Our wedding was small, it was intimate and there was only a handful of beautiful souls involved to help bring our day to life. I want to dedicate this post to every human below. You went above and beyond to make our day(s) as special as possible and we can’t thank you enough for you love and support.
If I have one piece of advice for any bride to be… Get a good tribe. Work with good vendors and put your trust in them completely. You will not be disappointed with the results and those little moments on your day with each of your vendors will be a moment you will never forget.
My girls, my absolute hair angels. You know how much love I have for the girls at Arrowtown Hair. Amelia, head stylist at the salon created my look for the day. All I wanted was a soft, bouncy wave with a fringe that stayed out of my face all day. She nailed it. The week prior to our wedding I popped in for a tone and a fresh trim. We trialed the curls and decided that they needed to set overnight. So, Tuesday evening, the night before our day I had my curls set. I slept in with a full head of pinned curls and a scarf around my head. Miraculously only one curl fell out and first things first on wedding morning was a trip out to Arrowtown so Amelia could finish her handywork. Not only did my hair stay perfect for the whole day, despite the gale force winds, I also managed to keep the curl for our Mount Cook celebration two days after.
I met Rosie through working at Nemo after collaborating on a few styled shoots for the Bridal store. I fell in love with her flowers and how she creates the most wonderful bouquets, so far from anything I had ever seen before. She works sustainably, she is an incredible soul and someone who one can only fall in love with after meeting. We sat down once before our wedding day, I showed here the idea behind my outfit and the location and she created not one, but two incredible florals that I am truly blown away by. I originally thought I would shy away from having flowers, but I am SO happy that I had these two different looks from Rosie, they totally made my outfit come to life.
Elysia Lavender
My best friend, my support system, my muse. I honestly couldn’t have done this without Liss by my side. From wedding outfit appointments, trips to Dunedin to get make up and rings and last-minute changes of plan that you handled so beautifully. Not only is she all of the above and more, Liss is also an incredible make-up artist and totally understood my natural make up vibe. It was a special moment to have Liss there helping me get ready on the morning of our wedding. I have no words for how much you mean to me.
Who would have thought that five years ago an innocent coffee in a café in Queenstown would lead to five years of blissful friendship, adventure and you shooting my wedding day? From the first couples shoot (where you used us to practice) to you shooting our engagement photographs and then being involved in the happiest day of my life literally brings me to tears. Kate, you made my wildest photography dreams come true and you captured the most precious moments from both our days that I will treasure forever and ever. Thank you for being you & being insanely talented.
Another thing I didn’t know I needed. A wedding videographer. Kate works closely with Thomas Ree’s. A local Queenstown photographer and videographer who recently teamed up with Kate to add on video to your special day. For those eloping, with no friends or family present, I beg you get a video made. We now have our vows, a wedding trailer and a full cut film to share with our nearest and dearest. Also reliving your day through a motion film brings back all the feels and I honestly can slip straight back into those moments caught on film.
There was no question where I would get my outfit made. Nemo Bridal and Couture has a firm place in my heart for many reasons. I knew from the very beginning that my outfit vision was in good hands. The made to measure process is a beautiful journey, from initial ideas to completion the whole experience was amazing. I felt like a bride, in an incredible outfit that had been custom made for me. The fit, the silk, the drama, everything about this pantsuit was all I dreamed off from that initial appointment 12 weeks prior. Nemo truly brought my outfit dreams to life and I can’t thank them enough for their talents. The whole made to measure process was faultless, easy and an absolute breeze. Looking back at all our photographs from Kate, I just can’t believe that it’s me.
I fell in love with Chaos & Harmony at the Wild Hearts wedding fair back in 2019. Their shoes are truly unique and divine. I have never been a heels kind of girl and knowing we would get married in New Zealand Winter, I knew I would need a good pair of boots to wear. I found these beautiful boots on their Instagram and it was the quickest purchase I made for the wedding. In a few days the courier package arrived, and I fell in love. Beautiful, soft pink velvet boots that were an absolute dream to wear and the perfect height for the day.
One of the best things about my time working at Nemo was the introduction to some beautiful New Zealand based artists. One being the talents of Debra Fallowfield. Based in Dunedin Debra creates one off pieces of wearable art and I fell in love the first time I put one of her rings on my hand. Robbie took note of how much I loved her work and had my engagement ring designed and made. A green Sapphire on a textured gold band, so incredible special and exactly what I dreamed of. When it came to a wedding band, I knew I needed another Debra piece to complete the look. The same gold, same textured band and a shaped perfectly around my Engagement ring sits a diamond band, that I can’t take my eyes off. Debra, thank you, you are such a great soul to work with.
Claire at Vu Jewellers is possibly one of the nicest people I have ever met. She helped Robbie size my ring and has always been an incredible artist who I just admire. Robbie didn’t want a wedding ring, that was until we popped in to see Claire and he on the spot purchased a silver band from Claire’s Get Knotted collection. It is so unique and perfect for Robbie.
As a wedding day present, he also went back and had a ring custom made for me. A gold band, the same design as his wedding ring with a raw blue sapphire set into the band. It is incredible, my something blue and a piece of jewellery that I will treasure forever.
Styling – Haley Kelly & Borrowed Botanicals
What an absolute bunch of babes that brought this vision to life. Kate’s Husband hand crafted our wooden Arch, Trudy dug deep in her vintage rug collection and pulled out the most perfect rug for an aisle and my beautiful friend Haley styled the space so perfectly I cried. Our wet weather plan became our reality and with just a few short hours to go Haley pulled together this perfect ceremony look from the help of the gals at Borrowed Botanicals. You can now book a styling package with Kate for your big day and have a space designed just for you.
The suit. Robbie wanted a tweed suit, so Robbie got a custom-made tweed suit. Thank you to the wonderful girls at Omen / Nemo for tailoring his suit and shirts. My man never looked so good.
Thomas Brown Gallery
Our wet weather plan that became our reality. Only two hours before our ceremony did we decide to switch from mountain top to indoor gallery and boy am I happy we did. It was the perfect place for us to get married and be warm, safe away from the gale force winds happening outside. The archway, the décor and just the whole feel of this place made the day extra special.
Robbie had one stipulation with finding a hotel room for our wedding and it was a bathtub. I found the fanciest bathtub in Queenstown and my Dad kindly booked for us to stay at The Hilton on the day of our wedding. The Suite was amazing, so spacious meaning me and Liss had somewhere nice and calm to get ready in the morning. We opted for early check in, so we didn’t have to rush, enjoyed the complimentary champagne and had fruit salad and pastries for breakfast. It was perfect.
The High country Cabin in Ohau plays a HUGE part in our wedding story. Not only was it our first trip post New Zealand lockdown but when we retuned, we jumped straight back online and booked three days for our Mount Cook part of the elopement. We absolutely LOVE it here. Why? Because it is beautiful, amazingly decorated, homey, calm, peaceful and situated right in our faviurite place. Oh, and they have sheep on the property who love to come close and have a look inside. The High country cabin played the perfect backdrop to our photos and also the perfect place to relax for three days post wedding. We went snowboarding at Ohau, ate so much cheese I thought I would turn into a Brie wheel and watched the sunrise and sunset from the comfort of the sofa in front of a wood burning fire. Pure bliss.
The Helicopter Line – Mount Cook
Boy am I happy that we opted for a helicopter at Mount Cook. Although we didn’t get the mountain top location we initially thought, where we did go was extra special. Due to high winds we opted for a shorter flight up the Jollie River to an old hunter’s hut. The landscape reminded me of Nepal, it was totally secluded and special. We spent 40 minutes on the ground reading our personal vows and shooting in this epic location. Mike our pilot, a true gent cleared the area for us and let us do our thing. I honestly couldn’t have imaged our day without this flight and the images are truly ones I will treasure forever.
Trudy Munro
Trudy, I have so many words for you. You are honestly one of my guiding lights. When we first moved to Queenstown, we stayed in Trudy’s Air BnB house. This then led to us living there, working together and growing such a special strong bond of friendship that I am eternally grateful for. When we got engaged, Trudy went and got her marriage license so she could marry us, what a special, beautiful thing to do. Not only is she the mastermind behind Nemo Bridal & Couture she was also our celebrant. A moment and memory I will treasure forever. I can’t put into words how grateful we are for your love and support.
Notes of a Northerner 