: Peter Jackson; Shoes: Gucci; Watch: Tag Heuer; Hair: Luigi & Sons
Venetia – Dress: Berta; Shoes: Wittner; Hair: Hare and Hunter
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
The amazing family speeches with lots of laughs and tears. All of our guests flew over from Australia to celebrate with us in Auckland, including Venetia’s grandparents who were able to join in the celebrations on our day.
Losing the “Just Married” sign and beer cans hanging from the Rolls Royce somewhere in Auckland City at 11pm.
The best recovery/retox day out on the beautiful Liberte IV Yacht with our amazing friends and family.
We also decided to meet each other prior to the ceremony which was just beautiful. It allowed us to have some really intimate moments together and embrace our emotions away from a crowd prior to “show time”. Highly suggested.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Remember not everything will always be perfect. Nurture your relationship, remember the reasons as to why you feel in love with one another and always be a team.
Photographer: Jonny Scott | Ceremony & Reception location: Private Estate, Glendowie, Auckland NZ | Celebrant: Swami Yogamani Saraswati | Entertainment: Michael Murray | Flora: Twig and Twine | Catering: Blah Blah Catering | Cake (Cannoli): Locale, Newstead, Brisbane | Marquee & Lighting: Marquee Hire |Bride’s dress: Berta gown with a custom made french tule veil | Groom’s attire: Peter Jackson | Rings: Michael Hill | Bride’s shoes: Wittner | Groom’s shoes: Gucci | Earrings: Samantha Wills | Makeup: Kate Solley Makeup | Hair: Hare and Hunter | Bridesmaid’s Dress: Zimmerman
