Tell us a little about yourselves!
I’m Hannah, I’m a lawyer, and Sam is an investigator (best job title ever). We met at work, and became friends before shyly declaring our admiration for each other. In October 2020 Sam surprised me by proposing while we were on holiday, admiring a beautiful sunset in Port Levy, Canterbury, New Zealand. We live in a city-fringe apartment in Auckland, with our puppy Winnie. We love cooking and practicing project recipes, sipping on an Old Fashioned while watching or rewatching our favourite TV shows, and adding to our already extensive book collection.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
In 2019 we spent our Christmas holiday travelling around Central Otago and the Queenstown-Lakes District. We made so many amazing memories: strolling through the bush along the Arrowtown river; cooking steaks outside a yurt in Wanaka on a little gas hob; soaking in the spa while admiring the starry sky in Lake Hayes; and indulging in the most delicious food and wine everywhere we went.
For our wedding day we wanted to capture that dreamy, relaxed holiday feeling, but we also wanted to enjoy the crisp weather and incredible autumn colours that Gibbston shows off in April.
How many guests did you have?
A cosy sixty of our closest family and friends.
Tell us about your outfits.
My Georgia Young Couture wedding gown was dramatic and architectural, romantic and magical. I felt so elegant. I loved how it had a traditional silhouette, but embraced modern elements like the structural pleats and the lightly-patterned silk layer. My hair bow was a perfect veil alternative, and I loved the delicate hand-stitched embroidery with our initials and the date. It’s a perfect keepsake.
My party dress from Ritual by Brooke Tyson had a similar vibe to my wedding gown in that it was also big, ruffly and dramatic, but also whimsical and fun. It was the perfect dress to twirl in! I can’t wait to dye it a fun colour and wear it again.
For Sam, we found a picture of a groom wearing a green herringbone jacket, which we both really liked. Finding anything even remotely similar took a while, but it turned out amazing when we came across it at Working Style. We were also so stoked with how good the patterned tie looked with the jacket. Sam’s other elements were classic and simple, and let the jacket be the centrepiece it deserved to be.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Having some moments to be alone together on the day was really important to us, so we planned to have a first look and to do our vow exchange before the ceremony. This was perfect because it gave us a quiet and private moment together before all eyes were on us at the ceremony.
We also knew our guests were really looking forward to a celebration and a party, and we wanted to make sure they were fed and watered generously. We’re so glad we chose the Winehouse for this reason; the food and beverage service was incredible.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We had some friends and family who couldn’t make it to the wedding, including Sam’s granddad and some of my extended family. It was really important for us to be able to include them, so we live-streamed the ceremony and made sure to say a special hello to them. Sam’s granddad even hosted a party and got all dressed up to celebrate!
We are new explorers of the world of whisky, and so to get the party started we had a whisky bar for guests to sample from. It was a fun way to kick off the party and the dance floor!
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
We were incredibly lucky in that none of our plans were really affected by the pandemic, other than some overseas family and friends not being able to make it.
I’d say to communicate with and appreciate your vendors. They’ve been through this a million times now, and they’ll be able to guide you should your plans need to change. Also, keep and invest in what’s important to you, and don’t stress about the rest.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We had such an epic team of vendors!
We hung out with our photographer Kate Roberge before and videographer Scott from Wild in White after our wedding day, and as well as being truly talented and dedicated craftspeople, they’re both just bloody lovely. We will treasure their work forever.
Charlotte from Your Big Day, was our celebrant as well as our MC for our reception. She did a wonderful job of creating a personal, funny and sweet ceremony, and made the rest of the evening run so smoothly.
Sam, Tayla and the team at the Winehouse took all of the stress off our hands and were so organised and friendly the entire time we worked with them (which was more than a year). They made planning a wedding super, super easy.
Gypsy from The Vase Floral Co's florals were jaw-dropping, and I wish we could have kept them all forever. She’s a flora magician. She was also just so excited for us and our day, and her enthusiasm was contagious.
Izy at Paperswan Bride in Christchurch made wedding dress shopping such a fun yet relaxed experience - every NZ-based bride-to-be should pay her a visit.
Photographer : Kate Roberge @katerobergephotography | Videographer : Wild in White @wildinwhite_ | Ceremony + Reception Location : Winehouse @winehousenz | Celebrant : Charlotte from Your Big Day @yourbigdayqt | Entertainment : Tai Forrester @taiforrestermusic + Mountain Beats DJ Co @mountainbeatsdjco | Flora : The Vase Floral Co @thevasequeenstown | Makeup : Stacey Banfield @staceybanfieldmakeup | Hair : Beautiful Bridal Hair @beautifulbridalhair | Catering + Beverages : In2Food @in2foodcateringnz | Cake : White Rabbit Cakes @whiterabbitcakesnz | Stationery : Paper Darling @paperdarlingnz | Hannah’s Wedding Dress : 'Tangelo’ by Georgia Young Couture @georgiayoungcouture from Paperswan Bride @paperswanbride | Hannah’s Party Dress : ‘Tempest’ by Ritual by Brooke Tyson @brooketysonritual | Sam’s Suit + Shoes : Working Style @workingstylenz | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Naveya and Sloane @naveyaandsloanejewellery | Hannah's Shoes :‘Daring’ by Chaos and Harmony @chaosandharmonyshoes | Sam’s Tie + Socks : Peggy and Finn @peggyandfinn | Sam’s Watch : ‘Minimatic’ by Nomos Glashütte @nomos_glashuette | Hannah’s Hair Bow : ‘Willow’ by Christie Millinery @christiebridal | Hannah’s Earrings : ‘Minimal’ earrings by Maison Sabben @maisonsabben | Hannah’s Handbag : ‘Alys’ by Peta and Jain @petaandjain | Bridesmaids’ Dresses : Blak @blakbridesmaids | Bridesmaids’ Necklaces : Bare Jewellery @barejewellerynz | Groomsmen’s Suits : Nemo @nemobridal | Groomsmen’s Ties, Pocket Squares + Socks : Peggy and Finn @peggyandfinn