Rachel & Tyler

Tyler and I were set up on a date by a mutual friend. It was the day before Valentine’s Day and we shared a kiss at midnight, instantly becoming each other’s Valentine! I was new to university and Tyler was building his business. Our lives were busy but we shared the same morals and values and had such a deep connection that we knew it was meant to be.

I had wanted to get married since the day we started dating! I’d never felt so strongly about someone. Tyler completely caught me off guard with his proposal. It was while I was decorating our Christmas tree. Tyler got down on one knee and said that he hoped he could make that Christmas even more special…it was more than I had ever dreamed of.

Tyler suggested we visit Tantalus Estate on Waiheke Island as I had never been before. I instantly fell in love with the place. Our family has some Italian heritage so the Tuscan look and feel of the place felt really special. We felt so at home there and the food is something else. We had a sit-down three-course meal with canapés, a cake and a cheese-grazing table. Our guests raved about the oysters and the pork belly.

We also had beef eye fillet, fish and risotto for our mains. My cake was a three-tiered lemon olive oil cake with lemon curd swirl and cream cheese icing. We used Vera Wang cake cutters with our wedding date engraved on them.

The theme was modern, rustic Italian with lots of gold, beige, black and white. I wanted a neutral, clean colour palette with a luxe feel so I went with lots of white flowers and greenery: roses, gypsophila, orchids, freesias, snapdragons and dahlias. We started the day in our robes with a grazing breakfast while we got ready when Tyler surprised me with a diamond ‘R’ necklace. The boys started their day with Pétanque and tennis.

My custom-made Trish Ping wedding dress was my dream. It was a slim fit double-beaded gown with an extra-long train, a four-metre veil and scalloping details on the back, bodice and train. I went the custom route as I am shorter with a curvy figure and I wanted a gown that would flatter my shape. I had five bridesmaids and one flower girl: my goddaughter. They wore wrap dresses from BLAK in custom satin buttercup. Two of them were heavily pregnant!

My custom-made Trish Ping wedding dress was my dream. It was a slim fit double-beaded gown with an extra-long train, a four-metre veil and scalloping details on the back, bodice and train. I went the custom route as I am shorter with a curvy figure and I wanted a gown that would flatter my shape. I had five bridesmaids and one flower girl: my goddaughter. They wore wrap dresses from BLAK in custom satin buttercup. Two of them were heavily pregnant!

The groom and groomsmen wore Barkers suits and shoes with bow ties and black button detailing. We hired a live saxophonist and I worked with Mix-It DJs to create a playlist. We had jazzy, classy music during the ceremony, canapé hour and dinner and a live band played classic dancing tunes from 9pm.

Walking down the aisle was the most memorable moment for me. When I heard the music playing, my anxiety disappeared and I felt so peaceful. It was an amazing feeling, looking at Tyler and feeling so calm! We both cried tears of happiness at the end. It was beautiful.

Our friends bought us a beautiful engraved magnum of champagne. We served a custom Tantalus cocktail to match our cake called ‘The Olive Branch’. We also had wax seals on our menus to match our colour scheme and a neon sign above the bridal table that said ‘The Rakichs’.

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