On a lovely summer day, Andrea and Regan promised to spend the rest of their lives together in front of their nearest and dearest under the charming and whimsical leafy canopy at Vilagrad Winery. Their day was filled with lots of love, joy and heartwarming moments. Andrea's dress perfectly matched the ambience of the venue.
She awed in Lorraine by Rebecca Ingram, a soft and dreamy chiffon gown with a skirt that flows beautifully down in a soft flourish. The beaded spaghetti straps along with the beaded lace and sequin motifs add some detail and shimmer to this ethereal gown, while the soft V-back and sheer organza lined bodice add a touch of sexiness. She paired her gown with our floral veil, a beautiful accessory that blends in with the venue.
Continue scrolling for beautiful images, insight into their wedding day, and Andrea's advice for brides planning their big day. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I chose my dress because it was
simple, comfortable, not too heavy and just felt like it complimented a bigger
bust nicely.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
The team at Astra Bridal were amazing.
When I initially made my appointment, I didn’t give them any pre warning about
what I was after, so we walked through the dresses and pulled dresses as we saw
them. The dress I chose was the first one I tried on with Astra, we tried on
two or three after that but all of them were lacking that “spark” I got with my
dress.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Regan and I met the old fashion way, Tinder. We matched back in 2017 and it kind of fizzled out a bit and we went our separate ways. Fast forward to 2019, I was down in Wellington for the Eminem concert and sent a selfie on Snapchat to everyone, Regan included. Once I got back to Hamilton we were inseparable, a month into seeing each other, Regan went to Canada for a holiday which was really hard being separated so early in the dating days, once he was back I went on a cruise, while on the cruise we made it official.
We moved in together a month before the 2020 lockdown, and during the lockdown we had many discussions over a glass (more like a bottle) of wine about how if we could survive being locked down together we could survive anything. In December 2020, a week before Christmas, Regan had prepared a dinner date for us, setting up the deck for a romantic night in. He was so nervous all night, so I knew something was up. He was just about to pop the question, and then my sister popped in for a visit, so that put the proposal on hold. Later that night while doing the dishes, Regan got down on one knee in the middle of the kitchen and popped the question.
What was your favourite part of the day?
The best part of the day, was turning the corner to walk down the aisle and seeing Regan. It was a surreal feeling, I was about to marry the man of my dreams.
The second part of the day was when everyone was inside the reception having dinner, Regan and I popped into the garden area of Vilagrads and just had 5 minutes to ourselves. We were able to finally breathe and just be us without having other people around.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Waking up the day of the wedding is a feeling that is so hard to put into words. Constant ebbs and flows of nerves, excitement, stress, repeat.
We started the day with a cooked breakfast and then the girls from Belles and Brides turned up. Once hair and makeup was done, Amy from Amy Bell Photography turned up, and that’s when it started to feel more real. We did the reveal photos to the bridesmaids, got all the pre wedding family photos done, and had a very special visit from my nana's sister - my great aunt.
Brett from Hudson Hire then arrived and we were off, the bridesmaids in one car, and Dad, Mum, my maid of honour and me in the other. Brett took us for a drive around Hamilton lake, and made sure to make it known to the public that I was getting married - it definitely distracted me from the nerves that were starting to take over.
Once we arrived at Vilagrads, we had a G&T to calm the last of the nerves and we were off. My cousin starting singing my aisle song and it was game on. The ceremony flew by with our celebrant making us feel at ease and like we were the only people in the room.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
My biggest piece of advice is
don’t sweat the small stuff when it comes to the planning of the wedding. Your
day is about you and your husband. Definitely (easier said than done) try and
live in the moment on the day because it flies by!
