Ciara and Sham said 'I do' in front of their nearest and dearest, surrounded by the beautiful snowy mountains in Queenstown. Photos of the day show the lovely couple full of happiness and love as they celebrated their intimate special day.
Ciara wowed in Marilyn by Sottero & Midgley, a unique satin fit-and-flare gown with an asymmetrical pleated V-neckline and covered buttons trailing down to the train. This gown is the perfect balance between modern and classic. She paired her gown with our Hendrix veil, a sparkle tulle veil that shimmers beautifully in the snow.
We hope you enjoy seeing their photos and reading about their wedding day just as much as we did! Congratulations to them both! x
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The cut and fit of this dress were sensational. It hugged me in all the right places and really highlighted my curves. The asymmetrical pleated V-neckline was modern, chic, and yet sophisticated and timeless. The beauty of this dress was in the stunning details of the tailoring, shape, and structured bodice. It was simple yet glamorous and a real wow dress.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Being a newbie to NZ, I was asking some of the girls at work if they could recommend any places for bridal dresses. One of the girls recommended Astra Bridal to me. She had gotten her wedding dress there and said not only do they have a huge selection, but the girls working there are absolutely amazing. I spent hours on their website looking through the real brides’ stories and all the beautiful dresses. Then I clicked on a STUNNING dress by Sottero & Midgley…Marilyn. OMG…I was obsessed. I LOVED everything about this dress. I can’t even tell you how many times I looked at it online.
I was incredibly nervous about going in. I was completely on my own with no family or friends, and it was my first time ever trying on a wedding dress. As soon as I went in for the consultation, Khym gave me such a warm welcome and instantly made me feel comfortable and relaxed. After chatting with Khym, we decided to pick out a few other dresses in different shapes and fabrics to try on too. The Marilyn dress was the first wedding dress I had ever tried on, and I knew instantly it was the one. It was love at first sight. Khym shared in my excitement and really made me feel like I was among friends. I tried on the other dresses I picked out, but nothing compared in fit or design, and nothing even came close to the feelings I felt in the Marilyn dress. Khym kindly took photos and videos of me in the dresses so I could send them to my mum back in Ireland. I was really gutted that I missed out on experiencing trying on wedding dresses with my mum, and Khym suggested coming back on Saturday to try the dress on during a FaceTime call with my mum. I arranged a video call with my mum and sister-in-laws a few days later and got to share the experience with them and try on the dress again. It was such a special moment, and I was so grateful I could share that with my family. As I work in healthcare, Astra Bridal offers healthcare workers 10% off the purchase of their dress. Finding my dream dress at Astra Bridal was an amazing experience, and I cannot thank the girls enough for being my support team and making me feel so welcomed.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We met back in Ireland at the end of the COVID lockdown on Tinder. Our first date was on the weekend when restrictions were lifted in Ireland, and it was amazing. Our relationship progressed quickly; it was like nothing we had ever experienced before. Fast forward to the proposal and a trip to Bali in March '23. Little did I know that this would be a trip of a lifetime. Sham had booked an AMAZING villa through Airbnb for us to have to ourselves. On our first day, he whisked me off to a spa where we enjoyed some couples’ massages. Pure relaxation! This was followed by lunch and a couple of cocktails. We headed back to our villa, where he had the ultimate surprise planned. Walking out to the back garden, I saw a pathway of flowers and candles leading along the pool to a dinner table nestled inside a giant flower heart. I was in complete shock when I turned around and saw him on one knee holding out a ring, asking me to spend the rest of our lives together. It was such a magical moment, and one I will never forget.
What was your favourite part of the day?
There were so many favorite parts of the day; it’s extremely difficult to pick just one. However, there is one in particular that stands out to me: the first look moment I shared with the two loves of my life, my dad and my husband. I will forever hold these two moments in my heart. I will never forget the look in my dad's eyes, his beaming smile, and the biggest hug as he looked at me with such pride. The feeling of excitement and nerves as I walked toward Sham, tapping him on the shoulder and just looking at his face as he saw me for the first time as his bride—it was indescribable. He was so stunned and literally speechless. The emotions, smiles, kisses, and laughter made it an incredibly special and intimate moment, just the two of us by the side of the lake. Seeing him in his suit, looking so handsome, I felt as if my heart would burst. Thinking of this moment still gives me goosebumps and brings me right back.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We had an elopement wedding in Queenstown with my parents as our only guests. We decided on an elopement wedding because our immediate family were spread out over six different countries, and it was too challenging to decide where to have it without adding too much financial pressure on everyone to attend. I booked our elopement with the fabulous Haley from Queenstown Elopements. It was the most stress-free experience. We designed a day packed with love, laughter, and adventure in the most intimate setting, celebrating us and our love for each other. I had booked our accommodation at Jacks Retreat for the night before, the wedding day, and the day after. I fell in love with the architecture of this building nestled against the backdrop of The Remarkables mountain range, long luscious grasses, wildflowers, and the views and sunsets over Lake Wakatipu. We woke up on our wedding morning, and our fabulous host Rebecca had cooked us a delicious breakfast to set us up for the day. We enjoyed that little moment together before we separated to start prepping for the day. Rebecca kindly let Sham use a room in her house to get ready so we could have that special first look moment.
Haley had arranged for Natalie, the hair and makeup artist, to arrive at the retreat to do mine and my mum’s wedding hair and makeup. It was an absolutely glorious morning. It was so warm and there wasn’t a breeze in sight. I had some music playing, and I was just enjoying the glam process. Haley arrived at the retreat armed with my flowers and a steamer to go over my dress after traveling. Shortly afterward, Carla (our photographer) and Ned (the videographer) arrived. They began taking some photos and videos of the glam process, my dress, etc.
Haley whisked us off to Heliworks, where we all took a helicopter to land on Tyndall Glacier. It was our first time in a helicopter, and it was such an amazing experience to have on our wedding day. The views of Queenstown and the snow-capped Remarkables mountain ranges were breathtaking. We landed on Tyndall Glacier, and the fun began. With some music playing, we had an amazing time dancing our way along the glacier, throwing snowballs, having a little cuddle and a kiss, and enjoying the fun. We’d never laughed so much as we kept sinking deep into the snow. (And for those wondering, my dress wasn’t soaking wet in the snow; it kinda just sat on top of the snow as I sunk down to about mid-calf deep in places.)
After about an hour on the glacier, we jumped back onto our helicopter to continue our adventure to Mt. Crichton, where we would have our ceremony and exchange our vows. Words cannot describe the unbelievable views at the top of Mt. Crichton. I could not believe this was actually the venue for our ceremony. Emily, our celebrant, had crafted the most magical, personal, and intimate ceremony that captured our love story. It was beautiful. There, on top of the mountain, in front of my parents, we exchanged our vows and became husband and wife.
After some celebratory champagne, we flew back to Queenstown, where a gorgeous convertible white 1965 Ford Mustang was waiting for us. We finished off our photoshoot outside the stunning architecture of Eichardt’s Private Hotel (opened in 1861) before heading in and enjoying a delicious meal at The Grille by Eichardt’s with my parents. Our wedding day was truly the most special and intimate day.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Two pieces of advice I would love to pass on to future brides. The first is, if you are considering an elopement or are on the fence about it… DO IT. OMG, you will not regret it. You can design a day that is truly about the two of you, your journey, and your love story. You can do EXACTLY what you want and include elaborate things, like a helicopter to a glacier, because you have the budget for it. We got to enjoy every single minute of the day. There is nothing I would change. Our wedding experience was so unique and like nothing we or our family had ever seen before. The photographs are sensational, and we are obsessed with them.
The second piece of advice is to get a wedding planner. Haley from Queenstown Elopements is the shining light of wedding planning. I always thought that having a wedding planner was only for people with huge budgets of over $40K/$50K. Haley worked with us to a budget we were comfortable with and took care of everything. It was really the easiest, stress-free experience in planning a wedding. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to make a slight destination change about three weeks out, and Haley took care of everything. Nothing was a problem. She was with us on our wedding day, helping us get ready, ensuring everything flowed and went according to plan, and even when we were running late, she contacted vendors and updated them. We just enjoyed the day and didn’t have to worry about a single thing. I am extremely grateful to her for helping us create this special day. I would highly recommend a wedding planner.
