TJ Iconic Wedding Jess + Tim by  Bayly & Moore

We are bringing back an edit of our top-performing real weddings from the TJ archives that our audience has loved the most…

I met Tim when I was working at Jimmy’s Pies in Roxburgh during the summer. Tim came in on his way through town and started up a conversation. By chance, we met a second time when we were both back in Dunedin, and started dating.

A few months after, Tim left to study in Stockholm for a semester, so the first year of our relationship was mostly long distance. It was tough to be apart so soon after we’d started seeing each other, but we wrote letters and kept falling in love.

We both love Aotearoa and want to explore every part of it, although we are heavily biased towards Te Waipounamu. We love spending time with family and friends, and our cat Ginge. We live out of the city, up in the bush, but still close to the ocean, which is perfect, as we love being outdoors.

Tim proposed during a trip to see my family in Roxburgh. He carried the box around in his pocket nervously all day before he managed to catch me on our own in the evening and asked me to be his wife. We married at Rippon Hall in Wanaka.

Growing up, I spent holidays and weekends in Wanaka, and when we went to the venue, we both loved it. We didn’t plan for ex-Cyclone Fehi to arrive in New Zealand the day before the wedding, bringing torrential rain to Wanaka and leaving a quarter of our friends and family stranded at various airports around the country. We were lucky to wake up to a bright sky, snow on the mountains, and open airports, but we did miss out on the company of one of our good friends. (Love you, Chris.) We had lots of support from talented friends and family.

Our friend Bradley did an incredible job of designing all the invitations, menu, and signage. My Nana made and embroidered the table runners. Tim’s parents drove some incredible pieces of art down from Picton to bring some familiarity to the Hall. And Tim’s big sister and my aunty did a beautiful job of decorating and setting up.

At the end of the evening, my Mum and sister served everyone Jimmy’s Pies, a tasty reminder of how we first met. My sister, Meg, also assembled her homemade lemon tarts at 11 pm. The whole day was an absolute dream come true. Having all our family and friends together was incredible. Seeing each other for the first time down by the lake beforehand was such an intimate and memorable way to prepare for the ceremony. We were wowed by the speeches, and all of the love that was shared. Having everyone together in the hall for the ceremony was the best part of the day.

Photography: Sophia Bayly & Simon Moore  / Bride’s dress: Juliette Hogan / Groom’s attire: Working Style / Groom’s shoes: Doucal’s / Veil: Brides on Thorndon / Location: Rippon Hall, Wanaka / Makeup: Harmony Skin and Beauty  / Hair: Chocolatt Hair Salon / Bride’s earrings: Kieran Jackson / Rings: Melanie Katsalidis / Celebrant: Joy Ramsay / Floral: The Green Room / Bridesmaid dresses: Juliette Hogan / Bride’s shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood / Bridesmaids’ earrings: Meadowlark / Groomsmen’s attire: Barkers / Special song: ‘River’, Leon Bridges / Catering: Artisan Catering / Gift registry: Mildred & Co / DJ, sound & lighting: Entertainment Solutions / Styling: Family / Cake: Peppermint Kitchen