Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
We started dating almost 10 years ago and had a really fun ‘click’ right from the word go. With my carefree spontaneous approach to life coupled with his structured goal driven mind, we’ve always been a really great balance for one another.
I’m a freelance photographer and he is a surf sales rep meaning we both work from home and love all the extra time we get together. We love the outdoors and fill all our spare time with surfing, snowboarding, fishing, hiking and anything else that involves nature. We have always been really proud of our ability to communicate and identify when life is getting in the way of us connecting properly. We’ve practically grown up together so we know each other so well it’s scary!
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 really wanted to focus on what it was all about rather than getting caught up on all the details of a huge wedding. So we kept it as simple as possible. Just us and a few key people (like witnesses – our friends who married the same way in Portugal) and a photographer to capture images we can show our kids one day.
Our favourite beach is Muriwai, so we knew it would be perfect for what we wanted to do. We could drive way up the beach to a secluded spot so we could have it all to ourselves. We did all the legal stuff at the registry office in the morning, scared the bejeezus out of our families and then had our own private ceremony on the beach where we read our own personal vows to each other.
The following day we had a low key BBQ with some friends and dropped the bomb on them that we got married! Everyone was super surprised because we hadn’t even got engaged yet. Straight to the good stuff.
Tell us about your main outfits:
We both just wanted to be really comfortable. I knew the Grace Loves Lace Paloma was made from stretch lace and is a style I would normally wear (without a massive train of course). Jordan wanted to wear something that was a little untraditional, so went for a casual grey blazer and his favourite boots.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
Jordan and I both have a real love for sunsets. On the lead up to the day I was really disappointed that the weather forecast was cloudy with showers. I had to accept that I wasn’t going to get the beautiful golden light that I love so much.
Fast forward to standing on the top of a sand dune, reading our vows to one another, Jordan was finishing off his vows with a poem he had written about me being his own personal sunset. As he was speaking, the sun broke through the clouds onto his face and all I could do was splutter out this weird half cry laugh. Jordan thinking I was laughing at his heart felt poem said “what’s so funny?” and I replied “do you see what’s happening right now”. When he realised he was bathed in golden light we just couldn’t stop laughing. We were then treated to a beautiful sunset and ran around on the beach like little giddy kiddies.
Surprising our mums was seriously one of the funniest things ever too (insert lots of screaming here). We really underestimated how much we would enjoy telling each individual person. It was really special to spend real quality time with each person as we got to see their outpouring of love each time we shared our news.
Headed back to our accomodation after the beach to have takeaway burgers and our own private first dance was also a massive highlight.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Make time for each other. We can highly recommend not taking your phone to bed. You can catch up on each other’s day with no distractions and the first thing you look at in the morning is your partners face, not a screen. We think it’s really important to remember that the little moments you spend talking and listening build towards a better understanding of your partner.
Photographer: Brijana Cato Photography | Ceremony location: Muriwai Beach, Auckland | Reception location: Hog Hill Barn | Catering: Onboard Kitchen | Wedding dress: Grace Loves Lace (“Paloma”) | Groom’s attire: Barkers, Country Road | Rings: Naveya & Sloane | Earrings: Zoe & Morgan | Shoes: The Iconic
