Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
Our relationship pretty much started out as one giant (but very successful) gamble.
We met in our final year of Uni and having only been dating 6 months threw caution to the wind and jumped the ditch to Sydney. What a decision it was – We moved in together straight away and bonded immediately over our joint love of best foods mayo.
After 5 years we ditched our Sydney lifestyle and made our way back to NZ the long way round, spending 6 months travelling through Europe and South America.
Ultimately our gamble ended up in a 7 year relationship, acquiring far too many Australian friends, a beagle with a stumpy ear and a considerable passion for chicken nuggets.
We don’t like to talk about ourselves a whole lot, but what we do know is that we love each other a ridiculous amount, love a laugh and try really hard to not take ourselves too seriously. No matter what we do in our lives, we try and make it about family, friends and good times as much as possible.
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 our wedding to be more about the people in our lives than about us. Originally we wanted a low key wedding at Lucy’s family bach in Rawhiti which has seen many good times over the years. However, after realising that it was actually going to put more stress on our family and friends to help pull that all off, our sister-in-law suggested Kauri Bay Boomrock. The way the venue is set up with the beautiful north facing doors out to the lawn with the view over the harbour was really similar to the relaxed vibe at Rawhiti. As soon as they showed us all the games our guests could play during the day we knew it was the perfect spot for us – we are all about banter inducing activities!
Our style is all about being relaxed, understated but with a few quirky surprises. A good example of this was Lu Diamond’s super lush arch, which was probably the only major feature in the wedding but it worked perfectly to centre the whole venue and produced a bunch of amazing photos of our guests. We also had green garlands running diagonally through the venue that broke up the ceiling space and made the room feel cosy and together.
We love the idea of sharing because it gets people talking, so we tried to keep the food sharing style but with everyone served their own individual portions of meat (crucial for those sitting next to the greedy uncle). We brought our own dessert (donuts and wedding cake) which we had on a side table so everyone was able to get up and mingle once mains were finished.
Getting the dancefloor cranking was also really important to us, so we hired a DJ who plays the saxophone over basically any song list you give him (Lewis McCallum – look him up). He was even such a good sport that later in the night he opened the mic to the odd guest who fancied themselves as a part-time Robbie Williams.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Lucy: I was an absolutely useless bride so a big shout out has to go to my Sister in Law Anna who dealt with my indecisiveness and is the main reason I managed to turn up in a dress at all. I initially wanted a wedding dress with some sort of funky lace but after realising that my 5.1 frame looked like it had been attacked by toilet paper in overly detailed dresses I decided to go for something really simple that still had a jazzy little twist. I ended up with Rue de Seine’s Hendrix gown which originally has a bunch of shells and ties on it that I removed so it was just a simple, low V gown with some small cut outs in the hips. Taking all the ties off and me being a midget meant there was a tonne of alterations that needed to be done. I can’t thank Jess at Megs tailoring enough for all the work she put into it, and the firm but fair love she gave me to get it where it needed to be. Because the dress was such a simple silhouette, I added an amazing pair of statement earrings from Christine Nicolaides and some burgundy coloured heels from Chaos and Harmony that were so comfortable I managed to wear them the whole night right up until the bus arrived.
For my girls, I really wanted them to feel comfortable, have something they could wear again and just be the best versions of themselves. I knew I wanted a tonal/neutral colour theme but I didn’t want to force people into one colour when they all had such different tones and unique features that needed to be highlighted. We ended up with 3 of the girls in Miss Crabb summertime dresses in black, khaki and grey and one in a Juliette Hogan wrap dress in an amazing olive colour. For hair and makeup, all I wanted was for everyone to look themselves but a way better version that none of us could ever achieve on our own. Both Sam Snow and Serenity makeup did an incredible job at listening to what everyone wanted and making it look effortless. I had so many people come up to me and comment on how amazing the bridesmaids looked which just made my day.
Grant: I was really keen to go for a tailored suit because when else do you have the excuse? Working Style were awesome – an initial measurement, a fabric choice and a final fitting were all it took. It was a pretty hot day so having the ability to swap the jacket for a waistcoat was an absolute treat. 3 Wise Men sorted the suits for the lads with a really nice dark navy off-the-rack suit that was slightly darker than mine. The best part – for only slightly more than the cost of hiring suits each of my groomsmen were able to take theirs home.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
We’ve always referred to each other as sidekicks and so when Grant managed to source a sidecar for our wedding from an enthusiast located in the depths of the North Shore we couldn’t quite believe it. While the sidecar ended being less ‘vintage class’ and more ‘Marty McFly Back To The Future’ it really was a laugh taking photos on it with our crew. Our photographer Coralee Stone was a sport to go along with it.
Another classic moment also relating to Grant’s procurement skills was the 12kg of McDonald’s chicken nuggets that Kauri Bay served at 11pm right at the peak of the dancefloor. Having completely forgotten about this prior arrangement, being tapped on the shoulder half way through Sweet Caroline only to be presented with actual McDonald’s nuggets with sweet n sour sauce on the side was really one of those night making memories.
There were so many other moments across the day that we’ll never forget (and often wish we could live over again):
- Having a crazy number of friends come from Aussie and the UK
- The hilarity of our Australian MCs Wilco and Lack
- Lucy’s maid of honour tap dancing
- Love blossoming between a bridesmaid and a groomsmen
- Our first dance being over
- All the speeches. So many tears and so much laughter it was hard to cope with the rollercoaster of emotion
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Our number one piece of advice is to try and not take yourselves too seriously. Find a couple of unique quirky things to add to your day that is meaningful to you both and don’t stress the other details. Sit back and enjoy the most amazing party to celebrate the love of all your family and friends.
Photographer: Coralee Stone | Ceremony, Reception location & Catering: Kauri Bay Boomrock | Celebrant: Rev Warner Wilder | Entertainment: Lewis McCallum | Flora: Lu Diamond | Cake: The Caker | Bride’s dress: Rue de Seine | Groom’s attire: Working Style | Rings: Naveya & Sloane | Shoes: Chaos & Harmony & 3 Wise Men | Earrings: Christie Nicolaides | Makeup: Serenity Makeup | Hair: Snow by Samantha Snow | Bridesmaid dresses: Miss Crabb & Juliette Hogan | Groomsmen suits: 3 Wise Men
