Hannah and Hamish said "I Do" in front of their loved ones at the stunning Kumeu Valley Estate. Photos of the day show the lovely couple full of joy and smiles as they celebrated their special day.
Hannah awed in Chloe by Studio Levana, a charming A-line gown with pearls and romantic nature inspired lace covering the bodice, which trickle into the top of the soft sweeping chiffon skirt. The slit adds an element of sexiness and the layered pearl strands draped down the back of the gown are a unique and striking detail. She completed her gown with our pearl edged veil, an accessory that perfected matched her gown.
Enjoy scrolling through images of their day and seeing the Chloe dress in action!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The dress I ended up with was romantic, flowy and accentuated the best parts of my curves. I thought I’d end up with a bit more volume in the skirt, but the material fell so naturally and moved so easily, I fell in love with it. The corset was encased behind a zip which I liked. It kept everything in place perfectly (no one wants to be constantly hitching their dress up.) I loved the pearl necklace on the back of the dress and the pearls sewn onto the bodice. It was so different to anything else I’d seen before. Paired with a pearl veil, it was absolutely stunning! The sexy slit up the leg was a big bonus too.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I am a woman with curves and struggle with trying on clothes at the best of times, let alone one of the most important outfits of my life. Despite this worry, I loved the idea of having all of my bridesmaids and my mum coming with me to try on dresses. I wanted to be the confident, centre of attention, twirling and smiling Disney princess, but the anxiety around it all was so overwhelming. The first store we went to was nice, the second store was awful. I left the day feeling emotionally exhausted.
After this first day of searching, I got in contact with Astra Bridal because I knew they had a good reputation, had dresses in my size and had styles that I liked the look of. My stylist from Astra Bridal promptly called me to have a relaxed chat about what I was looking for and I told her about my experience to that point. She was very kind and asked me to trust her to make the experience at Astra unlike the others. I brought my Maid of Honour with me and my stylist took such great care of us both. She was prepared, respectfully honest about the things that did and didn’t work, but ultimately was led by my preferences and kept a calm environment throughout. I was so appreciative.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
I never really took Tinder very seriously. It was more about swiping with my girlfriends over a wine than about finding a soul mate. A friend of mine was over from the UK and was intrigued by Tinder, so I passed the phone over and off she swiped. She was the one who swiped on Hamish and it wasn’t until he asked about what music I was into that she passed the phone over excitedly. We began messaging and both put on a bit of a “cool” front at first. Hamish overplayed how much he loved the band Alt J, and I talked about my eclectic and diverse range of music tastes while downplaying my die hard love for the Backstreet Boys. I forgot I had Tinder for about 2 weeks and he was convinced I was ghosting him. Eventually I got back to him, and we made a plan to go for a drink. Despite Hamish showing up with the beginnings of a man bun, I was pleasantly surprised by his friendly, easy-going nature and his stunning blue eyes. When he got me the large glass of rosé and made a well-timed Backstreet Boys pun, he had secured himself a second date instantly.
Fast forward to January 2022 and we took a brief trip to his family’s bach in Matarangi. I was making a blueberry pie and needed some ingredients which Hamish was uncharacteristically eager to go get for me. Little did I know, he had used this opportunity to leave the house and call my dad to ask for his blessing. Being the only girl in my family of boys - this was a really special moment for dad. Hamish made a delicious roast dinner and said we should go for a walk after dinner. Well, the roast took a lot longer than expected and our sunset walk turned into a nighttime walk. He had checked the weather report and the next day was raining so he was determined to do it that night. We walked for a bit, found a spot to sit down, got comfortable and then he asked me to stand up. Then he asked me to turn around. Why was he acting so weird? Then he told me to turn back around and there he was on one knee. My first thought… "this is not a funny joke Hamish, stop playing around." I felt him take my right hand and slide on a ring, while saying beautiful things about me and our future together. It wasn’t until I felt the ring that I realised the moment was here. I very quickly gave him the other hand and he asked me to marry him. I don’t remember if my wit was quick enough to say “hmmm let me think about it” first or if the onslaught of kisses came first, but either way it was perfect. This spot is now such a special part of our story.
What was your favourite part of the day?
My favourite part of the day was our dance floor. Music is such a huge part of our lives and creating a playlist of songs together that we wanted to party to was so much fun! All of the formalities were done and we just wanted to let loose with our nearest and dearest. Sean Paul, Spice Girls, Fleetwood Mac… even Tenacious D! How often do you see Uncle John getting down to 50 Cent? We listen to our playlist now and it takes us right back every time.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
It was a pretty standard getting ready kind of set up. Me with my gals and him with his guys, both just down the road from the venue. I had my getting ready playlist going and was sipping bubbles with my girls when I got this phone call - “it’s starting to rain - do you want to move everything indoors or hope for the best and stay with the outdoors plan?” I decided to cross my fingers, hope for the best and stick with the outdoor venue. Hamish sent me a text message that said “I love you. I can’t wait to marry you” and everything else didn’t seem to matter anymore. We did a first look which I absolutely loved. It gave us some one on one time to drink in what we were about to undertake together that day and it instantly calmed my nerves. We had our bridal party photos before the ceremony and then went our separate ways for final touch ups. It rained on the way from the touch ups to the venue and I was getting a bit nervous. My dad was driving us in his wee Morris Minor and as soon as we pulled up to the venue the rain stopped and stayed away until after the ceremony.
I walked down the aisle to “ Thank You” by Chris Cornell. It didn’t matter that I had already seen Hamish that day - the emotions were overwhelming and I was tearing up before I even got to him. My little brother was our officiant which was so special. He added a personal touch that made us both feel so relaxed. We walked back up the aisle to “Ride Like The Wind” by Christopher Cross because that’s the song we love to dance to in the kitchen. It was so special to dance up the aisle with him as Mr and Mrs. We struggled with the photos because the rain decided to come back at that exact moment. I didn’t get a photo with everyone there as a result and if I was to say I had one regret - that would be it. Hamish’s brother was our MC and he flawlessly took us through the rest of the evening. We entered as a married couple for the first time to “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” by the Darkness and sat together at a cute little table just for us. The speeches were epic - heartfelt, hilarious and (best of all) didn’t go on forever. One of the speeches was even a reimagining of the song “As Long As You Love Me” by the Backstreet Boys just - perfection! Our first dance was hilarious. Not on purpose - just because we’re both so uncoordinated. “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young was the perfect way to start the dance floor with my new husband. Things didn’t all go according to plan but to us - it was perfect.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
There are a lot of choices to make before the big day, decision fatigue is a real thing. My biggest piece of advice is to be kind to yourself. This day is all about you and your partner celebrating your love and commitment to each other, not the expectations of others. What do YOU value? What is going to make YOU enjoy this day? Everyone else just wants you to be happy and enjoy your special day. If that’s not the case, they have no place on your guest list.
