Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
We have been together for 4 years now but have known each other for nearly 7 – We met at Laneways Festival in Auckland just before Riki was heading to live in London for a couple of years.
Luckily the timing was right when he got back & everything has been a bit of a whirlwind ever since! We bought our property in Matakana a couple of years ago & went from flatting in Ponsonby to owning land in the country – It was a big lifestyle change but we never looked back. Now between commuting during the week to the city (Riki works in IT & Jessie in wine) we spend our weekends walking the dogs at the beach & working on the house & garden which never stops growing!
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…
As we live in Matakana it was really important for us to get married here, the Whangateau Hall is where we would often walk the dogs & we absolutely fell in love with the charm of it. We knew straight away that was the place we wanted to say ‘I do’. All our photos were taken in special places for us – from at the Boat Shed where we got engaged, to the top of our road with views over the water & our very own garden with Dudley (our HuntawayX)!
The theme was very much aligned with Matakana, a little rustic but romantic, we also didn’t want to worry about traditions, the whole day was as relaxed & as fun as possible. Good people, good food, good wine & good music were our recipe for success!
Tell us about your main outfits:
It took me a little while to decide on what style of dress I wanted – Feeling like I didn’t really fit the traditional bride style, but once I came across the Rue de Seine dresses it all made sense. I was actually at the first showing of the new season dresses & I fell in love with all of them, feeling a little deflated & stressed as I hadn’t found ‘the one’ the designer suggested I try on the Adelia Lune, despite the fact that it didn’t fit the brief of what I thought I wanted. Once it was on I knew, paid for it straight away & didn’t see it again til 6 months later as it hadn’t even been released to the press yet! I felt like a million dollars all day in it.
Riki’s decision was easy… We went in & met Murry Crane & without any hesitation or doubt let him lead the way with his expertise.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
We decided to do our photos before the ceremony so we could spend the rest of the day with all our family & friends, having that couple of hours together with our bridal party helped us feel relaxed & at ease before the ceremony. The champagne definitely helped too!
The first thing we booked for our wedding was the band – White Chapel Jak – as they had played the Matakana Markets a few times & always got people dancing, there was a moment where they had everyone on the dancefloor doing the dance to Beyonce ‘Single Ladies’ that we both knew we’d achieved our goal – for everyone to have a good time!
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Listen to each other, respect each other & always make sure you have eaten before doing any wedding set up!
Photographer: Hollow & Co | Ceremony location: Whangateau Hall | Reception location: The Woolshed, Matakana Country Park | Celebrant: Let’s Say I Do | Entertainment: White Chapel Jak & DJ Andy JV | Styling: Hayley Richmond Stylist | Flora: Leaf & Honey | Catering: Smiths Matakana & Red+White Cellar | Cake: The Caker | Bride’s dress: Rue de Seine Adelia Lune Dress | Groom’s attire: Crane Brothers linen suit | Bridesmaid dresses: Shona Joy | Groomsmen: Industrie |Rings: Naveya & Sloane | Bride’s shoes: See by Chloe | Groom’s shoes: Merchant | Makeup: All Made Up | Hair: Katie Hook – Loxys
