Claudia & Sam

Sam and I met when we were flatting in Hamilton during our final year of study. Our first date was a dream; a blanket fort under a tree with fairy lights, candles and, of course, cheese and wine.

We got engaged on our one year anniversary and married four and a half months later on 03/02/2018 at Mission Estate Winery.

I chose a Stella York dress from Palmerston North Bridal Studio. It was exactly what I wanted; a classy gown that had lace straps, a low back and a small train. I accessorised this with a long veil and because I wanted my dress and flowers to stand out I went minimal with a pair of simple earrings.

Both my Mum and Dad walked me down the aisle and gave me away. This was important to me because of the impact that both of my parents have had on my life and how they have helped shape who I am.

A lot of thought was put into deciding what our priorities were for our wedding day.

One thing that was very important to us was to have a short and personal ceremony in front of the beautiful pergola led by our pastor where we shared vows we had written ourselves. Afterwards there were bubbles and canapes while we shared our joy with family and friends.

I wanted the florals to be big and I wanted them to be statements; the highlight was the gorgeous pink dahlias.

I had three bridesmaids, my Sister, Lucy was Maid of honour and my friends Hannah and Melissa. When I asked them to be bridesmaids I actually sent them a pair of earrings with a little note in the mail! The girls wore these on the day along with dresses in blush pink from Trelise Cooper.

Sam and the groomsmen chose their suits from Hallensteins. They were white linen with black and white striped shirts which really worked well with the other colours and tied everything together! It was really important to Sam to have something a bit different.

Figure out what is important to both of you as a couple at the very start and don’t compromise on those things when organising the wedding!

We both wanted to get married at a vineyard, the Mission was perfect as we really wanted to have our ceremony and reception at the same venue.

We loved the fresh beautiful colours of the florals and the green of the vineyards.

The style we chose for our wedding was classic chic with a hint of rustic.

I could see Sam smiling away and then looked around at all of the family and friends surrounding me as I walked up the aisle; that was very special because you realise at that moment that you are so blessed.

A Haka was performed by our friends which was a very special touch to our evening.