The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, filled with little surprises that made the day even more special.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are a family-oriented couple. We are both professionals; we own a business and have a young family. Dillon is a Builder and Rochelle a Hairstylist. We love spending time outdoors and come together best when we share a meal and enjoy beautiful wine.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in a bar 15 years ago. Rochelle was out dancing the night away, and Dillon was in the middle of an ” anti-girlfriend pack” he had made with his mates. In his words, the pack shattered the moment he laid eyes on Rochelle. From the moment they were introduced, they’ve been inseparable.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Dillon was quick to answer and said, immediately! Rochelle, however, realised after introducing Dillon to her family that he just simply just fit.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
We got engaged in Bali. We had spoken about getting engaged for years but never looked into it further. The day before we departed for Bali, Dillon decided to buy a ring and started planning a proposal. With only backpacks, he managed to sneak the ring past me. On our second to last day, we had a full day planned at the elephant sanctuary and booked a sunset dinner at the Rock Bar in Ayana Bali. This was our special booking to see the last sunset out in Bali before returning to NZ. Long story short, the whole day turned into a disaster. The 90-minute van ride back turned into a 4-hour trip, and the reservation was missed. With Rochelle completely in a mood, she decides to enjoy her last night in the pool drinking lychee mojitos, and Dillon is left stressing as his planned proposal has been ruined. He finally convinced her to go for a beach walk, set up the tripod and filmed the whole thing; Rochelle thought they were taking sunset photos, and Dillon simply dropped on one knee.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
For a long time, we put off planning our wedding. With our busy careers and the demands of raising a young family, it simply wasn’t a priority for us. It lingered on the back burner until our dear friend Bailey, an incredible wedding planner and owner of an event hire company, offered her services. We decided to take her up on the offer, trusting her expertise and understanding of our style. Once we assembled Bailey along with our talented florist and our incredible photographer, we felt a sense of relief. We happily handed over the reins of the wedding planning to them, allowing it to be a delightful surprise for us on the big day. All we needed to do was choose our attire and the rings and create a guest list; the rest was in their capable hands. In a wonderful twist, we only informed our friends and family a few weeks before the wedding. On the day itself, it was nothing short of a dream come true. Our vendor team executed everything flawlessly, capturing our essence perfectly. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, filled with little surprises that made the day even more special. It truly was the best day of our lives, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
We will have a party to celebrate with everyone, when the time is right- we’re looking forward to part 2!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
A big priority was photography, as we had been fans of Laura’s work for a long time. Not only is she an incredible photographer, but she’s also an awesome human being. We knew she would be fun to hang out with on the day while perfectly capturing all the special moments. Photography means a lot to us because it’s the one part of the day that truly stands the test of time and lives on. We are obsessed with our photos.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
We loved that it was all a surprise and there was no expectation. We just enjoyed the day as it came; it was beautiful. If there were hiccups during the day, we didn’t know about them!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
The wedding was planned over 8 weeks, which proved to be a challenge in finding a dress within such a short timeframe. However, determination paid off, and after some diligent searching, she found the perfect dress that she had been dreaming of. Rochelle managed to find two dresses in that timeframe, actually – the other being the evening party dress. Dillon picked his own outfit top to bottom with no input from Rochelle, which was another surprise for Rochelle on the day. Everything came together perfectly as planned, but it wasn’t planned.
VENUE Ceremony – Kingsdown Manor, @kingsdown.manor; Reception – The Landing Services Building PHOTOGRAPHER Laura Johns, @laurajohnsphoto VIDEOGRAPHER Brad Reeve, @bradreevephoto CONTENT CREATION, STYLIST & PLANNER B’s Event Hire, @bseventhire FLORIST Renee Dennison, @thebotanicalnest.nz CELEBRANT Sally Betts HIRE B’s Event Hire, @bseventhire CATERING Speights Ale House Timaru, @speightsalehousetimaru CAKE Millie Rose, @millierose.nz STATIONERY & SIGNAGE B’s Event Hire, @bseventhire RINGS Michael Hill, @michaelhillj BRIDE’S CEREMONY DRESS ‘Jagger’ – Chosen by Kyha from Paperswan Bride, @chosenbykyha, @paperswanbride BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS Milan Mini from Gown + Altar, @gownandaltar BRIDE’S SHOE Lana Wilkinson, @lanawilkinson BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Michael Hill, @michaelhillj MAKEUP BS Beauty Hub, @bsbeautyhub HAIR Good Hair & Co., @goodhairndco BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Dior, @dior SUIT, SHOE & ACCESSORIES Tarocash, @tarocash GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Dolce & Gabbana, @dolcegabbana
