Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
Charlie and I have been high school sweethearts, we met when we were 17 at a leadership camp. You can say from the moment I did see Charlie it was love at first sight for me (even though I was very young) I knew that I wanted to know him more.
Within the first year of knowing each other we were dating. Fast forward 11 years and we now have 3 beautiful children. We are both very driven in our careers. I work as an OperaDons & Settlements officer and Charlie is a New Zealand Police Officer which has been a dream of his since he was a kid. We both are so in tune of each other we love majority the same things – from sports, interests, food and style. However, our personalities are opposites, I can be very head strong and outgoing where is Charlie is reserved and calm. With those qualities Charlie has a way where his hugs instantly make me safe and secure. Being young parents at 18 years old to our son Spencer, we both had to grow up a lot faster than all our friends. We both had a determination to always put our relationship first and making sure that our kids grew up in a loving and happy household. 11 years on we now have 2 more minions (Charlies reference to the kids) Raven & Quincy who we love and adore. It may have taken 6 years to get married, we wouldn’t change it for the world. Our love is, if not stronger.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the seeing, the styling and some of your favourite details…
I love nature and I had always wanted an outdoor wedding. I am a minimalist at heart, so I wanted my surroundings to stand out with a little touch of a Bohemian feel with a touch of gold. We had our eyes on our venue 2 years prior to setting a date and after viewing it for the first time we both knew that was where we were going to get married. With a mid-afternoon forest ceremony, it gave us the most beautiful soft sun set during our reception along with the most stunning shades of lights in the sky it was breath-taking. Our venue held our ceremony and reception which made our planning easy and less stress. It gave our guest time to relax and enjoy the calming surroundings our venue provided. One of my highlights had to have been my bouquet & flower crown along with all the flower arrangements, my florist Stacey & Debbie created. I had given them free reign with everything and only gave them one instruction to have Toi Toi’s combined and I couldn’t have asked for a better vendor than Wild Blooms. What also stood out to me were my guest’s outfits, everyone looked stunning in their bright colour clothing shinning like a rainbow in the sky.
Tell us about your main outfits:
This dress had been something totally different from what I had imagined myself in. I went for a long sleeve dress which split to the elbow which a plunging open V back was bold and something that I had not seen in all the other bridal shops I had visited. This dress made me feel like the Bohemian Bride I aimed to be. Charlie had wanted something clean, sharp and light weight for our summer wedding. White linen suit from Barkers. We both went in looking for linen in Winter (which was a nightmare) however they had the whole out fit for him and his groomsmen’s, lucky for him it was a one stop shop for him.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
Just seeing the love and life in everyone’s faces throughout the day. We had booked an air bnb for our whole bridal party and we all got ready together in the house. The moment we woke up the atmosphere was electric and variant. There is nothing more that makes me happy than being around people I love and to be able to share the day with them all really made me so emoDonal. Throughout the reception I was just over joyed with happiness and love that I just could not stop crying (haha). The other memorable moment was just seeing our children having the best time and our daughter dancing her little feet off during the night.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Always remember to appreciate each other for all the big and little things you do for one another. Charlie and I will always say at least one thing we are grateful for to each other before we go to bed, this has help us stay grounded and also just focus on the good things which helped us through the whole planning progress of the wedding.
Photography: Ethan Lowry Photography | Ceremony and Reception location: Waterfall Farm | Celebrant: Rev.Pennie Otto | Bride’s gown: Bridal Brilliance | Groom’s suit: Barkers | Rings: Michael Hill | Bride’s shoes: Billini | Groom’s shoes: Johnny Bigg | Bride’s earrings: Hera Couture | Natural Wood Personalised Rustic Wedding Wood Ring Box Holder: Wedding for you | Makeup and Hair: KH Beauty | Fragrance: Lancome La Vie Est Belle EDP | Groomsmen’s outfits: Hallenstein Brothers | Flora: Wild Blooms | Catering and Beverages: Loaves & Fishes | Cake: Sweet bites Cakes | Grazing Table: Mia Lee @ Co Limited
