Real Wedding: Toni & Dane – Photography by Amy Kate

Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate

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

We met as teenagers, Dane was my older brothers friend and would be over at our house most weekends and after school. 

We quickly became friends and things slowly grew into a relationship, and we have been together even since. After 11 years Dane popped the question on a holiday to New Caledonia, I was so surprised I almost fell of my paddleboard!

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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 chose Palm Beach on Waiheke Island, it is a really special place to us as we have both spent a lot of time there separately and also together. Because Waiheke is such a popular wedding destination, we wanted to make our day unique so we decided to have a relaxed beach ceremony and the reception was held in a small humble hall at the other end of the beach. It was a blank canvas, but with help from our amazing vendors we were able to make the place feel really elegant and beautiful. We used both local and nationwide vendors (some even coming all the way from Queenstown), and every single one of them went above and beyond for us. LL furniture hire from Tauranga were incredible to work with, and their slick operation made the set-up and pack down so seamless. The Cellar Doors band from Queenstown were amazing and blew us away, even learning new songs just for us. Our florist Karen Dunsmore worked so hard and really went the extra mile. The service our celebrant Matt Warman provided was so bespoke and very personal which we loved. And the make-up artist really nailed my brief, and she did our hair too!

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Tell us about your main outfits:

I chose my dress early on in our engagement after seeing it on the runway during Paris fashion week, the designer Rime Arodaky is a favourite of mine and it was a no brainer. I love how it is classic and more tradition in the front, but more contemporary with the cut out detailing at the back. Dane wanted a less traditional outfit, so he opted for a non-matching suit and the linen worked well with the relaxed location.

Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate

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

The entire day was so eventful, with so many memorable moments happening throughout. My Dad played our first dance song along with my brothers band which was a very special moment, and later in the night a couple of our friends got up and switched with the band members to play a few songs, it was very impromptu and we loved it.

Heading away after the ceremony for a few photos was really lovely, and as we had such a small bridal party we could all fit in one car. Our maid of honour and best man are actually husband and wife, it was such a nice opportunity to have some time with just us, and a bit of a debrief after the ceremony and anticipation for the evening to come. Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate

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

Plan as much as you can while you can, and whilst it’s still very exciting and not a chore. I had everything so organised that when it came down to the big day, everything ran so smoothly and there were very few things that were forgotten. Also, delegate. Friends and family love being involved, so give them tasks where possible and it will ease the stress and spread the workload.

Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate Categories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy KateCategories: Weddings-Real Wedding: Toni & Dane - Photography by Amy Kate

Photographer: Amy Kate Photography | Ceremony location: Palm Beach, Waiheke Island | Reception location: Palm Beach Hall, Waiheke Island | Celebrant: Matt Warman Celebrant | Entertainment: The Cellar Doors Band (Queenstown) | Styling & Flora: Karen Dunsmore | Catering: Gill Stotter | Furniture: LL Furniture Hire | Tableware: Two Foxes | Bride’s dress: Rime Arodaky | Groom & Bestman’s attire: Barkers Menswear | Rings: Wedding bands handmade by the bride | Bride’s shoes: La Tribe | Groom’s cufflinks: Handmade by the bride | Robes: Wallace Cotton | Maid of Honour’s dress: Blak Blak | Hair & Makeup: Laura Williamson