New Zealand Weddings

Rustic Romantic Bella Vista Lodge Wedding

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Weddings in Wineries

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Whimsical

From Sunshine Wedding Films… This particular film is our all-time favourite. It’s a short trailer for a local NZ couple who travelled to the resort town of Queenstown for a very intimate wedding of just 23 guests. Casey is originally from China, George from Chile, they met at university in Christchurch and their family came from all over the globe to be here.

We made this film to be deliberately about Casey and George and the intimacy shared between them on their wedding day – it’s possibly the most romantic one we’ve done. The film is interspersed with parts of a beautiful poem read by George to his wife and shows off multiple, stunning locations – a small private lake, an old woolshed, a mountain-top shoot on the Southern Alps and an underground winery barrel-room. We also included a little bit of stop-motion and time lapses to add to the whimsy of the film.

They had their ceremony on a small jetty by a lake at Bendemeer, which is an exclusive development on the outskirts of Queenstown and their reception at an old woolshed at Peregrine Winery. With amazing heartfelt styling from Queenstown planner Laura from Mint Events, the woolshed was transformed into a magical and whimsical space with a butterfly theme which echoed details on Casey’s dress and jewellery. (She wore two dresses from well-known NZ designer Louise Anderson Bridal on the day – a white lace wedding dress followed by a gorgeous red one for the reception) There was incredible attention to detail in every aspect of this wedding from the cake and cake pops right through to the notepaper on the wishing trees. Amazing photos were captured by Fredrik Larsson of Larsson Photography – a gentleman to work with.

We LOVE this film as Casey particularly has a serenity which is transfixing on screen. She and George were amazing to work with and trusted us to do whatever we asked of them. Every time in front of a camera they seemed to forget we were there and we were able to capture moments of two people who simply adore each other. Pretty much why we make wedding films.

Not gonna lie, I teared up big time (like to the point of sniffles) after watching these two commit their love to each other in Moving Films‘ beautiful film. The Groom’s reaction was more than I could take—it made my heart swell, to say the least. And what made this day even more special were the little touches, the infusion of family and friends and of course, the gorgeous style and design. It’s the perfect way to start off Friday—see the full gallery from Maree Wilksinson!

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Bohemian Inspired Backyard Wedding at Cheltenham Beach

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Lodge

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Rustic

From the beautiful Bride…Our wedding day was better than we could have ever imagined! We loved every minute of it. We did not have a wedding planner so I planned most of it but I had lots of help from my sister who was my maid of honour, our families, wedding entourage and friends. We wanted a day where our families and friends can relax and enjoy and our wedding venue, Bella Vista Lodge, was the perfect place for that with its luxury boutique style lodge that spells indulgence. It was a bit of a drive for most of our guests but it was definitely worth it. The panoramic views were amazing and we hired the entire venue which made it even more special, exclusive and intimate. We had all our preparations, hair and make up done in the lodge. It was very relaxed and the wedding party had time to enjoy food platters and champagne while getting ready. We had the ceremony in the garden outside overlooking the picturesque hills of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. We then had our reception in their beautiful, spacious function room.

The theme of our wedding was rustic and pinterest was a great source of ideas for the look that we were after. I had put together a wedding portfolio during the year categorising each component of our wedding from flowers, table settings, down to the design of our dessert table. Our wedding stylist was wonderful and she made our vision happen.

As it was an outdoor garden wedding, the style of our wedding ceremony included a beautiful chandelier with curtain draping and a centrepiece table resembling an altar. We also had a unity candle on the table which was part of the ceremony and both our Mums lit it symbolising the coming together of both our families. We had bible readings during the ceremony as well which incorporated our Christian beliefs. At the end of each aisle were tree trunks with jars of fresh flowers. We also had musical scores folded into cones containing rose petals which was thrown by our guests on our first walk down the aisle as a married couple. A string quartet played during the ceremony and afterwards while our guests enjoyed their canapes.

As most of our guests traveled quite a distance to attend our wedding, we ensured that they were spoiled. We had a Magnum ice cream cart which was fitting as our wedding was on a beautiful hot summer day. We also had a lemonade stand and a picnic area where guests can relax and put their feet up while having their canapes. Additionally, we hired a giant jenga and other lawn games for our younger guests.

As we wanted our wedding day to be as personalised as possible, some of our things were DIY. For instance, our escort cards were made of burlap which we then shaped into hearts. We used letter stamps on a lace for each of our guest’s name and this was individually sewn on the burlap. For our wedding favours, I was able to recycle small bottles from work which we then filled with potpourri. For its finishing touches, I used ribbons and corks that I found online. My husband’s cousin is a graphic designer so we were blessed to have her design our save the date cards and our wedding invitations, both of which were letterpress printed. We used purple baker’s twine to put the whole invitation together and had a calligrapher to hand write the names of our guests, which made it really special. My husband’s cousin also designed our wedding program which we made into a fan using popsicle sticks tied with different shades of purple ribbons.

One of the most special details in our wedding was having my grandmother’s ring which she wore since she was eighteen hanging on my wedding bouquet as my ‘something old’. My grandmother passed away a few years ago and it was my way of remembering her on such a special occasion. For my ‘something blue’, we had our initials and the date of our wedding embroidered in blue and it was sewn in my wedding gown and a matching one sewn in my husband’s suit pocket. My ‘something borrowed’ was diamond earrings from one of my bridesmaids and my ‘something new’ was a diamond necklace.

My wedding gown and veil were both from Pronovias. It took me a good few months to find my dress but it was definitely worth it as I love it very much! Our bridesmaids wore purple flowy gowns from Donna Morgan and each bridesmaid wore the design they are comfortable and confident in. They were all so gorgeous! My husband wore a grey suit from Armani and the groomsmen wore suspenders with a bow tie, which perfectly suited the theme of our wedding.

The whole wedding preparation can be quite overwhelming and brides like myself tend to get caught up with every small details, making sure that every single thing is perfect. What I realize in this whole experience is that what counts the most at the end of the day was not how well things were executed but rather the presence of loved ones, families and friends celebrating such a special occasion with us and dedicating the day and our marriage to the Lord Jesus. That in itself made our wedding memorable.

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Pronovias

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Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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Donna Morgan

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Mother of the Bride

Donna Morgan Collection - Core Chiffon

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You’ll want to sit down for this one ladies and gents. Why you ask? Because with the help of Red Creative this couple took wedding style up a notch. With their boho-gypsy vibe and gorgeous details, every image snapped up by David St George will make you want to stop and stay awhile. See them here.

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Intimate New Zealand Wedding

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Beach Weddings

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Bohemian

From Red Creative…From the moment Richard, Jessie and her mum first described their dream for the wedding we were excited. We knew it would be personal, intimate, and loads of fun. Together we planned the wedding to be a progressive event with the guests taken on a journey from the welcome drink until the final dance.

All of the paper goods were designed by the talented bride and included marbled backgrounds and a gilt gemstone monogram. This design was incorporated throughout the wedding on bar fronts and signage.

On arrival, guests were treated to an iced wedding tea cocktail in the bar tent and then mingled on the lawn enjoying music in the relaxed lounge spaces.

The ceremony took place over the pool on a custom built stage. The bride wore a spectacular sequinned gown and carried an organic bouquet of tulips, dahlias, garden roses, berries, snapdragon, asparagus fern, lisianthus and beech foliage.

Guest’s were invited to participate in the ceremony by each adding a flower to an arrangement begun by Jessie, Richard and Richard’s daughter.

Following the ceremony canapés were circulated and guests were ushered across the road to McHugh’s Restaurant which had been transformed with coloured lighting, draping and tablescapes with natural linen cloths, sequinned overlays and centrepieces of floral, potted ferns, antlers, succulents, vegetables and fruit.

For dessert and dancing we transformed the house once again. Bringing it to life with lighting including festoon bulbs, chandeliers and lanterns suspended from the magnificent pohutukawa trees. Dessert was a selection of homemade treats contributed by friends and family members as well as the most impressive cheese board served with whisky.

They danced the night away under the stars by the ocean and the pool.

From The Bride…Our wedding was at my parents home, we wanted it to be comfortable and welcoming for our guests with a gypsy-bohemian vibe. Red Creative jumped on board our magic carpet, took the steering wheel and transported my parents home into another realm! They were so competent that the whole process was not only a breeze but enjoyable too. Being creatives ourselves we know the importance of trust with a client, when you have a clients trust you know you can work at your best and give the best results. This was our attitude with Red Creative, we loved their work and knew they would do an amazing job so trusted them completely. We were included in the fun parts of the process, and didn’t have to deal with the not so fun bits, so it was great!. Nothing was impossible for the Red Creative team.

This is the type of wedding that makes you feel all cozy and happy inside. A wedding that is as simply elegant as it is heartwarming with sweeter than sweet details and a bride and groom who are soooo in love, it literally radiates from every gorgeous second captured by Moving Films. I’m talking moment after moment of pure joy from their hearts to yours. Press play to see just what I mean.

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Eatery Garden Weddings

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Romantic Backyard Wedding

From Moving Films… Simple and understated, Mark and Louisa’s wedding was an intimate ceremony and celebration of their newly blended families, where Louisa’s bridesmaids were made up of her daughter, and Mark’s two daughters. Close friends and family witnessed their vows in the relaxed setting of Zen Garden at Whitford, overlooking Auckland’s Rangitoto Island, followed by a sumptuous dinner by Michelin Starred Chef, Philip Reynolds and speeches honouring the beautiful couple.

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Wedding Dresses

Pronovias

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Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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I love backyard weddings… especially ones as effortlessly cool and romantic as this pretty day captured by Mary Sylvia Photography. Because this isn’t just any backyard affair, it’s a rustic meets romantic party filled with gorgeous florals from The Piccadilly Flower Company, beautiful lavender and purple hues and sooo much pretty. See it all right here.

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Classic Weddings Romantic

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Backyard

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From Mary Sylvia Photography… Zoe and Steve were married on Zoe’s parents’ property, in the hills of the wine region in Martinborough, New Zealand.

They worked carefully from England to plan their wedding from afar, and brought together an amazing day full of beautiful details.

The property had a gorgeous little pond, covered in tiny red flowers, and Zoe was even game to get in an old rowing boat in her wedding dress!

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Saturdays are pretty amazing, but when you throw in a meet and greet with RebeccaMarie Photography, it takes it to an entirely new level of awesome. I’m talking an entire day devoted to gorgeous imagery that just so happens to be overflowing with love, emotion and, of course, pretty. Spend some time getting to know her, lovelies… and don’t forget to check out her sweet discount below.

From RebeccaMarie Photography… RebeccaMarie started learning about photography at the age of fifteen and excelled from there working alongside some of the best in the business, since 2004. Destination travel is a deep passion of hers and so is love. RebeccaMarie believes in combining the two, to capture your love story and has had the opportunity to travel internationally throughout her career.

RebeccaMarie Photography has been published numerous times together with her international friend Isabelle Kline Design, producing beauty through each image. Her style has been known to be organic, vintage, ethereal and romantic. A lover of travel and meeting new people.

Check out RebeccaMarie on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Discount! RebeccaMarie Photography is offering a $500 print credit to all couples that book in the month of June and July and reference this SMP welcome post.

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Petit Bouquet

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Romantic Beach Bridal Inspiration

Take a breathtaking New Zealand beach and add in some awe-inspiring images from Caron Nicole Photography and we call that the perfect way to wrap up the week. It’s crashing waves meets a stunning DIY bouquet meets the magical beauty skills of Philippa Mae Makeup Artist… and it’s all sitting pretty in a full gallery of lovely. I mentioned this was the perfect way to wrap up the week, right? See it all here.

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Elegant Garden Affair in New Zealand + a Tear-Worthy Toast on Film

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Yacht Club

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Romantic

From Caron Nicole Photography… I wanted to capture the cool tones of low tide on the beach besides the softness of a delicately flowing dress. The flowers were created by scavenging a bouquet out of what was in season in Auckland, New Zealand at that time and it just so happens that there was quite a lot of plum and deep reds. It all came together in a straight from the back garden look. We then headed down to the beach, a short walk from the garden where we enjoyed the lovely sunset. The soft and flowing dress looked absolutely amazing catching the breeze on the French Bay beach in Titirangi, New Zealand.

Photography: Caron Nicole Photography | Wedding Dress: A La Robe | Makeup Artist: Philippa Mae Makeup Artist | Venue: French Bay Yacht Club | Model Agency: Bintang Models

This wedding is so many things; a beautiful display of greenery and garden blooms by Leaf & Honey, a bevy of simple, elegant details set against the beauty of Waiheke Island and not only imagery captured by Coralee Estelle but a film from Bubblerock that showcases one sweet as can be toast from the Bride’s 97 year old Grandfather. Get out the tissues and click here for more.

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Weddings in Wineries

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Rustic New Zealand Wedding Film

From Bubblerock Cinematography… Jackie and Michael created one amazing, tasteful, and warm celebration for their wedding set on Waiheke Island off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand.
But something we weren’t quite prepared for is the intensity and the goosebumps we felt as her 97-yo grand father said a few words on behalf of her dad who couldn’t attend the wedding due to illness. And it is his closing toast that got us teary and this is why it was what started it all for us when putting their trailer together.

Their day was one of friendship, laughs, love and incredible details. It all just fell into place seamlessly to create an event they sure will never forget (and neither will we).

This is their day in a little film and a few gorgeous photographs by Coralee Estelle.

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Wow. This breathtaking New Zealand film is sooooo worthy of a minute and a half of your Monday evening. In fact, it’s basically going to make your entire day. Because this, my friends, is gorgeous details meets a stunning setting meets all kinds of magical moments captured by Moving Films. Do yourself a favor and press play.

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Auckland Orchard Romance Shoot

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Rustic Weddings

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Classic Weddings Rustic

From Moving Films… Attached is a short teaser for the upcoming wedding film of Darell and Cris Cosico. Their ceremony and reception was on Saturday 15th February 2014 at Bella Vista Lodge, Tauranga, New Zealand.

Their theming was rustic, relaxed and romantic with purple hues.

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Pronovias

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Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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Valentine’s Day calls for sweets, love, and lots and lots of every shade of pink… all of which are bountiful in this beautiful inspiration shoot from Kate Grewal Photography. It’s romantic, it’s happy, it’s chic, and best of all, it’s all right here!

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Duders Of Devonport Wedding

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Romantic

From the photographer… This shoot was inspired by the stunning orchards just 40 minutes west of Auckland’s central business district. The flowering trees were the perfect venue for this little inspiration shoot. We wanted to keep this shoot elegant, but incorporate a sense of whimsy. We decided that a tea length wedding dress from the lovely Primrose and Finch designed by Joanne Flemming would be the ideal accompaniment to this location. The gown’s amazing feathered detail adds a refined playfulness. Couple this with Natalie Chan millinery, and it transforms the look to an ever so slight couture. By selecting both boots for the orchard and Louboutins for the isle, we wanted our bride to be functionally fun, and fashionably forward.

A color pallet of soft pinks, white, pale yellows, and peach were chosen to establish a delicate mood amongst the flowering trees. Hints of deep burgundy and plum ground this pallet, giving depth to this pastel backdrop. With fresh fruit and beautiful light, we hope that this look will inspire brides this spring!

Fact: when pretty pink hues join forces with a stunningly gorgeous New Zealand setting, you can pretty much guarantee an amazing day here at SMP. The kind of day that is rich with love-filled moments captured by Erin Summerill, fabulous details and enough pretty to leave you pinning endlessly. That’s just the way we like to spend our Tuesdays, and you can get a head right here in the full gallery.

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Winter Weddings

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Destination Eatery

From the Bride & Groom… Our day was made special due to a number of things. Firstly, the date we had chosen to get married on falls in the middle of winter in New Zealand, which is normally cold and rainy, however our day was absolutely perfect – sunny and warm.

What we found really special was the opportunity to unite our families together in one place for the first time ever, we were also blessed to have members of our family travel from all over the world to be present for our big day.

Joe’s special part of the day was the moment Jess walked into view at the church and began walking down the aisle – she was stunning! Jess’s special part was also walking down the aisle, knowing that it only happens once, and how it is over in an instant. I wanted to be present in that very moment to take it all in, surrounded by our special friends and family, the smell, the visual, the sounds, walking linked with Dad for the last time, and meeting Joe to begin our life adventure together.

Photography: Erin Summerill Photography | Floral Design: Vicki Joyce | Catering: Duders Of Devonport | Grooms Attire: Dorset Suit Hire | Restaurant: Duders Of Devonport

Waiheke Island Wedding at Mudbrick Vineyard

This is the sort of classic affair that I can never get enough of. You know the type: a gorgeous bride in a gorgeous gown (hello Anna Schimmel) meets a breathtaking Mudbrick Vineyard setting meets all kinds of beautiful florals from Wildflower to create a day that is simply mesmerizing. It’s traditional elegance at its very best and you can see it all captured by Joanna Wickham right here.

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Weddings in Wineries

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New Zealand Elopement from Alpine Image Company + Sunshine Wedding Films

From the Bride… From the onset I was adamant I wanted a glamorous affair to celebrate our wedding, therefore location and venue was paramount. We wanted a (close) destination wedding to ensure guests could completely relax and enjoy themselves without having a long trip home; Auckland is geographically very spread out and our friends and family would be travelling from many different pockets of the city.

Waiheke Island with its panoramic city and harbour views, gourmet food and wine and understated luxury was an obvious choice. There is something special about Waiheke which makes people relax instantly and allows the finer things in life to be celebrated. I had been to the restaurant at Mudbrick with my family many years ago and I suspected its rustic elegance would be a fitting setting. Together with our parents, James and I ventured over on the ferry to have a tour of the venue with the wedding coordinator. We immediately knew it was where we wanted our special day to take place; the gardens and decor leant itself to an element of old world glamour and combined with the calibre of the food and wine, we couldn’t achieve a more romantic backdrop.

I was in my element during all facets of the wedding process and I loved organising every detail! We wanted a wedding that was elegant and traditional but also glamorous, and I wanted it to have a touch of vintage. However, it was vital that it also reflected us as a couple. We decided on a palette of mint green, blush pink and gold as we felt this encapsulated our ideas.

Our friend Natalie created the invitations and wedding stationary based on a design I had found. I envisaged classic and elegant invites that also alluded to the glamour of the occasion. Natalie crafted not only the invites but the stunning seating plan design, favour tags, table numbers and place cards. All of these components were instrumental in allowing my overall ideasto come to life.

Anna Schimmel designed my dress for me based on our theme; a princess style dress using hand beaded French lace for the bodice and duchess satin with box pleats for the skirt. The cap sleeves and full length tulle veil were to complete my glamorous look. Her attention to detail, use of luxury fabrics, quality of design and construction resulted in a dress that exceeded our expectations and the experience was truly unforgettable. I was after a gasp inducing dress due to my love of fashion and I certainly received that!

I approached the bridesmaid dresses and styling with the concept of old Hollywood glamour. I wanted them to look like they were attending the Oscars (and not a wedding!) and used four dresses from the same Marchesa range (to ensure they worked together) as inspiration for the dressmaker. Each girl had a style that suited their body shape and personality. My absolutely amazing Maid of Honour Laura then applied beaded lace to them. We finished the look with champagne or gold shoes and a hand-made floral hair piece. We decided on a charcoal grey suit for the boys which complimented the mint green and blush pink beautifully.

For the favours, Laura made a variety of chutneys and jams which we decorated with lace and gold or mint ribbon. Very few were left over and I received countless compliments for weeks after the wedding about how delicious they were. They also worked perfectly with the rustic elegance of Mudbrick and I adored how they added to the overall look of the tables. We booked Vicki from Wildflower to do the bouquets and table arrangements. I originally wanted a pallet primarily made up of blush pink and cream roses and peonies but they were out of season. Vicki instead used David Austin roses and traditional roses for the bouquets and these blooms in addition to stock and ranunculus for the table settings. Our ideas were interpreted perfectly by our suppliers and all features of our wedding day played together flawlessly.

The maids and I got ready at a holiday home overlooking Oneroa Beach which provided a beautiful back drop for Jo to capture the day. A vintage cream Daimler transported us to Mudbrick for the ceremony amongst the wind and rain but nothing was going to dampen my excitement!

We wanted to make our ceremony as personal and entertaining as we could but also ensuring we didn’t lose any of the formality or sincerity of a traditional service. We used a pin I found on Pinterest as inspiration and wrote our own vows as a series of promises; some comical and some serious. They highlighted our differences (movie genre preferences for example!) but also our genuine love and care for each other. We selected the poem ‘I Carry Your Heart with My Heart’ by E. E. Cummings and a reading from ‘The House on Pooh Corner’ by A. A. Milne as Winnie the Pooh was a childhood favourite of mine. Our celebrant Kim was integral in helping create a personal service and we were so grateful for her contribution to our magical day. James has since said that his favourite part of the day was our first look at each other and I would agree. I cannot express the overwehlming delight and excitement I felt walking down the aisle to marry him.

The grounds at Mudbrick were so stunning that there was no need to venture for photos off site. And the wind and rain had generated the most captivating light! The weather made for lots of laughs and allowed all of our personalities to shine through. Jo did a breath taking job with the photography and the images are an honest portrayal of our enchanting wedding day. The sheer joy written on the faces of our dearest family and friends confirmed that James’ and our love for each other is palpable.

Onewhero Bay Wedding

Wedding films have this way of making me feel like I’ve truly experienced the day. Like I can feel the emotion poring through my computer screen. So when we’re talking about a wedding from BubbleRock Studios – AKA the masters of film making, I basically get giddies all over. They documented this adorable New Zealand couple who tied the knot after 11 years together, and it’s sooooo worth a watch.

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From the Bride… Our story is extremely special. We have been together 11 happy years despite the trials of years of illness. Our wedding was the most amazing celebration of us as a couple as well as a celebration of the people who love us. We also stayed true to our values as Christians and as vegans and animal lovers and included our cat Jetty in the day too.

We are both from the North Shore in NZ, but our wedding was held in Paihia (over three hours away from our home town). Our reception was held on Onewhero Bay which is a beautiful beach and farmland owned by Sophie’s family in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. There is no electricity or running water there so it was a big logistical challenge – we had to bring in generators, water tanks, portable toilets etc. We married on the 9th of February 2013 – the same date Sophie’s parents married (they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on the same day as our wedding) and we married in the church Sophie’s parents and sister married in, Sophie and her siblings were christened in, and where family funerals have been held. The church is the third oldest in New Zealand.

Our wedding was a true labour of love. We organised and planned everything ourselves. Sophie designed and made the cupcakes, lollipops and treats for the lolly buffet and wrote every single guest a personalised, hand-made card telling them what they meant to us. She brought dozens of candelabras, jars, vases and signs and we styled the wedding ourselves. We made our own napkin holders and gift bags. We used dozens and dozens of Etsy retailers and loved that we did this and helped support independent businesses – we literally made well over a hundred transactions on Etsy for our wedding! We used white, ivory and light pink as our wedding colours and used lace everywhere (lace runners on our lolly buffet, our handmade cards featured lace, we made our own lace napkin holders, our save the dates and invitations used lace etc). The flowers/foilage we used included dahlias, tuber rose, lamb’s ear, tea roses, fresias, ornithogalum and lizzianthas.

We really wanted to spoil our guests. These were people who had loved and supported us over the years and we wanted it to be a day celebrating them too. So along with the personalised cards and lolly buffet, each guest was also given vegan chocolates and beautiful wildflower seeds, as well as a gorgeous pashmina to keep them warm later on in the night. We also made up special giftbags for our groomsmen, bridesmaids, MC and some special family members who were going above and beyond for us! Our guest gifts were quite a large expense for us, but we were so glad we honoured them in this way! :)

We incorporated our Christian beliefs on marriage by using Bible verses on love as table names, and had a beautiful Christian ceremony.

We squeezed our budget to include videography and it was one of the very best decisions we made! We had a fair few family and friends who couldn’t attend our wedding, including Sophie’s friends from her dysautonomia support group, DYNA. A lot of them couldn’t make the trip because of illness and we wanted to have a video of our special day to show them, as well as our other friends and fam that couldn’t make it. We are so glad we hired our videographers and would highly recommend hiring them for your wedding!

You might want to take a deep breath and sit down before soaking in this wedding – because to say it’s breathtaking would be the understatement of the year. And really, I am struggling to find words to do it justice. So instead I’ll let the images from Alpine Image Company and the film from Sunshine Wedding Films speak for themselves. And boy to they have something really gorgeous to say. See them all here.

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New Zealand Wedding from The Piccadilly Flower Company

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Casual

From the Bride… When Kevin and I first got engaged, we were incredibly conflicted over what kind of wedding we wanted. Both Kevin and I are fairly introverted and dislike being the center of attention, making a big wedding (the only possibility given the size of Kevin’s close extended family) rather overwhelming and not completely “us.” We also were concerned with the high cost of weddings, which we would predominantly be paying for ourselves, and did not want to be overwhelmed with planning a wedding. On the other hand, we knew our family and friends were excited to celebrate with us, and we did not want to disappoint anyone.

Ultimately, we decided on the best of both worlds. Kevin and I decided to “elope” in New Zealand — a country we visited three years ago and absolutely fell in love with — and then we will have a New Zealand-themed reception near Kevin’s hometown in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (the party is in May). We chose to do a “heli-wedding” – a helicopter picked us up from our hotel and took us to the top of Coromandel Peak in Wanaka, New Zealand, a stunning lakeside town in the South Island. Our decision was absolutely perfect for us (“perfect” was a word used about a hundred times that day), and 12.12.12 was a magical day.

We wanted our wedding in New Zealand to be official, so we worked with Minetta Hope of The Wedding Company to coordinate all details of our wedding. She planned every detail (from all the legalities to the coordination of all vendors, including photography, videography, hair, makeup, flowers, and dinner) perfectly and was so incredibly helpful. She made the process entirely stress free and fun — all I had to do was pick out my dress and accessories, and make some flowers decisions. Everyone we worked with just made the day so special. We could not be happier, and now we have our reception to look forward to! [dotted]

Truth be told, I can be a bit of a chatty Cathy. And rarely do I find myself completely speechless. But this New Zealand stunner has left me tongue tied and heart aflutter. No joke. With what may be the most pretty natural setting I’ve seen and endless peachy blooms by The Piccadilly Flower Company, this wedding is the total package. But don’t just take my word for it. See all the lovely captured by Catherine Cattanach right here.

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New Zealand Wedding Film from bubblerock

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Casual Romantic

From The Piccadilly Flower Company…This wedding was a moment of loveliness that I will add to a bank of weddings to daydream about for years to come. Katie and Charlie arranged a wonderful day to celebrate with family and friends at Springfield on the Kapiti Coast, just north of Wellington, New Zealand. Springfield is a setting that many would dream of. Not only are guests treated to delicious food from the famous kitchens of Ruth Pretty but they get a country garden setting and beautifully restored homestead to enjoy. Katie’s day started at an amazing house designed by Fritz Eisenhofer. It had an indoor pool just inside the front door, white curves and a flower shaped skylight and was the perfect backdrop for photographer Catherine Cattanach to capture the bouquets and beautiful details.

The shiny polish of perfection in Katie and Charlie’s late summer wedding can be credited largely to nature itself, with a little help from some of Wellington’s finest. If we could have asked for the ash trees that lined the aisle to coordinate with the wedding flowers we would, and if it was possible for us to tone the sun to be the perfect warm shades of coral and peach we would. We didn’t need to; nature just delivered those little treats. Katie and Charlie’s lovely day shows how using season can add a delightful sense of harmony to a wedding. I’ve been fascinated by this for a long time and since making New Zealand home and facing the challenges of seasonality here (very few flowers are imported to protect the ecology) it’s become a part of how we work to evoke this subtle satisfaction through any event. Couples really have to rely on us to select, design and create in the moment with the flowers and foliage that are best on the day. We work on the inspirations we are given and choose blooms to create the bride and groom’s vision. Katie and Charlie inspired me with their sense of individuality; they wanted their wedding to include the things they liked and in a style that was theirs.

Katie and I spoke afterwards about how we’d managed to create exactly the look she wanted, with our suggestion to change the standard fairy lights to café lights and to take out the flowing tenting. We also worked with a plant and tree nursery; Katie loves ferns, so we wanted to use punga ferns for height in the marquee. They were really special and were under planted with other soft ferns and New Zealand native plants to make them look like they had sprung from the ground in exactly the right places (an example of how we can influence nature). Katie really wanted to hang flowers over tables, as the centres were low and made to accommodate sharing platters, so we made sure the scheme worked to include ceiling space for the floral chandeliers. Katie’s favourite flowers are Asiatic Lilies so we made sure there were lots of these throughout. This is the first season we have been able to enjoy David Austin roses in NZ (commercially) and one of the three available are Juliet. We mixed the roses with interesting botanicals and of course lots of ferns. With Katie’s love of flowers she and I even joked about her not having any wedding food and spending everything on flowers. We all loved making this wedding; I especially loved throwing the leaves for the fallen leaf aisle and I think the pictures speak a million words on what a gorgeous day the couple had with all their favourite people.

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New Zealand is a little magical, isn’t it? Maybe it’s because I’m almost always seeing it through the eyes of a couple in love, but I’m convinced it’s got that special something. And when a wedding film comes our way from bubblerock, filled to bursting with so much love, joy, laughter, and that magical something, it’s a good day indeed.

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New Zealand Wedding from Sergio Mottola

From the beautiful bride … We had been together for nine years when Jase proposed to me via a message nestled in a giant fortune cookie. He had organised a pre-30th birthday back home in NZ, a week shy of my real birthday, and presented the cookie to me in front of a restaurant room full of friends.

We decided to celebrate our marriage just over a year later at Waiheke, mainly because we love the low-key and get-away vibe of the Island, and being foodies that we are, Mudbrick with its delightful menu and fabulous views was definitely the venue that ticked all the boxes. We only felt slightly disconnected with planning and coordinating the wedding from afar, as the wonders of the internet, several blogs, and the help of our bridal party, made narrowing down great options, much easier.

I had so many favourite moments of the day, everything from the excitement of waking up early to see a glorious sunrise, to getting ready with the girls amongst the buzz of the Waiheke house, and hearing the excitement of the girls playing bridal games with the boys. I loved tip-toeing on the sand to see Jase for the first time in my dream dress, travelling in a tiny blue convertible with my bridesmaids with piles of tulle squished in the front seat, and finally seeing everyone’s smiling faces as I made my way down the beautifully petalled cobble stone aisle.

The day was also full of surprises with Jase gifting me a “mrs” necklace in return for a song and dance from the bridesmaids and myself. Jase was also brave enough to get down on one knee during our vow exchange. At the reception, our MC rapped his welcoming speech and later on, after we performed our surprise first dance, we got surprised right back with a flash mob dance performed by our bridal party and guests!

The advice I would give to future brides is to just go for what you love and like the look of. Seek the opinions of your friends and family if you need, but also stay true to what you believe would genuinely fit your wedding day vision. For those that don’t feel the need to have your wedding day filmed, we really do recommend it. bubblerock were not only a joy to have with us, but really captured and prolonged the living memories of our wonderful day.

I am so thankful for all the help from family and friends, especially with our DIY arrangements and many thanks to the fabulous suppliers, with some, whom we’ve befriended in the planning process! To us, the wedding day & night was meant for celebration, laughter and love. With perfect sunny weather, our wedding was exactly that.

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Wedding Dresses

Jenny Packham

Bridal 2016 Catwalk

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Wedding Dresses

Pronovias

ATELIER PRONOVIAS

PRONOVIAS

Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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I’ve always wanted to jet set to New Zealand and this sunny, happy wedding is definitely adding to that wanderlust. It’s a great combo of beauty and smiles and really great wedding fashion. That Elie Saab number has a lot to do with it but the images by Sergio Mottola maybe even more so. They just scream “we are happy and in love and have a gorgeous wedding to prove it”. See that full wedding right here.

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Queenstown, New Zealand Wedding from Alpine Image Company

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Backyard

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Casual Vintage

From …I flew from Seattle to shoot this beautiful wedding in New Zealand earlier this year. The bride and groom are both in the NZ film industry and decided to get married at an awesome private residence called St Elizabeth’s House that is sometimes used for movies and commercials. It’s full of antiques, art, and great light. The venue is about an hour outside of Auckland on a beautiful little harbor.

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When a wedding is this beautiful, you have to stop and stay awhile. Or more accurately, stop and stare awhile. Because days like this? They are sooo chock-full of beautiful details and sooo filled with magical moments, you need more than just a few minutes to soak it all in. From the breathtaking Stoneridge Estate setting to the beautiful blooms from The Flower Room to the gallery of gorgeous captured by Alpine Image Company, it’s what we call a swoon-fest from start to finish. See it all right here.

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Estate Weddings

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Auckland New Zealand Wedding from Sutherland Kovach Studio

From the Bride… Simplistic timeless elegance are the words that come to mind when I reflect on our beautifully perfect wedding day. On our wedding day we woke up at the stunning Arrowfield Luxury Apartments, to crystal clear out of this world scenery; which is standard at this diamond of a location. As the day proceeds, Nadine captures special moments which depict our intense feelings of love and joy. She portrays the beauty of our bridal party, the caring support of our family and the attention to detail, which all lead to an idea that love is the moment that lasts forever.

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Wedding Photography: Nadine from Alpine Image Company | Ceremony Venue: The Chaple by the Lake, Stoneridge Estate in Lake Hayes, Queenstown, New Zealand | Reception Location: Stoneridge Estate in Lake Hayes, Queenstown, New Zealand | Event Planning: The Bride | Floral Design: Sarah from The Flower Room | Wedding Cake: Melissa from Cherry Blossom Cakes | Favors: Devonport Chocolates | Wedding Invitations: Jessica from Huetopia Design | Transportation: Classic Carriage | Wedding Dress: Bliss by Monique Lhuillier | Bride’s Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. + Michael Hill | Bride’s Veil + Pins: Natalie Chan | Bride’s Nail Art: Cherry Nails | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Monique Lhuillier | Bridesmaids Jewelry: Pandora | Groom + Groomsmen Atire: Belmoral Suit Hire | Hair: Crew Haircutters | Makeup: Lauren Weir, Maid of Honor

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Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier Bridal Fall 2015

Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Spring 2016

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I spend my day dreaming. Dreaming of the most perfect details, of the sweetest love stories, and dreaming of the celebrations that bring them all together. So when I come across a wedding like this one from Sutherland Kovach Studio – a wedding I swear is prettier than I could even dream up – I make sure to cozy up real close. And when its all topped off with a Jenny Packham gown that just happens to be too pretty for words – we’re left with a wedding that’s being filed under my favorites for sure. See so much more here.

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