Approach
We wanted our wedding to be a great big fiesta a fun and vibrant party and for our day to be about celebrating and enjoying our love, friends and family. The music, styling, food and drinks were essential parts of our day. It had to be a colourful and creative visual delight, with Mexican inspiration. Our event stylist Claire from One Lovely Day brought this vision to life and so much more.
Location
The location was an easy pick, The Hay & Wood, which is my twin sister's venue and a dream. It's located in Whenuakite, a beautiful rural setting in the Coromandel. We hired two Nordic tepees from Topkata to place in the middle of a circle of Kahikatea. These were lit up by lighting and fires provided by Topkata they were awesome.
Rings
My engagement ring is my mum and dad's engagement ring, given to me after Dad passed away, so it meant a lot to me. For my wedding rings I wanted something unique so I chose a handcrafted rutilated quartz ring and gold lacework crown ring to frame these from Natalie Marie Jewellery. I wore Karl's family pearl brooch, which has been passed down from son to son for generations. Karl, who isn't a fan of rings, bought a black metal band.
Dress and Suit
I wore the Genevieve dress from Grace Loves Lace. I wanted something free-spirited with lace and a plunging neckline, but with a timeless and whimsical romantic look to it. The Genevieve dress ticked all those boxes plus I was able to dance freely all night. Karl wore a navy suit and light blue speckled shirt, with a burgundy pocket square and tie from Barkers and tan leather boots by Steve Madden.
The Music
We love music and dancing so entertainment was important to us. We had Matt Stone as a soloist for the canape reception and his band Coachella, a folk cover band, for dancing after dinner. Our first dance was to The Girl by City and Colour and our aisle songs were No One's Going to Love You by Band of Horses, Your Love Gets Sweeter by Finley Quaye and I'm Into You by Chet Faker.
Flowers
The flowers were exactly what I had hoped for. One Lovely Day, family, friends and I helped with the floristry: Claire organised flowers, we collected eucalyptus and my mother-in-law picked dahlias. From there, we arranged them into brass bohemian vases. Claire made bouquets with dahlias, eucalyptus and burgundy ribbon.
Photography
Bayly & Moore captured our day perfectly. We're not naturals in front of the camera and hate being in photos, but they made us feel comfortable and were a great addition to our day. There were no overly staged shots, just us, being us, having fun. They totally smashed it.
Engagement Party
I had a Mexican hen's night in Auckland, which included a margarita class, making floral headpieces, Mexican food and dancing. Karl had a stag do around the Coromandel. Involving fishing, paintball, and laser tag and a brewery tour.
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We had a Mexican fiesta made by Maldito Mendez (now Barulho). Mexican is our favourite food and we wanted to eat family style. The menus and table settings were beautifully designed by Victoria Wigzell. Our chocolate wedding cake with passionfruit and caramel drizzle was made by a family friend, Carol.
Top Tips
Make it your day and unique to you as a couple. Try not to stress over every detail and worry about what other people want. On the day, make sure you grab your partner and stand and watch everyone enjoying your wedding and take it all in.
