Shane is a dairy farmer and I’m a buyer for a supermarket. I also photograph weddings part-time over the summer. Our story began the way all great love stories do – at a music festival on New Years Eve!
Shane was an old friend of my brother-in-law and I trust his judgement of character, so I had a good feeling. My first impression of Shane was that he had a super deep voice and was a bit clumsy! Shane thought I had a lot of dietary requirements.
I was living in Auckland and we did long-distance for a year before I moved down to Taranaki. The first weekend I was on the farm, I was stacking firewood with Shane’s sister and she told me Shane had never brought anyone home before. I realised then it was pretty serious. I think we both knew early on that we wanted to be together.
The proposal happened at home on the farm. My sister and her husband had come down for “Opening Weekend” of duck shooting season. In the morning, the boys disappeared for a look around the farm and I had just got out of the shower when my sister said “put this blindfold on, Shane has a surprise for you”. The thought crossed my mind that he was going to propose. We walked outside and all I could hear was the squealing of a pig. I felt a little disheartened that it wasn’t a proposal, but I took the blindfold off to see Shane holding a Kunekune piglet and a card. I had been asking for a pet pig for ages! I held the pig, and read the card and looked up and Shane was down on one knee. The card said, “Will you marry me? P.S. We have to give the pig back”.
For the wedding, we really focused on how the guests would experience the day. We hired the Duck Island ice-cream truck, both as a tasty dessert but also because it was a fun thing for guests to do. The venue was so beautiful and classic, we didn’t have to do much to make it look incredible. The statement was really in the flowers. My brief to Loretta was “you have total creative freedom, just no purple”. I loved how her arrangements contrasted with the black of the venue.
For my dress, I wanted something super classic – clean lines, no lace. I was inspired by Victoria Beckham’s wedding dress and its amazing neckline and also really wanted a short dress that I didn’t have to carry around all day. Shane’s suit was beautifully made by Crane Brothers. As he’s a farmer, we knew it was unlikely he’d wear a black suit again, so we went with an amazing navy wool blend blazer and he changed into black RM Williams boots after the ceremony for more comfort.
We really just wanted it to be a fun big party. The three main things we focused on were amazing food, a good live band, and delicious cocktails to get everyone dancing. We actually lost power while the canapés were being served and were close to having no dinner. Luckily two of our guests were electricians!
photographer & videographer Stephan & Nakita / bride’s dress Kenny & Harlow / groom’s suit Crane Brothers / flora Loretta Flowers / venue Black Walnut Venue / celebrant Alexandra Treweeke / bride’s earrings Meadowlark / makeup & hair Made Up by Ruth / bride’s fragrance Orange x Santal by Essential Parfums / groom’s fragrance Holy Smoke by The Virtue / rings Culét Jewellery / bride’s shoes Naked Vice / groom’s shoes RM Williams / bridesmaids’ attire Lulu Jackson Bridal / groomsmen’s suits Barkers / entertainment Wayne Crossland / catering & beverages No Biggie Food / cake Sage & Grace / gifting Contributions to an antique oak dining table / hire LL Hire / Twelve Tables / Royal Laboratorie
