We met in the summertime – seven years ago. Amber (my maid of honour) and I were going out for a night of champagne and dancing. Ryan and Paddy (our ring bearer) had just finished a game of cricket and had been drinking beers in the sun.
We were at 1885 – a bar in Auckland – when Amber and Paddy introduced Ryan and me. We hit it off straight away but I was moving to LA and Ryan was heading to Europe – so fair to say neither of us was looking for a relationship.
But we stayed in touch and chatted most days. Then it just so happened that I went to Europe for a family trip, and the day I arrived in Barcelona Ryan was also there – an extraordinary coincidence. We met up for some tapas and realised it hadn’t been just a summer romance. It was a forever. I went back to LA and packed up my bags and flew to the UK to live in London with Ryan.
Our personalities are polar opposite – Ryan is confident, an extrovert, loves to ‘say a few words’ to a crowd and has a ‘one more drink’ attitude; people are naturally drawn to him. I am more reserved, quietly ambitious, have 100 things on the go at all times and I hate being the centre of attention. But for both of us, family and friends come first – always, and we believe life’s too short not to have a good time.
Fast forward through six years of living in London, holidays in Europe and America, buying a house together, weeknights wining and dining at our favourite restaurants, weekends in Queenstown, nights in watching Nancy Meyers romcoms and, finally, an epic proposal at our favourite spot – Pauanui Beach. It was a summer weekend like any other, except it included a hidden bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a diamond ring.
We were down on the beach when Ryan got down on one knee, asked me to marry him and then pulled out the champagne which had been hidden in the sand dunes. It was perfect. About six months before the wedding, I was diagnosed with a life-changing autoimmune disease. I went from being on the go, to barely being able to get out of bed. Throw in a global pandemic and it was a very stressful lead up to the big day! However, we had an incredible wedding planner, stylist and my mother Andrea, who took a huge amount of the stress away. We’re entertainers and we wanted one big party, like you’d stepped into a Nancy Meyers film – beautiful, chic, romantic, classic.
We envisioned a delicious al fresco dinner to be eaten under the grape vines. The chef at Black Barn was fantastic and he worked with us to help design our dream menu. We were so humbled and honored to have many friends fly back to New Zealand and isolate in order to come to our wedding. Everyone who spoke was exceptional including my ‘Bridesman’ who wrote and sang a song called The Glam Life to the tune of Mac the Knife. He had organised with the DJ to play the song, which he performed dancing up and down the tables – that really got the crowd going.
Photographer: Erica Jane | Bride’s Attire: Anna Schimmel | Grooms Attire: Crane Brothers | Venue + Catering: Black Barn | Styling + Flora: Flock Events | Celebrant: Annie Graham-Riley | Makeup: Ivy Thompson | Hair: Rachel Haworth | Rings: Culét Jewellery | Bride’s Shoes: Valentino | Bride’s Earrings: Dior | Bride’s Slippers: Louis Vuitton | Loafers: Gucci | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Knuefermann | Videographer: Side Project Films | Bride’s Fragrance: Elie Saab | Entertainment: Joshie Olausen | Cake: Pretty Little Details | Registry: Mildred & Co | Cutlery Hire: The Pretty Prop Shop | Linen Hire: Tble Linen
