CHLOE AND MATT - MARRIED AT THE OFFICERS MESS

My husband proposed to me in the living room of our home. It was intimate, private and so perfectly us. On the morning of the proposal, my husband Matt had our dog Harvey wake me up. Moments after my eyes opened, Matt was on one knee asking me to spend the rest of my life with him.  

We got married at The Officers Mess in Devonport on the North Shore of Auckland. I was brought up on the North Shore my entire life and it will always feel like my true home. Even though work has my husband and I living on the opposite end of Auckland, this venue with the picturesque views of Rangitoto Island felt like home in the most magical way. We fell in love with The Officers Mess as soon as we saw it and couldn't imagine getting married at any other venue. 

There was no particular theme to our wedding nor were there particular 'trends' we followed. I am not the type of person who has ever followed a trend because it is simply 'in trend.' I love what I love and I rarely change my mind. I suppose this made it easier when I was planning our wedding. What I can say however is that our wedding in terms of our colour palette and decorations really centred around my Hayley Paige wedding dress. My wedding dress was the dress of my dreams, and the beautiful blush pink tones within my dress were complimented so beautifully with the gorgeous bridesmaids dresses, groom/groomsmen suits and stunning florals by Blush.

All I can say is that I expected our day to be filled with love and laughter and that is exactly what it was. Our wedding day was perfect and I only wish we could go back and do it all over again.

The big surprise on our wedding day was the flawless weather we had. Matt and I were definitely a bit nervous about getting married in Spring as the weather can be a bit of a gamble (especially in Auckland). However, what we were gifted with was beautiful blue skies, a light breeze coming off the ocean, a sun that warmed everyone but didn't have the heat of a New Zealand summer sun. It really could not have been a more perfect day.

Take a breath and don't let the small stuff overshadow the importance of the day. There will likely be things that don't go perfectly to plan and whilst that can be disappointing, it is so important to take a step back and breathe in the love that intensely envelops you and your husband/wife on your big day. It is a day you will never forget.

What I would do to be able to go back and exchange our vows again. The ceremony is such a whirlwind of emotions and it was so special to look into Matt's eyes and know that these were the words that would begin our journey together and will continue to live on throughout our lives as husband and wife. We cannot wait to watch our ceremony back thanks to our amazing Videographer Ben, from Side Project Films.

Venue: The Officers Mess
Photographer: Jonathan Suckling
Videographer: Ben Journee from Side Project Films
Hair: Brooke Mann from Hare and Hunter
Makeup: Kate Solley
Florist: Abby from Blush
Celebrant: Yvette Reid
Marquee/Bench Seats: Utterly Marquee
Signage: My sister/maid of honour Mikayla and my brother-in-law Ben
Band: The Levites
Cake/Doughnuts: The Cheesecake Shop + Krispy Kreme
Bride Dress: 'Hayley' dress by Hayley Paige (bought second-hand from Still White
Bridesmaid Dresses: Blak
Groom Suit: Hallensteins (waistcoat from YD)
Groomsmen Suits: Hallensteins