I am so excited to be sharing today’s beautiful beach wedding! Because not only does it show how you don’t need an historic venue or heirloom wedding dress to have a vintage infused wedding (there are many different types of vintage), but also this perfect day took place in my home country of New Zealand and was captured by one of my absolute favourite photographers Meredith Lord…..

Bride & Groom Suzy & Alan’s courtship was just as romantic as their wedding – with Alan pulling off one of the most romantic first dates I have ever heard of! “We met on Alan’s front doorstep 11 years ago while I was traveling the UK and Europe – I am close friends with his sister Charlie. Years went by and we were all friends sending the occasional message. When Charlie got engaged and asked me to be a bridesmaid Alan and I started talking more about my plans to return to the UK for the wedding. Charlie had decided Alan and I were perfect for each other and so Alan and I played along in good humour. But after many days talking on skype it became quite clear that we were perfect for each other and our friendship developed into something more. When I returned to the UK he took me on our first date to Paris!”

When it came to planning their wedding, it was no mean feat – planning a New Zealand beach wedding whilst living in the UK! Luckily the couple’s friends and families were on hand to help. “Our Wedding was held at a beach up the coast from where Alan proposed just over 2 years before. We planned our wedding from the UK so it involved a lot of pinterest boards and facetime calls to my Mum and Sisters back in New Zealand. They did all the running around for me and collecting everything that pieced together the day.”

Inspired by nature the couple set about creating their perfect day…. “I wanted to make it about us and not just about what I liked. So I decided to use the sea as inspiration. The colours, movement, natural aspects of it. We used white fabric to drape the marquee ceiling. White tablecloths. Drift wood from the beach Alan proposed at as place cards. Dried lavender like the seagrass. Little touches of blue. I didn’t want to overwhelm the garden reception as the surroundings were so beautiful.”

“I didn’t want a perfectly round bouquet, I liked the more natural style. I showed a photo of what I liked to our family friend Tina who created them all for us. I was not worried about which exact flowers to use as it was the end of summer. I just wanted blue, white and greens. They all turned out absolutely stunning.”

“We both love the beach and the sea, so it was a dream for both of us to be married barefoot on the beach. After taking Alan to my home in New Zealand it was clear that was the perfect place. As we love being outdoors and Bremdale Gardens was perfect for an outdoor reception.”

“We had two readings during our ceremony. I sent Alan the poem ‘I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)’ by E.E Cummings while I was living in NZ. He then sent me a heart key chain to carry with me. So we chose that reading for its sentimental value to us.

The second was an exert from Captain Correlli’s Mandelin called ‘Love is temporary madness’. We chose it as it spoke about what marriage was to us, to decide everyday that we were married. When the being in love goes away, we remember that decision and continue to grow together.”

“I wore ‘Marilla’ a dress custom made by Phoebe Blockley Bridal, in the UK. Phoebe let me help with the design because  I didn’t want any frills or anything that was too over the top, just simplicity and a chic timeless look.  We went for a three piece dress, with a white lace day top, blush bustier, silk skirt and a blue lace top for the evening.  The best feature was the blue that Phoebe hand painted at the bottom.  My Nana said it looked like a wave crashing on the beach.”

“Alan and his groomsmen wore blue suits from Next. Our son Max wore a pale blue linen suit from Little Woods in the UK, and our ‘Best Maid’ Leanne wore a grey embellished dress from BHLDN.”

“I had 5 bridesmaids, my sisters Adie and Dana, my sister in law Charlie (who set up Alan and I) and two of my closest friends Alice and Esther. I chose different greys for their dresses from For Her and For Him, they all chose what style they wanted. I wanted a elegant timeless look for them.”

“My Mum, sisters, friends and family helped us create our reception. We used fabric sail my mother had made for my older sisters wedding draped the ceiling of the marquee. The owner of Bremdale Gardens made our flower chandelier, and our table centerpieces were dried lavender from my Aunties’ and flowers from Bremdale Gardens in jars. Drift wood from the beach Alan proposed on were the place cards, and Alan and I love blackboards so our seating plan was blackboards. We displayed our grandparents wedding photos and made a bar out of pallets. A sign post made from wood from my parents garden pointed our guests in the right direction.”

“We chose not to have favours as it helped us stick to our budget. And as a lot of our wedding party and guests were traveling from overseas we didn’t want to load them with more things to carry.”

“Cakes by Adie, my older sister, made our cake. We wanted it quite simple and Alan loves sponge, which she covered with buttercream and made a silhouette cake topper of myself Alan and our son. She also made carrot, lemon, chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes.”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“On the day take everything in, it all goes so fast, stop and pause. Take some time out with your husband but also your loved ones, it’s a big day for them too. We had a sweet hearts table so we could spend some time together to talk. In the morning it was just Mum putting me in my dress. I also had a first look with my Dad. It was important to me to have those special moments alone with my parents. 

Oh and things will go wrong. Just carry on and enjoy the day, you will be the only one who will notice. If you end up married to your best friend then nothing else matters.”

Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“I chose Meredith 2 years before the wedding – before we had set a date or chose the venue. Being a photographer myself this was something I was most particular about. I was planning the wedding from the UK researching photographers in the area in NZ and found Meredith. After looking at her website, blog, instagram and pinterest I just fell in love with her work. She was really easy to get along with and captured our day beautifully. We had so many stunning locations surrounding the area and she  really went out of her way to include as much of it as possible.”

Huge congratulations to our gorgeous bride and groom and many thanks to the wonderful Meredith Lord Photography for these utterly beautiful images. I sure feel lucky to call this beautiful part of the world home! If you would like to see more of Meredith’s beautiful work, pop and take a peek at this intimate garden wedding with Old Hollywood glamour and this sweet Summer winery wedding, right here on Chic Vintage Brides; before heading to her website www.meredithlord.com. You can also find and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Amy

x

Contributors & Credits

Photography – Meredith Lord Photography // Ceremony Venue – Arora Beach, Mahia // Reception venue – Bremdale Gardens, Nuhaka, New Zealand // Wedding Dress – Custom-made by Phoebe Blockley Bridal // Boutique – Tina Raskin // Bridal Shoes – ASOS // Veil – Vintage (borrowed from the bride’s grandmother) // Jewellery – Ernest Jones // Bridesmaids Dresses – For Her and For Him // Jewellery – Sugar Oh Honey Honey // Flowergirls Attire – Homemade // Pageboy – Suit from Ladybird // Hair & Make up – Bernita Stone and Dana Gasson // Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Attire – Next // Best Woman’s Outfit – BHLDN // Floral Design – Bremdale Gardens Rose-Marie // Caterer – Craig Kokich // Wedding Cake – Cakes by Adie // Stationery – Samantha Robertson (friend) // Celebrant – Reverend Richard Senior // Engagement Ring – Designed by the groom at Diamond Heaven // Wedding Rings – Diamond Heaven // Transport – 4 Classic Minis from the Father of the Bride // Entertainment – Kiri Gilbert