This gorgeous wedding by
Kate Robinson just screams New Zealand summer in the best possible way. The little 'bunny tails' in the vases remind me so much of my childhood! I am going to hand you straight over to the lovely bride Lisa who shares all the details with us...
Mahia was an obvious choice for our big day; we spent our very first summer holiday there together in 2008 and have returned every year since. When friends of ours offered us there stunning Te Mahia cliff top home, we knew we had found the venue of our dreams and fortunately the friendly Mahia locals were right when they said November was the most settled month for the sleepy little East Coast town.
With a 20-month long engagement we had plenty of time to nail down exactly how we wanted our big day to look. It’s no secret to those close to me that I am a huge op-shop fan and so the wedding very quickly took on a homemade/vintage theme of its own.
My husband manages the family scaffold business and so we wanted to add a touch of his work to the day. He erected an amazing old, rusty scaffold arch, which we then decorated with white bunting flags made from old sheets picked up at the Red Cross, which was the focal point of the ceremony. An old school desk and vintage wooden chair to sign the register on really topped off the pre-loved theme.
I really wanted to mark out the aisle in a way that was different. I found a how-to-guide for making carnival pinwheels and with bamboo sticks, white ribbon and matte card I made 20 wheels which lined the aisle, the ribbon blowing in the wind made a brilliant statement.
For the centerpieces I collected old jars for vases and we used foreign words (from countries we had been) for love as table names. I spent 7 months collecting wine glasses from op-shops so that each guest (all 114 of them) had a glass uniquely theirs; they were also invited to take their glass home with them as a keepsake.
My wonderful granddad that is known for his beautiful handwriting, took up the challenge, writing all the place card settings. Once he had finished we took to writing personal messages to each guest on the back and then tying them to each wine glass.
In an amazing picnic hamper, also picked up from an op-shop, I had little bags of my homemade cookies for guests to take home. I’ve always loved the personal touches at weddings, and wanted our guests to have plenty of little treasures to take home and enjoy.
Our vows were a mix of tradition and words we had written ourselves. There were certainly a few tears from bride and groom and guests alike. It was a very special time and I’m thankful we had someone there to record it all for us.
Having all four sets of grandparents there in the front row watching us was wonderful and we felt so lucky that they were able to celebrate the day with us.
The weekend was such as amazing coming together of family and friends. Jono and I felt so blessed to be surrounded by our nearest and dearest as we took our first few steps as husband and wife, almost two months later we are still riding the high. We had, without question, the best day of our lives.
Photographer | Kate Robinson, Brides dress | Sera Lilly, Bridesmaids dresses | Moochi, Suits | Frank Casey, Wedding rings | Drews Goldsmiths, Hair | Marnie at House of Hair, Gisborne, Make up | Julia Donaldson, Blush Beauty Co. Taupo, Flowers | A1 Flower Market, Hair flower | Natalie Chan
