Stacey: I’m a marketing manager for a property company and Will is in finance. We live and work in central Auckland and have been together for over 13 years.
Over the last decade, we’ve grown up together and have shared love, loss, become an auntie and uncle, moved to London for two years, bought our first house, and finally got married!
There were a few times when I thought a proposal might be on the cards: our 10th anniversary, my birthday in Portugal, Will’s birthday in Copenhagen and summer back in New Zealand. But still, no proposal. It was a May bank holiday in London when Will told me to pack for five days away and later revealed we were going to New York. I was so excited. The following day, we were shopping in Soho when he left me to shop for a “new work suit”. It turned out he went to pick up my engagement ring. The next day, Will asked me to marry him on the beach in Southampton. We stayed up all night calling family and friends in different time zones to give them the good news.
I met my mum in Sydney on the way home from London for an appointment with Karen Willis Holmes. It was such a wonderful experience. The very first dress I tried on was the one I ended up with. I never imagined my wedding dress having sequins and beading. We were so lucky that Auckland reverted to alert level one after the August/September lockdown, just two days before our ceremony. It was stressful waiting for the news, but it meant we were so thankful that we didn’t notice any of the small things that didn’t go as planned on the day.
We wanted our wedding to be formal and traditional so chose to marry in Holy Trinity Cathedral with a black tie dress code. I love flowers and really wanted a dramatic colour palette with deep reds, blush pinks and white. Kelly from BLUSH did an incredible job. I was blown away when my bouquets arrived. Every detail was wonderful, right down to the black velvet ribbon on our cake.
We threw our reception at Mantells, which was perfect. They allow you to bring your own wine and champagne so I delegated this job to my dad, which he loved. The dance floor went for three hours straight and I was on it the whole time! Nothing compares to walking down the aisle. My 90-year-old grandad even did a reading at our ceremony which was special. You don’t need to rush your wedding plans. When we got engaged, I thought we had to plan everything straight away but there are a lot of big decisions to make. Remember to have a couple of quiet minutes together on the wedding day too, as it all goes by too quickly. Married life is the same but I love that Will now wears a wedding ring. It was so special making promises in front of all our family and friends before spending the night celebrating.
photographer Amanda Thomas / bride’s dress Karen Willis Holmes / groom’s suit Hackett London / videographer Andy Hewson Grey Area Productions / registry The Lovely Registry / fragrance Golden Neroli by Abel / makeup Josie Wignall / hair Brooke Mann, Hare & Hunter / ceremony location Holy Trinity Cathedral The Chancel / celebrant The Very Reverend Anne Mills / bride’s engagement ring Susie Saltzman / wedding bands Naveya & Sloane / earrings Maison Sabben / bride’s shoes Chaos & Harmony / groom’s shoes Hugo Boss / flora & styling BLUSH / cufflinks Alice Made This / bridesmaids’ attire Celine Rita / groomsmen’s attire Barkers / reception location & catering Mantells Tamaki Drive / reception chairs & dessert tables Twelve Tables / glassware Royal Laboratorie / table linen Tble. Linen / cake The Caker / stationery Sarah Jayne Kavali / entertainment Sweet Mix Kids
