Real Wedding: Justine + Brad

What better way to brighten up a winter wedding than infusing a vibrant yellow throughout the day, from the invitations, to the flowers & bridesmaids dresses, and considering the weather on the day in question was somewhat challenging, I'm sure it was much appreciated. Justine mailed me when they were living in France to start on the invitation process. They wanted to pay homage to their Samoan heritage by bringing in colour and using tropical flowers for their theme. The Auckland Museum was the beautiful setting for this wedding, and all these stunning photos are courtesy of the fabulously talented Steve Sharp from Shots Photography. The event was wonderfully coordinated by Exquisite Weddings, Flowers by Orlando, and the gorgeous dress from Jane Yeh and the cake from Celebration Cakes.



How did you meet?
We met as teenagers travelling on the train to the city where our high schools were situated.
Tell us about your proposal:
My husband surprised me at the Sky City grand hotel which was totally unexpected as we were only there to use up the vouchers he received free from work! He proposed on the balcony of our room which was lovely.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
I had an initial plan of what I wanted my wedding dress to look like so it was simply requiring the best dressmaker to turn my dream wedding dress into reality.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?
Our ethnicity of Samoan culture inspired much of our day as well as our love for summer which we tried to incorporate into our winter wedding day.
Describe your wedding flowers:
Yellow singaporian flowers chosen by my husband.
Describe your wedding cake:
We had a 10 tier white chocolate cake which represented our 10 years of dating. It was decorated with white & yellow frangipanis and grey ribbon.
Favourite detail of the day:
The reception setting with the floral arrangements. So effective especially in the Museum dome.
What advise would you give out to someone planning their wedding?
Start as early as possible.
Were there any special traditions that you included?
My last dance with my father as well as the traditional samoan dances each of us performed with our families.
Most memorable moment?
My husband’s speech.
What’s next for you as a couple?
We are now focusing on our careers which includes having to live our 1st year of marriage in separate countries however we are so happy (and relieved) we had the wedding day of our dreams.

We wish Justine & Brad all the best for their future, and hope they'll be living in the same country sometime soon!