Daniel and I have known each other for many years but we reconnected over a year ago and fell in love almost instantly. We were engaged and married within six months – we just knew. Daniel does not give his heart in pieces, so from day one I knew I had his whole heart.
We are the greatest team and accept that we are different but that’s what makes marriage fun – it would be boring if we were the same! Daniel proposed on one of our regular afternoon walks on Bucklands Beach in East Auckland, on the rocks looking out towards Waiheke. It was completely out of the blue and so special. After the proposal, we went home and made dinner as usual. It was still so raw and real, which is what we are both all about. We were married on a property on Waiheke Island which belongs to Daniel’s family and we wouldn’t have dreamed of having it anywhere else. I wanted the overall look of the wedding to be clean and fresh with touches of elegance. White was the dominating colour and accents of gold and green gave life to the starkness and pulled in the landscape. The focal point of the ceremony was a huge white floral structure that framed us beautifully as we became husband and wife. We invited almost 170 guests and were lucky enough to work with an amazing wedding planner and stylist who handled all the drama. I had a custom dress and veil made by Jane Yeh that fit me like a glove. It was elegant and glamorous with long sleeves and a low back. The whole day was a whirlwind but the speeches were particularly special as we both chose to speak. It’s not so traditional for the bride to do a speech but I wanted to honour Daniel as my husband and talk about the reasons why I chose him. Our wedding was a day for pure love and complete honesty as we made the decision to be together forever. There is nothing like declaring your love for each other in front of all of your favourite people who have seen you through each season of your life. Instead of becoming an “old married couple” like everybody says, we have decided to just keep “dating” each other and treating the other person as if we just met. Being married means you are a team no matter what and are each other’s biggest fan. Your marriage will never be perfect but as long as you fight for each other and be gentle with each other it will be an incredible journey.
Photography, Benjamin & Elise | Brides Dress & Veil, Jane Yeh | Grooms Attire, Working Style | Styling, Alanna The Planner | Hair, Chloe Zara | Flora, Blush | Rings, Diamonds on Richmond & Meadowlark | Wedding panning and event co-ordination, waihekeislandweddingsandevents
