Bayley and Josh tied the knot in front of their nearest and dearest at Waikato's charming Red Barn. Photos of the day show the lovely couple looking utterly in love and full of smiles against the rustic natural backdrops of the venue.
Bayley stunned in a custom Forget Me Knot gown. She combined the gorgeously draped scoop neck bodice of Marrakesh with the elegant fit and flare skirt of Macedonia. The combination of these dresses is a timeless dream, and perfect for moving and dancing. She paired her gown with our scattered pearl veil, a detailed yet simplistic accessory that compliments the classic character of her gown.
Keep scrolling to see beautiful images, how Bayley found her dream dress, and get some insight into their day!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I chose my gown because of the way I felt in it. I went into
Astra Bridal with an idea of what I wanted... small straps, low back, nice
train... but when I put on my (two!) dresses I completely changed my mind. It
was easy to wear, which was very important to me. It was simple, but in my
opinion timeless and beautiful.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
My search for a dress was easy... I had walked into Astra Bridal and just felt taken care of. I tried on a few dresses and felt good
about one specific dress, but just wanted to take the evening to think about it
and be sure that was the one... because it's a very important decision. I
came home and looked back at the photos from the day and I kept thinking about
1/2 of one dress and 1/2 of another. I had a call with the lovely Ilyese and
told her what I was thinking. With her magic powers, I had a phone call back
from her and I could get my dream dress! We did a try on of both dresses over
top of each other to see the idea and I was completely sold!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Josh and I met when we were 12 years old at our first boy/girl sleepover. It was our mutual friend's 13th party and we both happened to be there. Josh wouldn't leave my side the entire time. From then on we were just good friends and always crossed paths throughout our high school years. We then both happen to move to Queenstown, and then Taupo... and I'm sure you can figure out the rest of that story! We were living together and working together on the farm and we both knew that was us. We were each other's best friend.
We were having a nice break from the farm up in the Coromandel. We had just gone for a bike ride and went for a quick ocean dip before the storm rolled in. We ran back to the batch and I jumped into the outside shower to rinse off the saltwater. I turn around to see Josh standing there beside me... I heard a "So do you want to get married?"... enjoying my shower I said "Yeah of course one day! Unaware how serious Josh actually was, I caught his eye and he repeated his question "No like, do you want to marry me?" It was the easiest question I've ever had to answer!
What was your favourite part of the day?
We both loved having a 'first look' where we could hang out
and get all our photos done then. This allowed us to have no pressure after the
ceremony where we could spend time with family and not have to rush off for a
few hours. The party was also a huge highlight!
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
The day before our wedding was a stunning bluebird day and the day after our wedding was a warm, sunny autumn day... our wedding day was stormy, windy and wet! But that didn't matter. We didn't mind. We had planned for this. We just embraced it! We did get lucky and had about 30 minutes where the sun came out and we got some photos.
Getting ready was lovely and calm. I think part of the calm was getting to see each other before the wedding. The ceremony was a lovely short and sweet service, but memorable. A surprise my bridesmaids and I had planned was to walk down the aisle to Adele's song Make You Feel My Love. But when I was about to walk in the music stopped and started playing the classic Country Calendar theme song, HillBilly Child by Alan Moorhouse. I stood and watched at the end of the aisle as everyone got a fright and thought something was wrong with the music (including my husband to be). Then everyone started laughing and dancing along with my dad and I as we boogied down the aisle. The reception was outstanding. The staff and hospitality and the Red Barn were incredible. We danced through the night with our friends and family. It was just the best!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Josh and I made sure to just let the day be. We had planned for what we could and if anything was to change on the day, that's okay! Be present and enjoy that moment. No one really remembers the details, so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to make everything 'perfect'. Enjoy your time and get a tribe around you to look after the things around you that day. Our amazing photographer Amy was magic and calm at getting us where we needed to be on time.
Take photos of the dresses you try on! Then wear the dress that you love, the one that makes you feel like a million bucks!
