Annelies & Tim by Jackson Bright Photography

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

Tim and I met at Auckland Rowing Club 7 years ago, after a quick Facebook stalk and first date at a local café, we became inseparable and moved in with each other after 3 months! I know, crazy…

After finishing our studies in Auckland, we made the move down to Tauranga for a new job opportunity for Tim. Tim is a Strength and Conditioning Coach and I am a Registered Nurse. We both love our pet family consisting of two cats; Skye and Millie, and our dog; Monty. We both live pretty busy lives, when we are not working, we love endurance sports and anything that involves the outdoors.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…

We loved the idea of doing a “first look” somewhere amazing before the ceremony, to calm the nerves and mean we could spend more time with our family and friends at the venue. Ataahua was the dream venue for us with myself having a Dutch heritage, something that reflected this was important to me and Ataahua was the perfect fit with its European styled courtyard and surrounding gardens. Our wedding was in Autumn and the colours of the gardens were reflected in other aspects of the wedding such as our flowers and table napkins.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Finding a wedding dress was really hard! After having a look around some Auckland bridal stores with no luck I flew my mum and I down to Wellington to Paperswan Bride. Their service was incredible and I could not recommend them enough! Ness helped me find my dream dress and made me quickly realise that I wasn’t a sparkly, princess bride, and fell in love with the simple modern bride look. My veil and earrings tied the look together, and my non-bridal shoes were just what I was wanting. Tim’s suit was from the cutest shop in our hometown, Leanne helped us so much with Tim’s suit and the groomsmen’s suits. Tim’s jacket was linen and had a fine gold checker through it, he opted for casual pants and brown boots.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

I swapped out my heels for my Havianas and trekked up part of Mount Maunganui for our first look ; we were so lucky with the weather (especially because we didn’t have a backup plan). It was so nice just Tim and I before the rest of the bridal party arrived. Secondly, our celebrant Hayden Reid made our ceremony so relaxed and tailored to both of our personalities. Tim knew Hayden already through work and it was nice to have someone we knew. Our band Adam and Kyle Mclean were awesome! They interacted with the crowd so well, a tambourine was passed around and it turned into a bit of a country karaoke with a conga line.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Marriage to Tim and I is about enjoying the good times with a glass of Pinot Noir, encourage each other to take opportunities and not only marrying the right partner, but being the right partner.

Photography: Jackson Bright Photography | Ceremony and Reception location: Ataahua Garden Venue | Celebrant: Hayden Reid | Bride’s gown: Oui the Label | Groom’s suit: Tauranga Menswear | Rings: Michael Hill Jeweller | Shoes: Bride- LA Tribe-Penny Heel, Groom- Wild Rhino | Bride’s earrings: Amelie George Bridal | Bride’s veil: JJs House | Makeup: Estelles Makeup and Hair | Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Blak | Groomsmen’s attire: Tauranga Menswear | Entertainment: Adam Mclean Music | Styling: Bride | Flora: On My Hand | Catering and Beverages: Hereford Kitchen | Cake: Sage and Grace | Napkins and Table Runner: Tble Linen