On a rainy summer day, Courtney and Graham vowed to spend the rest of their lives together in front of their loved ones and surrounded by the lush greenery at Tironui. Photos of the day show the couple in utter bliss and celebrating their day together.
Courtney wowed in Francis by Studio Levana, a light crepe fit and flare gown that exudes elegance with a stunning off the shoulder strap detail that forms a bow at the back of the gown. The slit in the skirt also adds a touch of sexiness to this classic gown.
Enjoy scrolling through their special day x
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The gown I chose wasn’t even on my radar. Lisa asked if I
could try a dress on as they had only just got the sample in store, and she
hadn’t seen it on anybody yet. When I saw it, I knew that it was my dress!
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I had been to another place before Astra Bridal where I was
made to feel awful about my body, so I was apprehensive about going and didn’t
really want to go. However, my experience at Astra Bridal was the total
opposite. Everyone was so warm, welcoming, and made me feel amazing. Lisa was
the stylist I had, and she was wonderful.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Graham and I met through a mutual friend back in 2007, and we
have been together ever since. We lived in London for several years and had
gone to Gibraltar for the weekend. We got up early to climb the rock and watch
the sunrise. We had climbed to this very cool spot as we could see three
countries and two continents. Graham said that it would be a cool place to stop
for a photo, I start walking to the lookout point and realised he wasn’t
following, so turned around, and there he was down on one knee. I did the classic "Oh my God" hands to the mouth thing, which made me drop my water bottle- cue the
barbary monkeys running up, taking it, and proceeding to destroy it. All we
could do is laugh. I think it helped Graham with his nerves a bit until one of
the monkeys came right up to him and put its hand on his knee. He told it to
“Please take the water bottle just not the ring!” The monkey took the water
bottle and took off thankfully, and Graham could finally actually propose.
What was your favourite part of the day?
I did a first look with my dad and then one with Graham. Both are such precious moments to me.
Also, the food!
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We got engaged during Covid, and we chose to get married in 2023 in hopes that the borders would be open and our friends from the UK could make it over. Graham and I chose Martinborough because of the stable weather, so obviously it rained on and off all day. We had the bride/grooms’ parties and family staying at the Martinborough Hotel. Graham went over to one of his groomsmen’s rooms to get ready while I stayed in our room. Getting ready was interesting as at the time I had a 5-month-old, so was having to get things done between feeds and naps. My bridesmaids were incredible and helped as much as they could with her. My make-up and hair artists also happily worked around me.
After getting ready, I did a first look with my dad at the hotel. This was such a beautiful moment and the photos that Helen captured of this are beautiful. I then went with Helen to do a first look with Graham, that was also very special. It was so nice to have this time for just us. Graham and I then went and got our photos done. We chose to do this before the ceremony as the ceremony and reception were in the same place, and we didn’t want to miss out on the party!
The ceremony was held outside in the olive grove. It started to lightly rain as I started to walk down the aisle, but thankfully the trees provided some shelter! After the wedding, we had the singer and guitarist from the band do an acoustic set while we had cheese platters, bubble and caught up with everyone until dinner time. After dinner, the band began playing, and we spent the night singing and dancing so terribly, but having the best time!!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
When organising your wedding/buying your dress/choosing your venue, do what you and your partner want, not what you think you should do because it's what other people want. Oh, and make sure you eat and drink (actual water as well as your bubbles)!! It can be so easy to forget when you are caught up in the nerves and excitement.
