Rachel and Joe's April Waikato wedding focussed on two important aspects in their lives - family and faith.
Rachel wore the Hattie dress by Rebecca Ingram, a strapless lace mermaid with plunging neckline and soft glitter tulle layer throughout. It made her feel amazing, and we can say for certain she does look amazing! She also wore our L-902-CT blusher veil and we love the shots of it flowing in the breeze as she's about to entre the church.
Continue scrolling for beautiful images, insight into their wedding day, and Rachel's advice for brides planning their big day. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I loved that it was elegant, yet had a bit of grand. The clean lines and the buttons down the back were what I had always wanted. I was surprised that I ended up choosing a dress that was pretty OTT, but I felt amazing in it, and that's what you're looking for at the end of the day right?
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Khym was amazing! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to have everyone I wanted there due to the vax restrictions, but I tried on dresses with my sister and niece, while the rest of my family were on facetime. The dress was one that caught my eye when I first walked in, but had discounted due to the plunging neckline. My niece loved it, so I decided to try it on when I had pretty much decided on another dress. I guess I had the moment then - loved the dress and felt absolutely amazing in it. The team were so helpful, making suggestions and being super accommodating. I walked out feeling a million dollars.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We met for the first time at a conference in Cambridge, but reconnected a couple of years later when I was back visiting my parents in Morrinsville (of all places!). Joe went to the same church as them. We ended up chatting, a few messages were exchanged, and we ended up going on our first date. I enjoyed Joe's easy company, our alignment of values, and of course it helped that he was pretty darn attractive too. We did long distance for a bit, and then the first lockdown hit. I relocated from Auckland to Morrinsville for the lockdown, and that ended up becoming permanent move. The proposal took me completely by surprise. We made the spontaneous decision to head to the Mount as it looked like we were about to go back into lockdown (Jan 2022). I suggested we went for a walk up the Mount. I noticed that Joe was pretty quiet, but thought it might have been the heat of the day + the punishing stairs. We got to the top and were enjoying the view when Joe started directing me to a more private space, next thing I knew he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand. The most surreal and overwhelmingly happy day.
What was your favourite part of the day?
For Joe it would be seeing me walking down the aisle; for me it would be getting into the car to drive off to our photos and realising that we were husband and wife.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
I was pretty exhausted as it felt like I didn't sleep at all the night before. Our reception venue came with accommodation, which was perfect for getting ready. I am one of 7, and the last one married, so it was amazing (if rather chaotic) to have everyone around as we got ready. My 3 sisters were my bridesmaids, and my nieces were flower girls. Due to the restrictions being lifted, we were able to invite a bunch of people to the wedding who we didn't think were going to be able to make it, and it was pretty amazing to walk into the church and see all the people who mean so much to us. Our pre-marriage counsellor married us, which was pretty special, and it was amazing to have our families so involved in the ceremony - readings, prayers and music. Our faith is a central part of our story, and it was awesome to feel like that was celebrated as much as us. As everyone says - the day was over in a flash, but I look back and think of it with a rosy glow of happiness as we celebrated the new family Joe and I were creating, and the families that had contributed to all that we are.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Decide what's important for you, and then choose to be relaxed about how it works out. It all works out in the end, and stressing about details just robs you of joy in the build up to such a happy day.
