Beautiful Kumeu wedding by Jess Sim

Oh boy do I have the sweetest of weddings for you today!! Jessica Sim's work has graced the insides of many a fashion magazine (I urge you to go and check out some of the fabulous shoots on her blog right now!!) and now we have the pleasure of seeing her capture the beauty of weddings... first up Aana & Jason's incredible Kumeu, West Auckland celebration. Inspired by the gorgeous location, this couple said their "I do's" surrounded by nature, and had a wedding day that was real and authentic and all about 'them'. With their two darling children their to witness, their big day was made all the more special with a haka being performed for them by the bride's father and brothers, followed with a waiata karakia (a prayer sung in Maori) to bless the ceremony.

Aana's advice to other brides... "Enjoy the planning process and make sure you have everything organised prior to the wedding so that when the day comes you can relax and feel 100% happy with how everything looks and the flow of the day. Surround your self with people you trust, so that everyone can have a hand in making your wedding memorable."

And that most memorable moment for them was the ceremony. "You spend so much time thinking about and planning the rest of the day, it was so nice to turn up and be reminded that actually, this is what we are all here for! Our celebrant, Sally Guest did such an amazing job – the ceremony really was something special."

Photographer | Jessica Sim, Cake | Aanas mum, Croquembouche | Ma Cherie, Florist | Devonport Flowers, Stationery | Jaimee Clapham from Pixels&Light, Venue | Vineyard Cottages, Dress Designer/Shoes/Jewelry | Chelsea Thorpe, Bridesmaids Dresses | TopShop, Caterer/Menu | Vineyard Cottages

West Coast Beach wedding by Kate Robinson

This week seems to unintentionally have turned into beach wedding inspiration week! Three stunning beach weddings in one week... what a treat! And another gorgeous Bali one coming up tomorrow. This Karekare wedding highlights the west coast beaches of Auckland so beautifully... it's quintessential New Zealand scenery. Kate Robinson captured this lovely heartfelt wedding that seemed a celebration of family and community as much as it did the gorgeous couple. I'll hand you over to the capable hands of the beautiful bride Charlotte to tell you a bit more about their day.

Our wedding was held at Karekare beach on the west coast of Auckland where I grew up and where my immediate and much of my extended family still live. What made our wedding day so special was the amount of help and love that our families, friends and the community gave us in planning the day and with the day itself. In the days leading up to the wedding much of the extended family and many friends could be seen at my parents house scrubbing windows, dropping things off and getting things ready. On the day of the wedding itself, I left the reception venue in the morning to get ready in my Granny's library and the Aunts and neighbours swept in to take charge of finishing off setting the tables and so on. Many of the Karekare locals also contributed towards making the wedding what it was. My grandmothers gardener Carlene collected buckets and buckets of foliage to decorate the reception tent with.

The inspiration for the day came from Karekare beach. It is a stunning west coast beach with black sand and ever changing surf conditions and is in a league of it's own of all the west coast beaches given the huge expanse of sand dunes that separates the sea from the road and civilization. Everything was kept very simple for the ceremony on the beach, my Dad made the signing table out of a flat piece of driftwood attached to a thick branch and dug into the dunes to stand up right and the overall colours were quite neutral, beige's and greens to complement the beautiful scenery.

The vast majority of the wedding was DIY. My Aunt and Uncle spear-headed the catering with help from the rest of the family. With a family catered wedding out of a domestic kitchen which was smack bang in the middle of the reception venue, it was crucial that there was someone in charge so that both sets of parents could relax and enjoy the day. We both really wanted to have a sit down dinner and managed to fit 100 people into a 10 x 4 meter tent (it is possible!). My sisters decorated the tent with foliage and tumble weeds (they are much more beautiful than their name would suggest). We made lanterns with twine covered in glue and glitter wrapped around a balloon (which you pop once the glue is dried) and also bought plain white lanterns which my sister painted designs on. We bought a big supply of glow sticks from Trade Me to hang inside the lanterns and also had fairy lights strung around the tent. It was definitely cosy in the tent but it meant people really got to know each other! 

Photography | Kate Robinson Photography, Flowers | Bethany Gardens Flower shop and Hannah Gordon (Brides friend), Ceremony | Karekare Beach, Reception | Brides parents home, Karekare, Invitations | Ink Invites, Shoes | David Elman, Dress | Anna Schimmel, Rings | Polished Diamonds, Jewellery | Necklace given to Charlottes grandmother by an old boyfriend 50 years ago, Hair & Makeup | Carron Wells, Celebrant | Barbara Harvey