OUR WEDDING PT 1: GETTING READY & FIRST LOOK

On February 28th 2020, Nate and I were lucky to have the wedding of our dreams… And I say lucky because this was right before the COVID-19 drama that saw weddings being banned here in New Zealand and around the world!

We got engaged in December of 2017 and decided on a 2 year planning period due to our travels. We didn’t want the process to feel rushed at all… Stress free was our motto for our wedding. So seeing this all come together after 2 years of planning, felt like a dream! The day went perfectly and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

We didn’t really have a ‘theme’ for our wedding… But I guess it turned out to be ‘Tropical Bali Meets Rural New Zealand’ 😂. You’ll see why in the pictures

Here’s a little sneak peek into our day and some of my thoughts that went into the planning.

✦ All pics are from the super talented Bryony from Newfound Photography

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THE MORNING OF

THE BOYS

It was a cruisy start to the day for Nate and his groomsmen. They all headed out for a surf, followed by a BBQ brekkie.

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For the boys suits we chose a simple summery look. White/beige linen pants, with a long sleeve white dress shirt, brown belt, brown shoes, and mismatched socks. Nate had the matching linen suit jacket to set himself apart from the groomsmen. The suits and socks were from Hallensteins, and the belts and shoes were from Kmart. It just so happened that out of all the options we looked at, the ones we liked the best for the guys’ outfits were from the lower priced stores like Hallensteins and Kmart.

I wanted a relaxed look for the guys. Loose collars, no ties, and no pocket squares. I think they pulled it off well! We only decided on their look a few weeks before the wedding.

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THE GALS

It was a different kind of morning for us girls! Up early for breakfast then hair & makeup began at 8am.

Again, I wanted a relaxed, summery look in terms of hair and makeup. Nothing high maintenance. A natural makeup look with beachy hair. Something that will last the day and enhance our features in photos.

Our makeup was done by Tiffany and our hair was done by Yvana.

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I splurged a little on the girls’ getting ready robes. I wanted a good quality light fabric that will last for years to come and keep them cool on this hot summers morning! Sometimes the silk/satin robes can get you super sweaty. I got the robes from an Etsy store called Piyama – there were so many beautiful designs it was hard to choose. And they have good bundle discounts for bridal parties. The bridesmaids are wearing the Olive Leaf design.

Dress time! I chose the Sol Gown from Grace Loves Lace with the nude lining. As soon as I saw this dress online I knew it was the one. In April 2019 my mum and I took a gals’ long weekend to the Gold Coast so I could visit their showroom and try it on. I tried on some other gorgeous styles but my heart was always set on Sol… No regrets – so in love with it.

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And just like that we were all ready, and set to head to the venue at 1pm.

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FIRST LOOK

First Looks are becoming more and more popular these days (well, in New Zealand at least). A First Look is when the Bride and Groom see each other before the ceremony. And this is also when the bride and groom pictures are taken, along with the full bridal party pictures.

We liked the idea of a First Look because it seemed a lot more intimate than seeing each other for the first time during the ceremony with a load of people watching on haha! (Just a personal preference).

When we saw each other at the First Look, it was just us two with the photographer and the videographer… Kind of like we were presenting ourselves to eachother. This is where I got all my crying out of the way 😂 It felt like a very personal moment.

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The rest of the bridal party walked down to us and we got the bridal party pictures 😍

The bridesmaid dresses are from Blak Bridesmaids in the Siesta colour. Such a stunning colour and I’m so glad the boys’ suits worked well with it! I was umming and ahhing for a long time about what colour suits would work well with the burnt orange bridesmaid dresses. All the pictures online had the guys in a Navy suit or a black suit, but I really wanted something light. Stoked it worked out!

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Turns out I had allocated a lot of time for the First Look and bridal party pictures… So we had at least an hour to kill before the ceremony began. We all just hung out and had a few drinks. It worked out really nice because we could all go into the ceremony feeling relaxed and at ease with everything. Our ‘stress-free’ motto of the day was working out well 👍

Thanks for tuning in to part 1 of our wedding day!

Part 2 will be all about the ceremony…

★ Hannah