The now London-based couple chose Hawkes Bay’s renowned Craggy Range Winery for their elegant ceremony.
Returning home to New Zealand for their nuptials, for Jessica-Belle Cook (nee Greer), a freelance editor and writer, and company director Daniel Cook (who have known each other since they were teenagers) a wedding surrounded by family and close friends was important.
“We met in high school, but other than a kiss on New Year’s Eve between 2008 and 2009, we were not sweethearts,” Jessica-Belle tells Viva. “Our paths crossed again in 2014, and we have had a decade-long romance since.”
When considering how their big day would look (from afar) New Zealand would always be it. However, a month before the big day, the couple snuck in an intimate courthouse ceremony for two at the Old Marylebone Town Hall in London where they signed the paperwork.
The two events provided a beautiful blend of UK charm (with notable British fashion labels worn by the bride and her bridesmaids) and Aotearoa’s idyllic landscape, setting the scene for the couple’s two worlds to come together.
Jessica-Belle shares the details of her and Daniel’s special day below.
THE VISION
The vision was to create a day that was as special as the love we feel for each other, and those who support us. It was important to celebrate back on home soil, bringing a little bit of European charm to the beautiful natural surroundings in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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We chose Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay as it is a place we have returned to time and again. We also knew the food and wine would be good, which helps when planning a wedding from the other side of the world (and taste-testing is tricky to organise).
THE CEREMONY
Our ceremony was in the olive grove in the middle of the vineyard. While at first we thought we would choose a sweeping, scenic view, we grew to love this circle of trees that brought everyone close together in a small glade. As a writer, I love the symbolism of olive trees — of peace, patience and plentifulness.
We were lucky enough to have a sunny day, and the shade of the trees was appreciated too. We felt our family and friends already knew our love story, so we went with a more classic ceremony and time-honoured vows. Our celebrant, Kristie, is a close family friend and she gave us a beautiful, personal blessing.
THE RINGS
Both our wedding bands are from Naveya & Sloane, and our wedding date is engraved within. The central stone in my engagement ring is from Hatton Gardens (the jewellery quarter of London) but the special design of its cluster diamonds is by Naveya & Sloane. They all look lovely together.
Funny story, actually ... During our “day after” function Dan and a few friends went for a swim in the Tuki Tuki River. Back at our venue, Black Barn’s River Room, a couple of hours later, he went to tap his new ring on the arm of his chair (a new amusement) and heard a foreboding thud. We went back to the river and searched for the ring that evening, but the sun set too quickly. We returned the next day, and Dan found it gleaming at the bottom of the river, between two rocks! A true test of our love.
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THE DRESS
I wore the “Camille” dress from Vivienne Westwood. It is from the final bridal collection created while the eponymous designer was still with us. At first I thought it was very different to what I was looking for, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and over time I realised it actually combined both the romantic and modern design elements I was looking for.
I attended most bridal appointments on my own in London, and while I often wished I had my mum, Julie, and my sisters with me for support, most of the bridal stylists loved that I was on my own as we could get right to it. Being able to finally show my dress to my family on the wedding day was a special moment.
For the ceremony, I wore a couture veil with an all-over applique from Phillipa Lepley, whose studio is down the road from us in London. With all the detail, the veil was rather heavy, and I folded it over my arm for our post-ceremony drinks. I then changed into my wedding hat by Jess Collett Milliner (whose hat box attracted a lot of attention in transit to New Zealand).
AND ACCESSORIES ...
I don’t normally wear many accessories, but for some reason, I went all-out for our wedding. I wore a subtle and scallop-shaped diamond necklace at the start of the day, before switching to a more ornate necklace with botanical themes for our dinner between the vines.
Despite searching all over the vintage markets of London, both were found at Abbey’s Antiques in Remuera, Auckland, and the latter was meticulously gold-dipped by the Goldsmiths at 238 Karangahape Rd.
To match, I found two sets of earrings at the Antique & Jewellery Centre in Napier only a couple of days before the big event. I also put on black opera gloves from Cornelia James when the evening cooled.
THE BRIDESMAIDS
My bridesmaids were my sisters, Josephine and Juliet, and sister-in-law, Vanessa. The most important part of a dress is the woman wearing it — so I went for different floral-patterned Emilia Wickstead dresses, which looked great separately and came together beautifully.
THE SUITS
Dan’s offices are above the tailors on Saville Row in London, and perhaps passing these windows every day helped him decide what he wanted — a tux with a shawl collar. We searched the street for a cream jacket — it’s hard to find one that is not too mellow or too bright in tone — and ended up with the perfect fit from Ralph Lauren’s store on the corner.
Dan’s groomsmen were his three brothers, Josh, Vincent and Neville. Their mother, Susanna, worked with Sharon at Working Style to create matching jackets for the groomsmen, in a very hard-to-find forest green. The jackets were matched with black silk bowties and tux pants.
THE BEAUTY
Indigo Mathias did the bridal party’s makeup. I first did a “test” makeup try with her when I was visiting New Zealand the year before. She has a very calming presence and knew how to achieve the natural makeup look I desired. Olivia Tiel did our hair, and again is a kind, calm and collected person to share such suspenseful moments with.
THE TREATMENTS
In London, I had regular facials with Katie England Skin. We were in New Zealand for three weeks before the wedding, so I also snuck in a holistic and hydrating facial with Kate at Skinography in Ponsonby — giving both my skin and soul the nourishment I needed.
My hair was looking rather sad after being in London’s winter, but being able to wash it in New Zealand’s much softer shower water helped save it a bit before the big day.
THE CHAMPAGNE HOUR
After the ceremony, our guests wandered the long way through the vines to meet us on the lawn in front of the lily pond, and the mighty Te Mata peak. We had done a “first look” before the ceremony, so we had some time to take in the moment and greet guests. It was a lovely feeling to see so many of our close friends together in one, rather pretty, place.
THE RECEPTION
Our wedding was a chance to host our ultimate dinner party. We hired a Flagship marquee, with romantic draping from La Lumiere. Long tables were set between the vines that are grown at a height that still allows conversations to flow across. We went for Tble Linen’s moss-coloured tablecloths with white napkins furled into a “rose”. I worked with Brogan Scott on our illustrations, and she created a wine list with grape vines “growing” over it.
We weren’t sure what flowers we would be able to secure at the end of February, so we asked Botanical Lane to source local grapes and Te Mata figs to run all the way down our tables. (These were well enjoyed at a grape-scape table at our Day After event.)
Before our wedding, we collected candle sticks and candelabras from vintage markets in France and the rest of Europe. As the wax dripped, the setting felt even more endearing.
THE FOOD
After the ceremony, we toasted with a Champagne tower, which was pre-poured (to avoid stickiness) and decorated with flowers.
Our canapes included organic fried sweet and sour shiitake, wild venison tartare on a potato chip with tarragon sauce, and radishes with buffalo curd and chive. Craggy Range’s famous potato focaccia bread with camembert butter was set on the tables, in case some guests were still hungry at the start of our speeches.
Our entrees were a choice of roasted halloumi or raw local fish, and the mains were pan-fried sea bass with pinenut risotto or slow-braised beef cheek with pommes anna. There were market garden leaves with chardonnay dressing for the table.
THE CAKE
Instead of a traditional cake, we asked the kitchen to make a vanilla meringue pie, which we torched on the night. A pre-prepared dessert (with all the same ingredients) was then served in silver sundae cups, so nobody had to wait for the cake to be properly plated. There were Craggy Range cheeseburgers for the end of the night.
THE PHOTOS
Danelle Bohane was our photographer. As a former magazine feature editor, I really love how her work is natural yet has an elegant, editorial eye. Her husband, Dirk Fourie, was our videographer, and they worked together symbiotically. We weren’t looking for a flashy video, but something very personal. We hired extra equipment to record the audio of our ceremony and speeches, so future generations will be able to hear our family’s voices.
THE DAY
The whole wedding weekend felt surreal. Fortunately, the wedding party was staying at various cabins in the vineyard, as this helped us get into the zone.
We thought we would be nervous, particularly for the more formal aspects of the day, but we were surprised to find we both felt calm and composed. Perhaps having a “first look”, or being technically already married (!) helped.
There were so many special and silly moments unfolding over one day — and we are still recalling these together. A stylist and a co-ordinator from Flock helped with putting together our day, as we had a lot on our minds.
THE MOMENTS
The people were, of course, the most important part of our day. We organised a fleet of white-ribboned wedding cars (ex-Army Land Rovers and classic Jaguars) from Unique Rentals, so our guests would feel special from the outset, and be able to fully appreciate the scenic drive to the venue. Our MC, Dave, and DJs, Sweet Mix Kids, kept these positive vibes going throughout the day. It was a thrill to see everyone enjoying themselves on the dancefloor, up until midnight.
THE SURPRISE
My Dad, Nigel, is a retired dentist and he diligently took on the task of creating a dancefloor dress for me — from an original 60s Paco Rabanne disc dress kit, which I found on Vestiaire. This involved him piecing together more than 300 large sequins, via 1300 links. After a particularly daring dance move, he was ready on the terrace with his two pliers to piece the dress together again. Thank you, Dad!
ADVICE FOR A SPECIAL WEDDING DAY
A wedding couple will receive no shortage of advice! If we are to add to this, it would be to focus on what both of you want as a couple, and what will make you feel most comfortable on the day. So many things went awry on our wedding day, but I don’t think any of our guests were aware. The whole process of wedding planning brought us closer together, and we now have many moments that we can look back and laugh about! That’s our kind of perfect.
Special days, special moments.
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