Abby & Hugo

Hugo and I met outside an Auckland City bar on a night out in 2008. After a few dates we knew we were on the same wavelength – we could be completely ourselves around one another. We are best friends and laugh together a lot. Hugo proposed in Tulum, Mexico when we were on holiday in 2018. The trip was very eventful with a lost holiday booking, a room accidentally made up for our ‘happy honeymoon’ and a very windy dinner by the beach with rose petals thrown in our faces by the waiter. The surprise was almost ruined multiple times by the language barrier, but lots of tequila made it go unnoticed!

We went for a January wedding as our friends from overseas were keener to come back to New Zealand for the summer over any other time of year. We liked that a summer wedding meant that we were able to have the ceremony outdoors as there was a lower chance of rain! There was also a high chance it was going to be a beautiful day as we’d had a great summer! We had heard about Mudbrick for years but hadn’t been to visit until we started to research wedding venues in Auckland. We chose the venue as it had a great view for the ceremony, and they do a lot of weddings – they know their stuff and we were in the best hands. We didn’t even have to organise too much ourselves. Hugo and I love heading over to Waiheke Island for a few wines in the summertime and Mudbrick isn’t too far away for us to visit for anniversaries.

Our wedding theme was light and modern. We’re a pretty relaxed couple, so we wanted our wedding to be beautiful, but still feel like us. I love dried flowers and simple arrangements, so our florist used dried hydrangeas, king proteas and baby’s breath in neutral tones. We didn’t go for a particular style, just choosing what we liked, and it all went together perfectly! The neutral tones of our wedding looked modern, but still soft.

The bridal look was classic and minimal. I hunted around for a dress for so long and couldn’t find anything quite right. I knew exactly what I wanted and what suited me, and, in the end, Trish Peng helped me create it. We kept it simple with an off-shoulder draped silk gown which I wore with my sister’s beautiful veil, gold heels and statement pearl earrings.

I let my four bridesmaids choose their own dresses as I wanted them to be comfortable. I just asked that it was in a neutral colour. They all ended up choosing pretty much the exact same colour anyway and it all worked together well. We got Hugo’s linen-blend suit from Politix. It was lightweight and perfect for summer. We kept the groomsmen’s attire super simple with white shirts and no pocket squares or ties.

Delicious canapes followed the ceremony and all of the dishes on our plated three-course menu at our reception were a hit. We served mains like salmon three ways with buttermilk and kiwi and smoked venison tartare with bone marrow and parmesan. A dessert bar and our two-tiered lemon wedding cake with raspberry buttercream followed.

The most memorable part of our day was walking down the aisle. It was very emotional, and we loved having all of our family and friends with us. We’re glad we didn’t make a fuss about the small details that nobody notices and just threw a bloody good party! Our wedding was fun, relaxed and full of a lot of love and laughter amongst family and friends.