Surrounded by dreamy white clouds, beautiful blue sky and Lake Rotoiti, Brittany and Michael tied the knot in front of their loved ones. Photos of the day showcase the happy couple in utter bliss and celebrating their love. Their day was filled with lots of joy, happiness and fun.
Brittany wowed in 1706 by Kenneth Winston, a fitted gown with all over traditional lace and a show stopping train. The traditional lace trickles down the gown and decorates the the edges of the train, perfect for breathtaking photo opportunities. She completed her look with our illusion veil, an accessory that blends perfectly with her glamourous gown.
We hope you enjoy scrolling through their day and get some insight from Brittany about her experience with us at Astra Bridal and the process of finding her wedding dress.
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I fell in love with the lace around the arms. I
thought it stood out and added the perfect final touch. Sadly, my body type
changed and the shoulder piece would cause the dress to slip off so I had to
get them removed.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I actually originally came into Astra Bridal to try dresses on for my grandma who had been given a cancer diagnosis and around 8 weeks to live. I wanted to give her the experience of seeing her first grandchild in a wedding dress. We tried on dresses and found one she absolutely loved me in so I bought it. I think I bought the dress in November 2020, so well before Michael had actually proposed, but I knew he would at some point haha. It’s a special moment and I’m grateful the staff were so accommodating to us and allowed us to have that special moment. I still cherish the photos taken that day.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We met back in February 2016, both working on the Lakeland Queen, where we became close friends up until I left in the September. We started dating and made it official in January 2017. From there we let love do it’s thing: traveling the world, hitting concerts, finding the best restaurants, buying a house in the start of 2021, and adopting a chonky cat.
Michael proposed in late 2021, attempting to get a beautiful sunrise at the top of Ngongotaha with no luck. The clouds were sitting too low, so he took me on a detour to Lake Okataina at 7 am with no one around and popped the question along the shoreline.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Once the ceremony had finished, we snuck away to a local waterfall for some photos. We finally had time out of our day for just the two of us to breathe, smile, look at each other, and say we did it.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Summer 2023 and the weather was awful 90% of the days leading up to the ceremony! It was raining continuously, but days leading up to our wedding it cleared up. The sun pulled through with a little cloud, not toasting, but perfect enough to wear our dresses without anything else. The whole day went off without a hitch. It flowed perfectly and the guests celebrated well into the night. We couldn’t have asked for a better day celebrating with family and friends.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Allow the day to flow and don't stress on the minor things. Make sure to job delegate the morning of, so you're not worried about all the extra tasks at hand, and make sure to take time for just you and your partner. Everyone will want to talk and celebrate with you, so plan a time to sneak away and have a moment for the two of you.
