We met at the Races in Palmerston North, after spotting each other across the room, we managed to say "hey:" but that was it. When Sunday rolled around we found ourselves both on Tinder looking for one another. We met up the Wednesday following and have seen each other every day since. We are soulmates, best friends and teammates, we both knew from the beginning this was it and within 3 months of meeting had brought our first home together. As my mother said at our wedding, "you are both, most definitely.. meant to be together"
Our wedding was due to take place on the 17th December 2021, but with lockdowns in place in many areas of the country we decided we couldn't possibly go ahead with the uncertainty of friends and family not being able to be there, so we postponed with no plan going forward. We rolled in to 2022 and let the first few months go by before re-assessing where we were at and where we were going. Labour weekend became a weekend that stuck out for us, it was nearing the end of the year, the start of the lead into the festive season, the world, we assumed, would have settled down by then and all bar one of our vendors could make the new date work. So we locked in 22-10-22. We also remembered this was the same date Pearse had proposed two years earlier so it became a more significant date than we ever realised!
My mum, sister and I travelled to Auckland from the mighty Manawatu to take on dress shopping, I knew what I wanted and I had a very clear picture in my head that it would be a plain white gown, fitted and simple! WELL, I was so wrong, I tried all the tight, fitted, plain ivory and white gowns on in Bridal Brilliance and although we all agreed I was lucky to have a figure to wear fitted dresses they just weren't what I have envisaged. For being someone who usually knows exactly what they want and with little room to move on it, I was very open to trying on all sorts. Mum, my sister and Kelly all set about looking for options and styles that might suit, and we managed to get down to two of our faves. The dress I chose was picked out as the last dress to try by my sister and ended up being PERFECT. I remember there being some other mums in store with their daughters looking at ball gowns who sort of flocked around and told me how incredible it was. The whole experience at Bridal Brilliance was amazing. A beautiful big store with heaps of space and great lighting, you are made to feel super special but also with a casual and calm atmosphere. Kelly and Belinda are lovely, non judgemental, and talented at what they do. I brought both my dress and veil from Bridal Brilliance.
Our Venue was a "naked venue", pay to hire and its all yours in Omori, Lake Taupo. This is the southern end of the lake and this area holds a very special place in our hearts. We have a family bach here and both Pearse and I spent a lot of time together here. This place especially hold many special memories of my late father Brent who passed away when I was 21 with Cancer.
The venue is "Streamblock", hosted by Nick and Ange. It's a gorgeous Olive grove on one side and a Vineyard on the other, in the middle is a huge lawn and the loft studio house. It was the perfect venue to turn into our base for the weekend, hosting the ceremony, reception and following day all in the one place.
streamblock.co.nz
It was also the ideal location for our guests, mostly who came half and half from the Manawatu and Waikato regions.
Our Photographer was Amy Bailey Photography but unfortunately she had another wedding booked on this day so we chose associate photographer Nicole Paton Photography who shot our day for Amy. Nicole is an amazing photographer and more amazing person, she was soft, kind, fun, genuine and so practical. She wasn't just a photographer but a women of many talents on our day, going as far as cutting the threads in the back of the boys suit jackets - they clearly needed some womanly guidance!
Both Amy and Nicole are so talented at what they do! Amy has since sent us a gorgeous keepsake box of our USB and some hand picked printed photos to keep on our coffee table!
amybaileyphotography
Our videographers totally pushed the boat out - travelling a huge 10 hours to get to our day! Alice and Ryan from Revel In White cannot be faulted. They are the most gorgeous couple, quiet, calm, fun and a pleasure to have. They made the day all about us, and they have a huge emphasis on this. The wedding video we received is out of this world!!! We watch it over and over and over and cry our eyes out! They both listened so carefully to what we wanted captured and did exactly that. We were so lucky to have them as a part of our day!
revelinwhite
Our Celebrant was the gorgeous Katie Gilmour from the Rangitikei/Manawatu, she travels far and wide to offer her fun-filled ceremonies tailored just to suit you. She was the perfect find for us - serious at the right moments, classy but also fun! We wanted a meaningful atmosphere for vows and speaking, with a fun, light hearted element and she nailed that! Katie is organized, calm, and skilled at what she does! We felt like we got along as soon as we met her and that was made evident with how she fitted inTo our rehearsal and day. A perfect match!
https://www.kgcomms
Our florist was Pearse's very talented Nana, Libby Crawford. Having come from a hugely successful floral art background all of her life, she was the perfect person for the role! Nana created four gorgeous bouquets for the bridesmaid and my bridal bouquet, with hand picked flowers from both her own beautiful garden and the flower market. She knew my one must-have was Proteas and she totally read the assignment! At age 88 Libby is so talented and dedicated and we were so grateful for her effort and work! It was made even more special that she was Pearses Nana.
Another family member was our very talented make up artist, Amy Crawford, from Hamilton. Amy is a teacher by trade but prior to this worked for leading makeup brands doing makeup artistry. She is so talented at what she does and a super fun, friendly and familiar face to have had with us on the morning of the wedding! Our make up was just what I imagined, everybody was flawless and glowing all day and all night! I absolutely loved my bridal look and felt very lucky to have Amy in our vendors!
Hair was carefully created by the wonderful Jess Rowe based in Whanganui. She travelled up for the day and styled all four bridesmaids, mother of the bride and the bride. Jess is a very talented hairdresser, she listens and always executes how I like it. She nailed my hollywood waves on my shoulder length, layered, sometimes unruly hair! She is prepared, fun, and a gorgeous chick to be around! She was so much fun to have as a part of our wedding morning. Our hair all turned out exactly as I wanted it and she was great at giving us all tips to keep our hair long lasting all day!
@ Jessielaura.hair on Instagram or at Protege Hair in Whanganui.
