White weddings get me every time. They scream chic and exude elegance – and for me, that’s my end all be all. I surrender to weddings like this one by Kate Robinson Photography, and I’m not ashamed whatsoever to admit that fact. And then there is this couple. So completely in love, so incredibly adorable and so obviously having the best day of their lives – when you add in those cuties that’s when I throw my hands up and wave my white flag, because I’m a officially done. It’s just too good. See it all here!
From the Bride… Mike and I met during our last year of school and quickly became close friends. It wasn’t until a few years later during university in Otago when we lived together with friends that we finally got together. After uni, we moved to Auckland, which we quickly made our new home and after an awesome six years together, Mike proposed a couple of days after Christmas while we were on holiday in central Otago with an amazing day full of surprises — we were both beyond excited.
We made a rule early-on as we were planning that there was to be no stress — it was all going to be super fun and nice and relaxed, and (surprisingly) it was! We wanted everything to have a classic, chic feel and chose to stick with mostly white and champagne tones. We got to work with some amazing vendors during the process who made us feel totally at ease with all of the planning. The Wharf was the perfect venue for us and had everything that we were looking for – an beautiful venue, amazing food, awesome people and several different spaces so we were able to have both the ceremony and reception there, which was ideal for us. We chose Kate Robinson as our photographer and after spending the day with Kate at our engagement session, we became even MORE excited about our big day. My french lace, chiffon and dupioni silk dress was designed and custom-made by the amazing Jane Yeh. Our four-tier chocolate and lemon cake was made by Jenny from Heavens Cake’s and was amazing – Jenny even decorated two of the cake tiers with an exact copy of the lace from my dress. Susan from Orlando arranged all of our beautiful flowers for our bouquets and throughout the venue. We went with a total overload of white hydrangeas everywhere and a few metalina roses scattered throughout, which matched the bridesmaids dresses perfectly.
We had about 80 of our 110 guests travel from out-of-town to come to the wedding, so family and friends played the most important part in our day. We were married in front of our parents’ and grandparents’ old wedding photos, and I wore my mum’s veil and had a ruby from her engagement ring designed into my wedding band with the help of the awesome team at Carats, who also designed Mike’s ring. We attached photos of my nana, grandma and Mike’s late grandparents to my bouquet as a special little memory, and we wrapped my bouquet and Mike and his dad’s buttonholes in their family tartan. After the ceremony, while we were off for our photos, all of our guests enjoyed a harbor cruise, which was a great way for those from out of town to get to see Auckland. Our reception at The Wharf was lovely and the food was fantastic! We had personalized candles made in the USA as our wedding favors in the seven yummiest flavors we could dream up, including peanut butter cookie and caramel dark chocolate raspberry truffle, which was so much fun. We topped the night off with some serious dancing and a lovely surprise from our band, Bringing in the Band, who specially learned to play our first dance song for us.
Our favorite part of the day (aside from seeing each other at the altar, of course!) would have to have been having all of our favorite people in the whole wide world all in the same room at the same time. It sounds so cliché, but its true and is such an overwhelming feeling! We wish we could of locked them in there and re-played the day in super slow motion – it went so fast! Our advice to anyone planning a wedding would just be to make sure the day is reflective of you as a couple and everything that you love and that is meaningful to you both (even if no one else knows!). Most importantly HAVE FUN and enjoy every moment of the planning and, of course, the big day.
Wedding Photography: Kate Robinson Photography / Wedding Venue: The Wharf in Auckland, New Zealand / Floral Design: Orlando / Officiant: Melanie Kerr / Wedding Cake: For Heaven’s Cake / Wedding Stationery: Alison Owen Design / Wedding Dress: Jane Yeh / Bride’s Shoes: Guess / Bride’s Accessories: Natalie Chan / Bride’s Hair Accessories: MDB Weddings & Events / Hair: Charlotte Zieleman + Chloe Evison / Makeup: Olivia Russell / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Hera Bridal / Groom’s Suit: Frank Casey / Rings: Carats Jewellery