KIM & MIKEY - 7 YEARS OF SMILES

We were travelling to America and Mikey had secretly organised for the ring to be collected from the airport along the way. It wasn't quite ready so he decided to get it sent to our accommodation in San Fran (ballsy!) Apparently after a fair bit of searching at the hotels reception, the ring waited in a pile of mail for its collection. From here, Mikey carried it around NYC before proposing on a park bench nestled beside The Lake in Central Park. We had been together for 7 years at the time and it was such a special moment we will both remember forever. We celebrated lots over the next few days, together and with our new friends we met the day after the proposal who we still keep in touch with every day.

The Day

We didn't have a specific date in mind but knew we wanted an outdoor wedding so started looking at summer dates. At the very start of our planning (2 years in advance) I checked in with a photographer I had been following for a while and dreamed of having for our day. She had one date left for 2020, so December 5th it was. We are extremely lucky and grateful this date worked out in terms of the year that was! Our plans changed a lot as we realised how much work was involved in planning a wedding, but in the end we found an awesome spot in the city which meant transport wasn't an issue and it was easy to get to. We wanted somewhere we could have both the ceremony and reception and as a bonus the location was perfect for photos meaning we had more time to enjoy our day and be amongst all the fun with our guests.

Inspiration

Without realising we actually went for a theme which reflects our usual style and ended up finding our wedding kind of matched the interior of our house. I would say it was a mix of boho and modern rustic with lots of warm tones and greenery. I am an avid Pinterester anyway so naturally spent HOURS on Pinterest for inspiration but in the end you know what you want and what reflects you as a couple. I also loved buying the Together Journal and flicking through with a cuppa, it was about as close as "down time" gets when planning a wedding.

Expectations and Reality

We always expected the day would be an absolute ball and it totally was! We prepared ourselves for some things to naturally "go wrong" which is all part of it and don't affect the day overall whatsoever. We were surprised at just how fast it went even though we had been told this by everyone and I was also surprised at how nervous I was! But you just have to ride the emotions and know as soon as you get up the aisle the nerves go, you're looking at the person you love and are about to marry and excitement kicks in instead! 

From One Bride To Another

Our biggest tip is to communicate well with your vendors especially if you don't have a planner like us! Know exactly where each of you stand and what is expected from both sides to get the outcome you want. Ask all those niggly questions, send 100 emails if you have to because on the day you will be so much more relaxed! I also recommend scheduling some time on the day with just your bridal party and just the two of you because it forces you to pause in time and have some pretty special moments.

Best Moment

So hard to choose one moment as there are lots we want to re live! But right after the ceremony, walking down the aisle together to cocktail hour was pretty cool. The feeling of officially being married but also having the rest of the biggest party of your life to look forward to was just so exciting, we loved every minute of it. Ok just one more! Having our dog bought to the venue to have a cuddle and some pictures with was so special! If your doggos a little too wild to have off a lead at the ceremony and instead you can manage to get an amazing human like we had to bring your dog later in the day, you will have zero regrets! It bought a bit of normality into our day as we literally took him for a walk. It was awesome.

Vendors:

Location - Omarino Estate
Photographer - Sarah Clements Photography
Catering - Bacon Brothers / Social Platter Company / Moustache Cookies (Cake)
Flowers and Styling/Hire - Cressy and Charmed
Dress - Brides of Merivale
Suits - Hallenstines
Bridesmaids Dresses - BLAK
Rings - Storm and Baker / Pascoes
Transport - Christchurch Shuttles and Tours
Signage / Invitations - State of Elliott / Etsy
Celebrant - Glenn Livingstone
DJ - Eric The Entertainer
Hair - Styled by Ren / Grant at Barber & Co
Makeup - Stacey Banfield MUA
Shoes - Merchant / RM Williams
Arches - Hand Made by Brides Dad