Tayla & Shane

I'm a bit biased but I think Shane and I have the kind of love that everyone hopes to find one day. We are the Sunday morning lay-ins with coffee and brunch, fighters of each other's souls and we keep each other safe and happy. We support each other to reach our goals and never falter when one of us, needs the other.

We are high school sweethearts and have been together for 8 years. I was 16 and Shane was 18. We have quite literally watched each other grow up and have subsequently, grown together.

When we got engaged on the 1st of July 2020, my first thought was 'THE DRESS!'

You grow up your entire life dreaming of this day and what your dress will look like. I can recall the number of times I have watched Bridesmaids, 27 Dresses, Bride Wars, the list goes on, and have recounted the dresses I liked and what I may wear at some point.
Bridal Brilliance was the first search I did. I looked online and fell in love with a certain style. My heart was set! I set a date to go in with my Mum and Grace, my brother's girlfriend. We knew what we are looking for and with the help of the incredible staff at Bridal Brilliance, we found 5-6 dresses. Of course, my first try on was the one I had first seen.

I wasn't sold. Eek!

So I did what every bride would do, I had some fun and did one of those 'movie style' montages.

Being quite self-conscious of a number of things, I had a specific look in mind. I tried on ones that would hide my arms and tummy. However, my Mum and Grace pulled out a gorgeous sequined gown. My heart near stopped. It was so pretty! I was apprehensive but thought, 'If I feel beautiful in this, surely everyone would think the same.'

It made me smile, ear to ear!

The Savannah Dress was quite literally what my dreams were made of. It was slimming, and stunning and made me feel like a princess. I knew Shane would love it too!

The lead up to our day was stressful, to say the least. We were thrown into a 3-month lockdown with no real end in sight. But, the optimist I have in Shane, calmed me when I needed it. So, I pushed through by making contact with every single vendor we had and assuring them of my confidence that we would get there on the 11th of December. Venue, Hair, Make-Up, Suits, DJ. Cake, Decorations, Dress Alterations were all set and ready to go. I cannot tell you how relieved we were when it was announced that we would move to the traffic light system on the 3rd of December. I cried and cried. I couldn't have a lot of our family from Australia and outside of Auckland there, but I was adamant that the sparkle would be taken from our day if we postponed.

We would have our day! The celebrations started rolling from there!

Our day came and went, just like everyone said it would. Filled with love and laughter & moments to remember forever. Castaways Resort was our venue. This is where we got engaged and will forever hold a special place in our hearts. From the event managers, staff, food and service, Castaways exceeded every single expectation.

Marcel Thiele was our Photographer and Videographer. When I say someone you meet in passing in your life has turned into a trusted friend, I mean it. Marcel shot our engagement photos and we were again, sold. His professionalism was second to none but knew exactly how Shane and I operated. Don't be too serious, have some fun and please excuse us if we make a few weird faces.

Nearly 5 months on, and we are still on such a high from our special day. True love exists. Chase it, never give up and one day you could find your soul mate, the same, that I found in Shane and he found in me.