Lauren & Peter

In mid-2018 I was in Hamilton for the weekend to attend the engagement party of one of my best friends. On the trip, my Tinder profile reached Peter in Pukekohe and vice versa. We both swiped right and two weeks later Peter was on a plane to Wellington for our first meeting. Our relationship was long-distance for six months, though four months in it had become evident that it was going further. Soon I had sold my house in Wellington and packed everything up to move to Pukekohe. At the end of 2019 after a rough phone call from my mum who was undergoing breast cancer treatment, Peter proposed in the back paddock of his parents’ farm. Though he had been planning to ask a couple of weeks later, he decided to brighten up my day with good news to call back my mum with instead.

Peter and I held our ceremony at St Matthew-in-the-City, while our reception was at Cordis, Auckland. Both of us are Catholic so it was important for us to get married in the Church. St Matthew’s was beautiful, and the reception venue fit with my style. Part of why we chose our locations was because they were easy to organise logistically. We were both holding our breath with the situation around Covid as there was an announcement from Jacinda the week beforehand. Luckily, we did not need to change our date through it all.

I knew exactly what I wanted my wedding dress to be like from day dot – something similar to Kate Middleton’s dress which was very regal and showstopping, yet traditional. I knew in the end that I would have to have something custom made but found a strapless Pronovias dress which was a solid base. The bespoke gown made by Modes had a V neck and a beautiful A-line ball gown skirt while the long sleeves were made from white tulle with Pronovias applique hand stitched all over. It was cathedral length, as was my veil which had Pronovias lace stitched around the edges and on the crown. My shoes were from Valentino and my white sapphire earrings were fifth-generation family heirlooms. No handbag was necessary, though I did use my grandmother’s silver clutch at the table for makeup touch-ups!

Only three of my four bridesmaids made it on the day, as one of them was stuck in Sydney due to Covid. They wore dusk-coloured high neck chiffon dresses from JJ’s House. Their only accessories were their own wedding rings and subtle hairpieces from Lovisa. All of the men wore black morning suits from Frank Casey to fit in with our traditional, regal theme, with Peter opting for a three-piece set with a charcoal tie. Peter’s father bought cufflinks for all of the boys. 

Heather and Nicky from Designer Flowers created our flower arrangements using all of my favourite flowers: white hydrangeas, sweet peas, baby’s breath, and white roses. They tied in perfectly with our colour palette, which was neutral with white, silver, and black. The style was classic and inspired by Kate Middleton just like my dress.

Nancy from Special Occasions created our four-tiered cake. Our tier flavours were lemon with passionfruit curd, chocolate, and coffee, with a top tier of fruitcake for us to save. We again went for a very traditional style with lots of white and lace. The cake was also decorated with sugar flowers that matched the floral arrangements we had and a monogram with the initial of our new joint surname.

We are so glad that we kept the wedding in Auckland and that we invested money where we did – particularly for a premium photographer! Walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time was so memorable, as was the entire experience of a traditional wedding. Our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be.

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