We closed out the day watching the sunset on the beach with a bottle of champagne and enjoying each other’s company.
Zoe: I’m from Cape Town but moved to Waiheke Island 20 years ago. I’m a florist and co-own weddings/events business Wildflower Waiheke, as well as Wild Hearts Wedding Fairs. Wayne works at Rocket Lab, where he leads the NZ engine building team. We have a one-year-old son Anthony. Ours is a good old fashioned Tinder love story! Wayne’s opening line to me was, “my favourite flower is broccoli”,… and he doesn’t even eat broccoli.
Wayne: Zoe was up for adventures and dates of different kinds. I quickly realised that she wanted the most out of life and wasn’t afraid of a challenge. Zoe is highly driven, determined and stubborn as hell, so I knew life would be an exciting and challenging ride with her by my side.
Zoe: Wayne proposed on Christmas morning. He’d set up champagne and strawberries and gave me a little box filled with all the notes we’d written each other that he had saved. He then knelt down next to me and asked me to marry him while the song ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins was playing in the background. We used it as our recessional song at our wedding.
Wayne: We closed out the day watching the sunset on the beach with a bottle of champagne and enjoying each other’s company. It’s a day I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Zoe: My vision for the wedding was always pink and floral. I live and breathe weddings, so I didn’t want to regret holding back in any area, and I’m so glad I didn’t. Spending extra on the small details was worth it in the end. The main hiccup was that the flowers I had planned months in advance to match my dress had their shipment cancelled, so I had to scramble to pick other flowers that somewhat worked – and we had to scale back on what I had planned. The irony of a wedding florist, not 100% loving her wedding flowers is not lost on me!
Back in the day, I did some modelling, and one of the first bridal shoots I did was with Rue De Seine, so I knew that when it was time to pick my own dress, I had to go to Michele and Emily. I’ve worn hundreds of wedding dresses at shoots over the years, so I knew I didn’t want anything traditional, and when I saw the Maneesh gown, I just knew that was it. It’s pink and floral and perfectly me.
We added the blush veil on which I had embroidered the words ‘to the moon & back’ which is what Wayne and I say after we say I love you to each other. For my second look, I wanted something easy and fun to dance in. I’d kept my hair long for over two years in preparation for our wedding, so I got my friend Danni from The Peach Club to do a hair chop before our first dance.
PHOTOGRAPHER Danelle Bohane, @danellebohane LOCATION, CATERING & BEVERAGES Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant, @mudbrick_nz BRIDAL DRESSES Rue De Seine, @ruedeseinebridal; Dissh, @dissh GROOM & GROOMSMEN’S ATTIRE YD, @ydaustralia ENGAGEMENT RING Heirloom GROOM’S RING Guys Gold, @guys.gold BRIDE’S RING The Diamond Shop, @thediamondshop BRIDE’S SHOES Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall GROOM’S SHOES Maher, @mahershoesnz BRIDE’S EARRINGS Christie Nicolaides, @christienicolaides VEIL EMBROIDERY Alter Me, @alterme_nz DRESS ALTERATIONS Fritz & Sarah, @fritzandsarah MAKEUP Made-Up, @madeupbyruth HAIR Hare & Hunter, @hareandhunter; The Peach Club, @thepeach_club BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Byredo – Gypsy Water, @officialbyredo GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Tom Ford – Noir Extreme, @tomford BRIDESMAIDS’ ATTIRE Blak, @blakbridesmaids VIDEOGRAPHER Ben Journée, @ben.journee CELEBRANT Renée Leonard-Stainton @wedbyrenee STYLING & FLORA Wildflower Waiheke, @wildflowerwaiheke DAY OF COORDINATOR Waiheke Island Weddings and Events, @waihekeislandweddings HIRE My Waiheke, @mywaiheke; Flock, @flockevents; Tble Linen, @tble__linen__hire; Island Collection, @theislandcollection; Royal Laboratorie, @royallaboratorie STATIONERY Smitten with Love, @_smittenwithlove SIGNAGE Inker Tinker, @inkertinker.nz CEREMONY ENTERTAINMENT Real Entertainment, @real_entertainment_nz RECEPTION ENTERTAINMENT Sam Jones – Alto Events, @goldmansax
