Shannon + Alex by Josiah Nevell

As Alex is such a jokester it took a good 10 minutes and an insistence that he get down on one knee to prove the proposal was real. We travelled around the South Island that summer keeping the engagement to ourselves which was quite a special thing to do. It allowed us time to honour it and sink in to the commitment we were making to ourselves first before telling our loved ones.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
SW: I am a marine scientist so it was very important that we get married by the sea. Worser Bay is such a stunning spot with a view out over the beach and the mountains beyond. It feels like you are far away from everything but also so close to Wellington CBD.
AB: I am a high school teacher and share Shannon’s love for the ocean. I thought I had impressed her with my stories of swimming with orca in the Coromandel the summer prior to us meeting, but she informed me that it is illegal.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
SW: We are a tinder match! Our first date was fish & chips at Oriental Bay, Wellington. Alex arrived dressed to the nines and I rocked up in overalls and Birkenstocks. Someone was clearly out to make a good first impression.
AB: Our second date (the day after) was picking wild berries at Shannon’s suggestion. I thought that was very sweet.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
SW: We joke all day every day. We are both just children in adult bodies and I feel like we are living life with the right attitude- to stay young at heart, prioritise happiness and fill it with adventures.
AB: The berry picking got me good.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
AB: I drove all the way down to a little place called Paradise past Glenorchy in the South Island to spend Christmas with Shannon’s family for the first time. I hadn’t planned to propose but that place is so stunning and having Jack Johnson on repeat on the drive down may have contributed. We went for a little walk one day and I quickly fashioned a make-shift wedding ring out of daisies and wild grasses as Shannon walked ahead.
SW: As Alex is such a jokester it took a good 10 minutes and an insistence that he get down on one knee to prove the proposal was real. We travelled around the South Island that summer keeping the engagement to ourselves which was quite a special thing to do. It allowed us time to honour it and sink in to the commitment we were making to ourselves first before telling our loved ones.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
SW: I wanted it to be a big celebration of love. I wanted it to reflect us in being casual, full of laughs and most of all, fun. It took a lot of hard work and organisation but the day was absolutely perfect.
AB: We wanted something unique instead of following more traditional wedding customs. We didn’t have a bridal party, cutting of the cake or first dance. We got married with our guests surrounding us in a circle formation which was a great way to make it feel more intimate.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
SW: The secret entertainment. I managed to keep it entirely to myself (for a year!) that I had organised the Wellington Batucada band to come through the wedding at sunset to signify the transition to party time. We had seen them perform a few times at Wellington festivals over the years and I just knew it would be perfect. Everyone absolutely loved it with many guests joining in with the dancing troop. The music was so contagious other beach goers were dancing away in the water and local residents were watching from their decks.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
SW: The celebrant got my name wrong initially! It was actually a fantastic tension breaker for Alex and I and it just kicked off a night of jokes and laughter.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
SW: I love all things vintage and second hand. I was committed to finding a vintage wedding dress and all the items we used to decorate the venue were second hand. A colleague at work told me that Ziggurat had a huge collection of vintage wedding dresses so I hightailed it down there one lunch break and as soon as I tried this one on I was sold. The small lace detailing and the back were stunning and it fit perfectly.
AB: We also tried to find a vintage suit but these are commonly of the heavy wool variety, not really suitable for a summer wedding. The smoky blue linen suit was great as something casual, a little unique and fit well with our oceanside venue.
SW: I wanted my bouquet to predominantly feature yellow, as this was my dad’s favourite colour. I also wanted it to be a little ‘wildflower’ looking to pay homage to how Alex proposed. Woodstock Florist did an amazing job.

Ceremony + Reception Location: Worser Bay Surf Club, @worserbaylsc / Photographer: Josiah Nevell, @josiah.nevell / Videographer: Frankly Faye, @frankly.faye / Celebrant: @tuitehau / Entertainment: Wellington Batucada, @wellingtonbatucada / Hire: Handmaid, @handmaidnz / Flora: Woodstock Florist, @woodstockflorist / Catering + Beverages: Food Envy, @foodenvy.nz / Stationery: Simple Statement, @simplestatementnz / Registry: Contributions towards honeymoon via Hitchd / Bride’s Dress: 1960s Hungarian dress from Ziggurat, @ziggurat_shop / Groom”s Attire: Smoke blue cotton linen suit from Sirplus, @sirplusclothing; Shirt from Savile Row Company, @savilerowco / Bride’s Ring: Lott Studio, @lottstudio / Groom’s Ring: Good Gold, @goodgold.nz / Bride’s Shoes: Billini, @billinishoes / Groom’s Shoes: Marks and Spencer, @marksandspencer / Hair: Miss Dom Styling, @missdomstyling / Bride’s Fragrance: The Ayu, @the_ayu / Groom’s Fragrance: Aesop, @aesopskincare