On a lovely autumn day, Eunice and Rangatira promised to spend the rest of their lives together in an intimate ceremony at Tui Hills. Their day was full of happiness, and photos from the day show the couple utterly in love, celebrating their big day with their loved ones.
Eunice stunned in Katlyn by Forget Me Knot, a gorgeous lacy boho gown with magnificent full bell sleeves and a satin slip dress underneath—perfect for a two-in-one look. She paired her gown with our Jenna veil, a custom two-tier veil made of soft tulle, an accessory that complements the ethereal look of her gown.
Continue scrolling for beautiful images, insight into Eunice's wedding dress shopping journey, and her advice for brides planning their big day. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The sleeves were just perfect. The fit was everything I was looking for. I didn’t have time to lose weight before the wedding, so I wasn’t in my best shape, but the Katlyn dress made me feel like the most beautiful bride ever.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I unfortunately didn’t have enough time to go to multiple shops and take my time looking for a dress. But luckily, during my research, I came across Astra Bridal. While browsing their Instagram page, I came across the Katlyn dress. When I saw it, I was like "Ouuu, maybe this could be the one!" We hadn’t decided on a venue yet at that point, but the enchanted vibe of the dress made me feel like it was the one. The veil, that’s a story haha. I initially bought a veil, which at that time felt like the one. But as I kept trying it on, it just didn’t feel right. But thanks to Ilyese, she helped me get a custom veil for my wedding, and I will cherish that forever! It was a huge process, but honestly, without Ilyese, it wouldn’t have been possible, so I would like to say a big thank you to her!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We met in June of 2019 at work; he was one of my trainers back then, and we just clicked. He had this aura about him that attracted me, but I wasn’t going to make the first move. Luckily, he told me he had a crush on me, and we kind of went from there. We were official just after two weeks of meeting each other.
We had our struggles because my parents were never on board with our relationship, and I hid our relationship for almost four years before telling them. They wanted me to essentially marry someone they chose, as they are very orthodox, but I knew deep down that no one would treat me the way he does, and he is the best for me. I took that leap of faith and got to know him for who he is, rather than just seeing him as a “Maori,” like my parents did, and it definitely paid off. I could not have asked for a better life partner, and I am so thankful to God for that.
We’ve had each other's backs through thick and thin, and I am so proud of what he’s achieved in the last five years and where we are as a couple. Due to our unfortunate circumstances with my parents being against the relationship, we decided the best thing for us was to elope, so we didn’t have a formal proposal. We didn’t exactly elope, but we ended up having a small, intimate ceremony with my husband's side of the family and a few friends from work for the brides side, and tied the knot.
What was your favourite part of the day?
I would say my favourite part of the day was when I was walking down the aisle and saw my then-soon-to-be husband at the end, with tears of joy filling his eyes. I will never forget that little moment. It was at that moment that we knew that all we needed was each other and nothing else mattered.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We kept an eye on the weather leading up to the day, and it showed rain all week. But we were so lucky that the day we got married was nice and sunny, while the weather on either side of the week were bad and rainy. We saw it as a blessing from God that we had a beautiful day to get married. I was stressed while getting ready as I hadn’t done a practice run for my makeup, but luckily, I came up with something perfect for that day. My two bridesmaids did their own hair and makeup, and they looked so beautiful. They were very supportive and made the wedding a breeze. They helped out wherever they could, and I could not have asked for better bridesmaids.
The ceremony was beautiful; we were surrounded by the people who love us and genuinely wanted to be there. I just wish it had lasted longer. That moment from being at the top of the aisle to exchanging rings went by so quickly, but I can still remember it as clear as day. There were tears of joy from everyone present. It was the most beautiful, intimate, and emotional ceremony ever. Everything was just perfect.
We didn’t have any selected people to do speeches, so it was amazing to see quite a few people share something so candid and heartfelt. It was very touching to hear one of my brothers-in-law say that he was happy to have gained a little sister and glad to see he’s not the youngest in the house anymore. A few family members performed the haka for us, as an Indian myself, I felt so privileged and honoured by that. We had a very casual reception. Since we only had 30 guests, we got up and said hi to every single person instead of just sitting at our table eating, which we both quite enjoyed. We had a chance to say thank you to every single person that made our wedding day as memorable as it was.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
One thing I would like to tell all the brides-to-be:
Please, please, please take in every single moment of that day. If something goes wrong, please do not let it ruin your day. Just ignore it and keep going. Enjoy the good and bad as they come, and I guarantee that in 10 years' time, you’ll look back and maybe even have a laugh about it. And lastly, stick by your partner no matter what. You’ve chosen them, and they've chosen you. It’s you against the world, and nothing else matters.
