Dorothy and Lawrence tied the knot in front of friends and family at the beautiful Tarureka Estate. Photos of the day show the happy couple enjoying their big day and looking blissfully in love with each other.
Dorothy wowed in Fontaine by Maggie Sottero, a sparkly sequinned lace fit and flare with a deep illusion V-neckline and beaded spaghetti straps. The delicate floral lace motif also extends down into the train, creating the most showstopping train.
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?
I
was torn between a Jenny Yoo dress and Fontaine by
Maggie Sottero. I tried both on, but the one I fell in love with originally was Fontaine. As soon as I tried it on, I just knew this was the one. I love
certain lacey dresses, but am personally not a fan of the bohemian style, chunky
lace, or appliqué lace dresses, so it was difficult to find the right
one! The lace detailing on this is so delicate yet intricate and just looked
absolutely beautiful, especially with the beading throughout the bodice and
straps.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Anybody
who knows me well knows I'm incredibly fussy and detail-orientated! I started
off by looking online and getting familiar with what bridal shops were based
locally in Wellington before I considered if looking a bit further afield was
necessary. I found the Astra Bridal website easy to use and filtered between different
dresses and designers. I was torn between something plain and elegant - a
timeless classic, versus something a bit more detailed and lacey - but it had
to be the right type of lace! I stumbled across Maggie Sottero and fell
in love with her designs, especially one dress in particular by her - Fontaine. I'm the
type of person who makes up their mind fairly quickly and sticks to that
decision, so I tried to go into this with a bit more of an open mind then I
usually would in case it wasn't the right dress after all. I went to one of their
monthly 'Sip and See' events with one of my
bridesmaids after work one evening to have a bit of a browse at the
dresses. It was really good to have a bit of a browse without the pressure of
trying on and looking at the fabrics in more detail. My appointment was also a
lovely experience - my stylist was so lovely, accommodating, and made sure I
was well looked after.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We
were high school sweethearts - we met working at our after school job at
Countdown on the checkouts. We worked side by side until we became too chatty
and they put us at opposite ends of the checkouts! 12 years later and the rest
is all history. He actually bought the ring towards the end of 2020, but was
waiting for the perfect moment. He brought it with him on a couple trips we
went on, but one thing or another popped up, and the timing was just never
perfect. We'd decided to seize the opportunity after the Covid lockdowns and go do the Tongariro crossing before NZ opened back up to the world in 2021. It
was there on the crossing that he actually proposed. We got to the summit of the
track by the blue lakes and he popped down on one knee there. There was nobody
around in that moment, which is rare as hundreds of kiwis and tourists do the track each day. I had
absolutely no inkling that this was coming - so I wasn't prepared with nice nails
or hair/makeup/outfit!
What was your favourite part of the day?
It's
honestly impossible to choose a favourite moment or part of the day - the
whole day was absolutely beautiful - getting ready with my girls in the morning, the ceremony itself was emotional and beautiful and had everyone in
tears, the mingling with our guests on the lawn after the ceremony as husband
and wife, the beautiful speeches delivered by our family and friends over
dinner which blew us away, our first dance, and all the dancing that
followed are all such treasured memories.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We'd picked a December wedding hoping for a beautiful summer day that wasn't too hot. The weather the week beforehand had started to turn and things were only looking worse on the forecast when a tornado had hit the region and we were showered with thunderstorms all week. Despite this, the day itself was absolutely beautiful. It showered a little bit in the morning and we made the decision to press on and have an outdoor ceremony. There was a 30-second shower during the ceremony, which was a bit of a welcome relief for the guests sitting in the pews as it was a hot day!
I got ready in the upstairs portion of the house with my girls - this included my best friends and my flower girl who is the daughter of my longest and best friend. We had a relaxing morning, made some brunch platters, snacked, chatted, listened to music and sipped on bubbles whilst we all got ready. We all had matching robes and quickly took some photos outside once ready before getting changed into our dresses. The groomsmen all got ready in the downstairs portion of the house. They also had a nice relaxing morning and shared whiskies in the barn before getting into their suits.
The ceremony went by without a hitch - we got married in the wedding grove - the aisle song was 'Can't help falling in love' a cover by Kianna Grannis, and the exit song was a bit more upbeat with 'Sky full of stars' by Coldplay. Our celebrant Ashleigh did a great job of crowd control and delivered a beautifully heartfelt and funny ceremony. After the ceremony and during the exit by myself and my husband with our bridal party the guests tossed confetti before we all went into our group photos.
The reception was based on the estate lawn and our guests enjoyed music and drinks in the sun with lawn games
After the reception, guests proceeded to the barn where they were seated for dinner. We cut the cake, had dinner and speeches followed by more mingling downstairs whilst me and Lawrence went away to have some couple photos taken at sunset. We came back, had the first dance and more speeches then the rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing and mingling.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
I have two pieces of advice: stick together, and really take in and appreciate every moment.
A friend had said to us that the biggest piece of advice she was given was to make sure we stuck together for the day. It was such a simple piece of advice, but one I have actually since passed on to others as well. It's the one day where you're the centre of attention and absolutely everybody wants to spend time and talk with you, so you can easily find yourself absorbed in a conversation and before you know it time has flown by. The day moves so unbelievably fast - we made a point to go round to all the groups - as husband and wife, together, so that we didn't get separated from each other. No matter how much time you've spent planning and preparing for your day, make sure you really take it all in. From all the big moments like the ceremony, speeches and the first dance to all the finer details.
