MARIAH & LEON - SURPRISES AT SUNSET

I surprised Leon for his birthday with a trip to Hanmer and all of his friends showed up at dinner. Little did I know, he had already chosen that weekend to surprise me. Once all his friends left the next day, he took me around the back to a lake near the Molesworth. I was hungry and a bit hangry but that all changed when I turned around to see him down on one knee! 

The Day

We got married at Bangor Farm in Christchurch on 26th March 2021. We both had fallen in love with Bangor. I love horses and he is a hunter so having it in a Deer Shed with horses all around us was about as good as it gets! 

Inspiration

The theme was 'keep it easy'. We really just let the shed do the talking and made sure there was enough room on all the tables for food and drinks! The minimalism was then added to with notes of 'autumnal rustic' to match the time of year and the venue. The autumn trees and low light made this approach work exactly how we wanted. 

Expectations and Reality

I hadn't planned for sunset photos but during dinner our photographer/videographer took Leon and I out the back where the hosts had prepared a couple of horses for us to take photos with in the low light. It was completely unplanned and one of my favourite moments of the whole day being in a wedding dress between horses with my new hubby. It was also autumn so I was just hoping it wouldn't be freezing but it ended up being one of the warmest days even of the summer - as someone who gets cold easily that was a huge relief!

From One Bride To Another

Probably to keep it easy - it's so easy to be swept up in the fads and trends and super fancy table settings but at the end of the day, I wanted people to remember the emotions, the people and the dancing/fun more than how much I spent on beautiful table linen. Also to work out your position on kids at the wedding as soon as you can and be strong on it and let everyone know early!

Best Moment

Coming down the aisle and seeing the way Leon looked at me and all my family and friends weeping with joy - was such a beautiful moment. 

Andy Hewson (& Jono Smit) at Grey Area Productions - Videographer/Photographer
Bangor Farm - Venue
Amelia at the Plumbers Bouquet - Flowers
Stacey Banfield - Makeup
Kendal at KM Makeup - Hair
The Social Platter - Catering
Harry Leatherby - DJ
Just My Type - Stationery