New Zealand Wedding at Allely House by Sutherland Kovach Studio
I get a bit giddy when a graphic designer ties the knot. It's true. Because they always seem to leave their talented mark on each and every well-thought out detail...making for one beautifully branded affair. This fun fête by Sutherland Kovach Studio is the perfect example of just that. It's detail-filled and oh so personal for this new Mr. & Mrs. - making for one pin-worthy gallery of images!
Sue and Julian's relationship started off as long-distance, so travel and adventure has always been a part of them. Sue and Julian wanted their big day to reflect this, they also wanted to share their story, so everyone could appreciate why they were getting married. As a graphic designer, creating all the wedding stationery was Sue's passion. For their save-the-date, she created a fridge magnet. This was an illustration of a little red plane with a banner announcing their wedding date. Julian individually hand-cut these and tied them together. This red plane was a teaser of what was to come. For the wedding invite, Sue created a 16-page book illustrating their story. At the end of the story were their wedding details, inviting the guests to be part of their next chapter. Not everyone had met both Sue and Julian, so it was a nice touch for them to learn something about the couple before seeing them on their big day.
The theme of travel, adventure and storytelling continued throughout their wedding. Sue had created another little book which was titled "The Next Chapter". This included their order of service, which was also written like a story and then had the guests' "itinerary" for the rest of the day. The venue was a lovely old villa, and the ceremony was held in their beautiful gardens. Sue and Julian's wedding was one big DIY project, if it was possible to create something themselves, they would. Julian's parents were a tremendous help. The decorations had a garden party feel — there were about 80 metres of bunting across the rooms, artificial grass as table runners, hand-painted wooden table signs and beautiful flowers in assorted old glass jars and bottles. The cake topper was a little red plane, this time with a banner saying "Just Married". The colour theme for the bridal party was different tones of turquoise, mint and teal. The bridesmaids' dresses were in two different tones and Julian's mum handmade the groomsmen's ties to match. She also made the page boy's bow tie and suspenders. As there was no such flower that naturally has these hues, Sue wanted to somehow incorporate the colour theme in the floral details. So with a huge help from Julian's parents, they handmade turquoise-coloured felt balls and used them in the buttonholes, bouquets and table decorations. There were about 166 balls in total!
While Sue and Julian were both born in New Zealand, they still wanted to acknowledge some Chinese traditions. They incorporated the Chinese tea ceremony into their wedding, which made the ceremony more personalised and meaningful for them. Instead of a traditional ring pillow, they had their rings tied together around a book called "The Book of Love". Inside this book were their vows, which they pulled out to read. Sue designed the table seating plan as a world map, which also showed all the places they have traveled. The map was also for the guests to find which table they would be traveling to for the night. Each table was named after a city that Julian and Sue have visited. As their guests arrived at their seats they would find a postcard addressed to them. The postcards had a picture of Sue and Julian taken in that city, along with a mischievous story. Each table had a couple of different stories, so guests shared them with each other. On the bridal table, Sue and Julian wrote personalised postcards to their bridal party, thanking them and recalling an adventure that had shared with them. During the reception they showed a slideshow, a photographic journey of their adventures and travels. By then, everyone was already familiar with their story so the photos were more meaningful. Sue and Julian received lovely feedback from their guests, saying how much they enjoyed the day and how they had felt part of their journey. So not only was it a memorable and special day for Sue and Julian, but also for their friends and family, who all wished them a happily ever after.
Wedding Photography: Sutherland Kovach Studio / Wedding Venue: Allely House in Kumeu, New Zealand / Floral Design + Cake Flowers: Leaf and Honey / Officiant: George Lowe / Wedding Cake: The Caker / Wedding Dress: Jessica Bridal / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jessica Bridal / Hair: Amelia Rush / Makeup: Soo Kim / Groom's Suit: Crane Brothers / Groomsmen's Suits: Frank Casey
The theme of travel, adventure and storytelling continued throughout their wedding. Sue had created another little book which was titled "The Next Chapter". This included their order of service, which was also written like a story and then had the guests' "itinerary" for the rest of the day. The venue was a lovely old villa, and the ceremony was held in their beautiful gardens. Sue and Julian's wedding was one big DIY project, if it was possible to create something themselves, they would. Julian's parents were a tremendous help. The decorations had a garden party feel — there were about 80 metres of bunting across the rooms, artificial grass as table runners, hand-painted wooden table signs and beautiful flowers in assorted old glass jars and bottles. The cake topper was a little red plane, this time with a banner saying "Just Married". The colour theme for the bridal party was different tones of turquoise, mint and teal. The bridesmaids' dresses were in two different tones and Julian's mum handmade the groomsmen's ties to match. She also made the page boy's bow tie and suspenders. As there was no such flower that naturally has these hues, Sue wanted to somehow incorporate the colour theme in the floral details. So with a huge help from Julian's parents, they handmade turquoise-coloured felt balls and used them in the buttonholes, bouquets and table decorations. There were about 166 balls in total!
While Sue and Julian were both born in New Zealand, they still wanted to acknowledge some Chinese traditions. They incorporated the Chinese tea ceremony into their wedding, which made the ceremony more personalised and meaningful for them. Instead of a traditional ring pillow, they had their rings tied together around a book called "The Book of Love". Inside this book were their vows, which they pulled out to read. Sue designed the table seating plan as a world map, which also showed all the places they have traveled. The map was also for the guests to find which table they would be traveling to for the night. Each table was named after a city that Julian and Sue have visited. As their guests arrived at their seats they would find a postcard addressed to them. The postcards had a picture of Sue and Julian taken in that city, along with a mischievous story. Each table had a couple of different stories, so guests shared them with each other. On the bridal table, Sue and Julian wrote personalised postcards to their bridal party, thanking them and recalling an adventure that had shared with them. During the reception they showed a slideshow, a photographic journey of their adventures and travels. By then, everyone was already familiar with their story so the photos were more meaningful. Sue and Julian received lovely feedback from their guests, saying how much they enjoyed the day and how they had felt part of their journey. So not only was it a memorable and special day for Sue and Julian, but also for their friends and family, who all wished them a happily ever after.
Wedding Photography: Sutherland Kovach Studio / Wedding Venue: Allely House in Kumeu, New Zealand / Floral Design + Cake Flowers: Leaf and Honey / Officiant: George Lowe / Wedding Cake: The Caker / Wedding Dress: Jessica Bridal / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jessica Bridal / Hair: Amelia Rush / Makeup: Soo Kim / Groom's Suit: Crane Brothers / Groomsmen's Suits: Frank Casey