Charlotte & Jacob

I moved to Auckland ready to discover a new city and develop my career. Dating was not on my agenda at all, so it was only typical that my future husband would literally show up on my doorstep for a house party a few weeks later. We quickly became the best of friends, constantly in fits of laughter and able to talk about anything and everything. Months later, our friendship had blossomed into something more. After some liquid courage, Jake and I spilled our not-so-secret feelings to each other, and we have been inseparable ever since. On a trip to the US, we travelled through Florida, spending a few days at Disney World. At the end of a day at Magic Kingdom, we took advantage of the dwindling crowds and made our way to the castle for photos. Jake put his arm around me, smiled for the camera, then suddenly descended on to one knee! He delivered a beautiful speech as he asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!

After an extensive search of venues, we stumbled across The Hall. The hidden gem, located just outside of Te Aroha in the Waikato, had only been open for a couple of months. We fell in love with its uniquely wild, folky feel, booking it almost instantly. With many of our guests travelling from around the North Island, The Hall was the perfect location to meet in the middle and create a destination wedding feel without leaving the country.

Guests arriving at the ceremony location were welcomed by our DIY ice cream inspired floral confetti station, filling waffle cones for the confetti toss – such a fun, playful element. The aisle was lined with toetoe and flowers leading to a large floral wreath backdrop under an old oak tree. We both wrote our own vows which were kept secret from each other until the day. There were happy tears and so much laughter at the ceremony; we didn’t stop laughing the whole day!

As a designer, I am all about the details, so our day was filled with unique and special touches. We chose ‘ethereal boho’ as our wedding theme and it played a big part in the styling that emphasised my love of crystals, florals and wild romance. Before the wedding, I sent our florists, Blue Meadow Florals and The Mayflower Meadow, an inspiration mood board and colour palette with the style of flowers I was after, then left it up to the professionals. The champion colours were shades of pink, paired with lavender, purple and hints of burnt orange and peach. I styled the reception with crystal table numbers I created myself, antique brass vases filled with flowers and brassy gold candleholders and lanterns with lit candles to create a warm, romantic atmosphere. The bridal table was draped with delicate chiffon fabric, with large crystals alongside taper and pink pillar candles that filled the room with decadent champagne and berry fragrance.

There were so many incredible moments that shaped our magical day – our first look, being showered with floral confetti as we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, our first dance under the stars… Perhaps the most memorable was at the reception during dinner. Never had so many of our closest friends and family been together in one room. We are so grateful we were able to share our special day with all who could make it. The events of recent months have really emphasised the importance of family and friends, love and connection. To have all of that in one epic day created memories we will treasure for a lifetime.

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