Of course I might be slightly biased, what with it taking place in my home area of Hawkes Bay, but I am so completely smitten with today’s wedding! The stylish couple’s romantic yet relaxed style shines through in everything from their berry and blush colour palette, to the bride’s old Hollywood inspired look and their chic marquee reception. Altogether it makes for quite the elegant, and inspirational, affair…..

Oh and keep an eye out for the beautiful florals by CVBs own resident florist Toni of Magdalen Hill! But now, let me hand you straight over to the beautiful bride Kate to tell you all about it…..

“We were married at Mana Lodge in the beautiful Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. We are both kiwi’s, now living in Melbourne, Australia. We knew from the beginning we wanted to get married back in New Zealand. Matt grew up in the Hawkes Bay so that made the location decision an easy one. We also knew we wanted to have the ceremony and reception at the same venue, so were doing some google searches for houses, and up popped Mana lodge, it ticked all the boxes for us.”

“My wedding dress greatly influenced my hair and makeup, I decided to go with a Hollywood glam look, and a bright red lip. I often wear my hair out (I’m not an up-do girl) so we left my hair down with a wave, and had it draped over my left shoulder. I loved my hair and makeup, especially the way I still felt like me on the day.”

“For our colour scheme we went with a softer palate of colours with a punchy pop of red. And I found the most fantastic florist – Toni McGregor of Magdalen Hill and trusted her completely. Toni listened to all my ideas and helped bring the overall look together, she did an outstanding job with the flowers for our big day.”

“We decided to have a first look prior to the ceremony. I would so recommend this to other couples. We met under the willow tree at the bottom of the garden, it allowed us a quiet moment in the excitement of the day.”

“My dress was from Karen Willis Holmes, I bought it at the High Street Armadale store in Melbourne. I went dress shopping with my mum and nana, and found the gown on my first day shopping. It was the last dress I tried on that day and I knew it was the one for me as soon as I had it on! My dress was Ivory in colour and made from sequins with cap sleeves – nothing like what I had imagined I would wear, but it was gorgeous! I loved the elegant shape and how it fit my body perfectly, yet I loved how comfortable I felt in the dress. It also had a stunning back detail, which I adored!”

“My bridesmaids were my cousin Jane and my sister Mikayla. I found their dresses online at Miss Selfridge. I was looking for dresses that were similar but not the exact same. I let the girls decide what they wanted for their hair and makeup.”

“My dear dad gave me away. To be honest ‘walking down the aisle’ had been my biggest fear in the lead up to the day – I don’t like being the centre of attention. However I was surprised at how well I did, I found I was so swept up with excitement in the moment, that i was overwhelmed with happiness to see all the beaming faces of friends and family, and of course my husband-to-be waiting at the end for me, I couldn’t get to him quick enough!”

“We had a short and sweet ceremony, about 15 minutes. We are big dog fans, and found this sweet reading called ‘falling in love is like owning a dog’, we asked my husband’s sister to read this. It is a cute, funny reading and we had a few laughs.”

“The wedding reception was also at Mana lodge, held in a Marquee on the lawn. We had festoon lights strung around the marquee and flowers in rustic wooden boxes on table tops, alongside assorted vintage brass candlesticks.”

“Our wedding cake was created by MJ of MJ’s Cakes, it had three tiers and three flavours: white chocolate raspberry, caramel, and chocolate mud. It was delicious! The cake was rustic in style adorned with roses and a sweet wooden bunting style topper.”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“I know everyone says this, but the day goes SO fast, try not to obsess over every detail, take a breath relax and enjoy your wedding day!! But if I could do it all over again I would ensure I had a photo with my mother and grandmother – three generations in one photo.”

Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“Meredith Lord was our photographer. I was a fan of Meredith’s work prior to booking her for our wedding. Meredith was AMAZING on the day, she felt like our friend which made taking photos with her really easy and comfortable. I can’t recommend her enough.”

I just love those last portraits  – black and white is so timeless. Huge congratulations to beautiful bride Kate and her hubby Matt! Plus big thanks to them and their fabulous photographer Meredith Lord, who captured their day so perfectly, for allowing me to share it with you here on Chic Vintage Brides. To see more of Meredith’s work, take a peek at this sweet Summer winery wedding and be sure to pop across to her website www.meredithlord.com. You can also find and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

For more bright and beautiful weddings you might want to take a peek at this Winter woodland beauty and you won’t want to miss the glamorous rustic affair of bridal designer Anna Campbell! Or for more marquee wedding receptions pop across to this romantic vision of Spring loveliness and this elegant modern vintage affair. You will find all of these and more here.

Amy

x

Credits

Photography ~ Meredith Lord Photography // Wedding Dress ~ Karen Willis Holmes // Bridal Shoes ~ BHLDN // Bracelet ~ Kate Spade // Floral Design ~ Magdalen Hill // Hair ~ Loco Hair // Makeup ~ Cushla Bower // Bridesmaid Dresses ~ Miss Selfridge // Venue ~ Mana Lodge // Wedding Cake ~ MJ’s Cakes // DJ ~ Clint from Volume DJ