A Vintage Chic Destination Wedding in New Zealand

Holly and Andrew touched down in New Zealand for their big day – one filled with love and laughter (and lots of rustic elegant wedding details).  Holly shared with us their wedding story.  “We got married at The Tasting Shed in Kumeu, Aucklands wine region. It’s not a traditional wedding venue but we loved the relaxed rustic elements. That kept with the feel that we wanted for our big day keeping in with our personal style. We connected so well with the owners Jo and Raj, they made our whole day flow incredibly well and were really attentive to the small touches that we wanted. We had just arrived back from Dubai and wanted our wedding to be a collection of the people that meant the most to us that kept our guest list and wedding to be an intimate affair with 35 of our closest friends and family. The tight knit group coupled with the bad weather, really formed an casual but intimate atmosphere.”

“Finding my dress was really special, it’s not often that my mother and I have the opportunity to go shopping together especially joined by my grandma and sister. I was anxious but also excited, I knew once I found my dress that I would have trouble keeping it a secret from my fiancé as we share everything. It was so fun going through the racks of gorgeous gowns and I loved getting lost amongst the taffeta and lace. My wedding dress was a sweetheart ivory lace fit and flare. I ordered custom made earrings and hair slide from America. The shoes were ivory satin with a jeweled bow on the front.”

“We had my friends gorgeous 4 year old daughter Layla as our flower girl, she was also the ring bearer. As she handed Andrew the rings he placed a beautiful pale green stoned bracelet on her wrist and thanked her for her great job. It was the cutest thing ever.”

“I loved Andrews heart felt vows, I loved that he put across such emotion and it was obvious to everyone around us that it was nothing but truth.”

“Andrew’s wedding ring is inscribed on the inside with the date, time and coordinates of where we met.”

What a great idea for a honeymoon!  “We bought a vintage lock and key from Europe and had it inscribed with A &H and our wedding date 17 Nov 2012, we planned to lock it on to a fence that we could go back to on our anniversaries. We found the perfect location on Waiheke Island whilst we were honeymooning there. It’s a place we will always hold dear and treasure, we look forward to going back there for many years to come.”

“We chose blush peonies and ‘something special’ roses. Peonies always seem so romantic to me and I loved the muted tones of them and the roses together. We also had our tables and the altar scattered with jars of varying heights with a mixture of wild flowers and roses.”

“Our cake was definitely on the untraditional side, it was a 3 tiered red velvet rosette cake in bright graduated colors. Our guests mentioned it was the best wedding cake they had ever had. The team at Bluebells Cakery in hillsborough were a pleasure to deal with.”

“The most memorable part of the day for me was when we had a break in the weather the sun had just set, and the lanterns that we had put up were turned on. We went outside and had our first dance on the dewey grass under the stars to Joshua Radin – You got what I need. It was every bit the romantic first dance that I had imagined.”

Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Destination Wedding Photographer: Lauretta Quax from Shine Studios 

Wedding Vendors: Venue: The Tasting Shed, Flowers: Blossom Wedding Flowers, Cake: Bluebells Cakery, Dress (& accessories): Astra Bridal, Groom attire: Custom made in Dubai, altered by Sabe, Hair: Jo Plant, Makeup: Amber Carroll, Rings: Grooms ring custom made at Carats Auckland, Brides Rings – custom made in Dubai