Hello Monday... you've come around a little too quickly for my liking!! What a miserable spring weekend we had... gale force winds, torrential rain, sunshine... you name it, we got it! As we were getting ready to head out for a lovely dinner on Saturday night the power went out (which means our water too since it's on a pump system - country folk!)... whilst I had a fair full of conditioner and was completely covered in exfoliant! Not ideal I can tell you. Thankfully the in-laws live 5 mins away so I had to make a quick dash to theirs in a very interesting state!! Anyhoo... that little bit of fun aside, I have a gorgeous wedding from Emily Raftery first up for you this morning. There is so much to love about Georgia & Brad's wedding, especially the stunning light that Emily has captured them after their ceremony. It's just exquisite! Be sure to read Georgia's write up below... I love how she's described their day! Here's hoping your week is off to a great start!! I have power and water so all is good :-)
We invited people to share in what we called "The Promises and a Party" - an evening wedding held in late summer on the lawn of The Tasting Shed in Kumeu. We wanted a celebration of our commitment to one another that wasn't off-the-shelf - an evening that reflected our shared love of language, design, and beautiful food - with a decent splash of silliness.
There were a few hiccups along the way in terms of finding a suitable venue, but as soon as we met Jo and Ganesh Raj at The Tasting Shed, we knew we had found the couple that understood our vision and could make it all happen. They were amazing - the wedding meal was a curated 'walking feast' of delicious morsels and our cake was a giant stack of New Zealand cheeses.
Unfortunately, January 2012 was really more like a monsoon season than a summer and, in the weeks before the wedding, we anxiously waited for the rain to stop. The day before the whole family had their fingers and toes crossed, hoping that the weather wouldn't play havoc with our dream of a relaxed garden ceremony with crazy barefoot dancing on the lawn to follow (and no real back-up plan). Luckily, on the Friday the rain stopped and all those hours of planning and graphic design, of weekends making agee jar lanterns, hunting out fabric, painstakingly installing vinyl on blackboard signs and sewing up hundreds of metres of bunting (thanks Mum) were not in vain. We were really blessed and our talented parents, sisters and friends, did an phenomenal job of helping us pull the whole thing off.
At the venue, our guests were greeted at the gate with a cheery red helium balloon with a kraft paper card tied to the end that had our communal blessing on it. They were warned that 'it's goin' to be a love fest' and they were not disappointed. When I arrived at the ceremony - my parents either side of me; my husband to be waiting; Jess Bates and Steven Acres singing a cover of Bon Iver; the sun setting in the old orchard behind; and all our most precious people gathered together - I felt my heart pop. It was such an incredible evening. Our celebrant facilitated a beautiful non-religious, playful and deeply meaningful commitment ceremony that was 100% us. We wrote our own promises to each other and my sister read from the children's book "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. It all ran seamlessly (bar the slightly awkward moment, where I got so excited about being married, I tried to walk back down the aisle before we'd even signed the register.)
After the ceremony, brimming with newly-wed joy, Brad and I disappeared off with a gorgeous bottle of vintage rose champagne and our fabulous photographer Emily. We had a great time playing on the road behind the Woodhill Forest and in a nearby field with an old chair, animal masks, and a chevron quilt as props. If you want beautiful ethereal photos that capture the glow and haze you feel on your wedding day - Emily is the woman for you. She was unobtrusive and somehow caught the silliness and love that Brad and I feel when we are together. When we arrived back at the Tasting Shed, the party was in full swing. It was hands down the best day of our lives - and if we could afford it, we would gleefully throw a party like that every year!
Venue | The Tasting Shed, Celebrant | Kerry-Ann Stanton Photography | Emily Raftery,
Furniture | NZ Raj Tent Company,
Festoon Lighting | La Lumiere,
DJ | Mr Crawley,
Bride's Dress | A La Robe with hand beading by Sarah-Jane Duff,
Bride's Jacket | Vintage sequin jacket from Jetset Bohemian, Groom's Suit | Crane Brothers,
Groom's Shoes | Costume National from Wunderkammer, Rings | Fingers Contemporary Jewellery, Makeup: Kate Smith, Styling | Marita Hewitt,
Helium Balloons | Party Mad,
Bride's Flowers | Flowers by Nosh
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