Gemma and Druw celebrated their love in Wellington's chic city centre at Foxglove and photos of the day show the happy couple in utter bliss against a variety of stylish urban backdrops. Their day looked spectacular and was filled with love and fun.
Gemma stunned in Aretha by Rebecca Ingram, a glamourous fit and flare with layers of glistening sparkly tulle. The sequined lace over the sparkly tulle adds an extra touch glimmer and sparkle. The glitz and glam continues with the buttons, a vintage and old Hollywood detail, while the deep scoop back and deep illusion sweetheart neckline adds a dash of sexy and modern. The way the skirt floats and flows gracefully down is an absolute dream.
Continue scrolling for gorgeous images, Gemma's insight and experience into the wedding dress process, and details about their special day.
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
This
gown caught my eye the moment it got brought into the dressing room and I could
only see the sparkles from the bottom. At that moment, without even seeing the
gown, I knew that was going to be the gown because I couldn't stop looking and
peeking at it through the bag. We pulled it out and I put it on and I was just
like WOW! This is the one and I knew it from that moment. I loved the
'Hollywood Glam' vibe it had with the sparkles and then how it came down into
the train. It was fitted and then came out into an A-line at the bottom,
which I loved. I loved how it sat on my body and how I felt in it. It was
exactly what I had wanted in a wedding dress.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Astra Bridal was amazing. They made me feel so comfortable and nothing was a problem. I found the dress I loved but we needed to bring it down quite a number of sizes, so Ilyese held the dress for quite some time while I was in communication with Alter Me to figure out if we could alter it. Ilyese even had chats with Nazneen (from Alter Me) to discuss the dress, doing everything she could to make this happen. After a Zoom with Alter Me at the studio, and with Ilyese and the team, we decided we could alter the dress. Ilyese and the team were prepared to do whatever they could to make this happen and it meant a lot to have so much support in place! When my girls and I arrived for dress try-ons, we had like 2 people helping and they had us in there for well over our scheduled time - I tried on so many dresses and had one on one help the whole time, getting in and out of dresses. It was actually the best experience.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Druw
and I met through my brother as they are good friends. We had a wonderful trip
to Europe in 2022 where we picked my engagement ring in York. We absolutely
loved York! After we got back, the ring arrived a few months later and Druw
proposed in October on the beach in Waikanae. It was a beautiful day and such a
beautiful moment! And I was surprised and shocked the ring had arrived so I
definitely didn't expect it.
What was your favourite part of the day?
The day was relaxed and we enjoyed every single moment. The speeches blew me away - I absolutely loved them. The D Floor was on fire too!
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
The weather in Wellington was really nice, cloudy but a nice day and not very windy. The morning getting ready with the girls was relaxed. We were at a cute Airbnb with a lovely view. Us girls were calm and really enjoyed the getting ready process - we had a yummy breakfast and some champagne to start our day. There was no rushing, it was just how I wanted the morning of to run. Mum helped me get into my dress and then we did a first look with the bridesmaids which was pretty cute. Dad arrived and I did a first look with him too. At 1pm we had our first look photos where we met at Parliament Buildings. I was excited and nervous to see Druw and it felt like the day was officially starting. Our first look was fun and just what we needed to ease the nerves. The groomsmen looked very handsome too!
Once we got back, we had half an hour until the ceremony and at this point we knew it was all starting. Once I got to the ceremony, I was calm and just so excited (I thought I was going to cry but I held myself together!) I saw Druw at the end (who was crying) and I just couldn't get down there fast enough although I loved seeing all our people there just for us. Once the ceremony finished, we moved into the reception which felt a bit more relaxed because we could mingle and catch up (and have a glass of champagne!) From here the day continued smoothly and we just had the best time from the speeches, dancing and jokes. Druw and I laughed and smiled the whole day. The D-Floor was lit and the dessert was delish!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Embrace the day because it goes so fast! Just enjoy every moment and chill out. Laugh, smile and try to hold on to each and every moment. That's what we did and it made it so much fun. Extra bit of advice - print your run sheet off and give it to one of your bridesmaids or Maid of Honour so you can just enjoy the day and they can sort anything that needs sorting. I passed on one of my bridesmaids' numbers to a few key vendors, a groomsman, our MC and Foxglove event planner so she was the port of call - this helped me so much because I could then switch off and just enjoy the day. I highly recommend doing that :)
