Samantha & Sam tied the knot on a (surprisingly) non-windy Wellington day at Old St Paul's church, to which the festivities then carried on to The Boatshed for the reception.
Samantha customised our Danielle dress by Forget Me Knot by raising the lace off-shoulder sleeves to the ball of her shoulder to create a more "princess style dress", perfect for the grandness of their church ceremony!
Continue reading for Samantha's insight into the wedding dress process, how their day went, and some advice for the brides planning their wedding day. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The “Forget Me Knot” Danielle dress was absolutely perfect. It’s elegant, classy, and stunning. I was very self-conscious trying the different dresses thinking I wouldn’t find THE dress. This gown suited my body type so well as it shaped my curves perfectly. I felt so beautiful wearing it, I felt like a princess.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Astra Bridal was the first bridal shop I went to in search of my dream dress. I was incredibly excited but nervous at the same time because I was scared I wouldn’t find THE dress. I am a big fan of “Say Yes to the Dress” (TV series) so I knew roughly what to expect. I wanted this to be a special moment so I decided I wanted my parents there with me. I wanted a dress that was elegant, comfortable and that would accentuate my curves. Lisa from Wellington Astra Bridal was fantastic; she was so patient and helpful. We tried on about 4 dresses that were within our budget – all lovely but there’s a saying that when you have your dream dress on, you know. I had these gorgeous dresses on, but it wasn’t the dress I had dreamed of getting married in. It was at that point Lisa said she had the perfect one. She brought it into the dressing room and I put it on. As soon as I came out of the dressing room, both Mum and Dad’s jaws dropped, followed by Mum’s eyes filling with tears. It was then my turn to look in the mirror and see the dress. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt it, I knew that the “Forget Me Knot” Danielle dress was the wedding dress of my dreams. Except - the off-shoulder straps were low meeting my arms and where my chest was. I wanted to try something different with the straps by placing it above the bust area making it a princess style dress. After a quick customisation, bingo!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Our first date was at Lambton Quay 25 September 2020 (sad to say it appears to have closed in the meantime) where we confirmed our chemistry, discovered our mutual love for KFC, and agreed to a second date involving it. When it was time to part ways, Sam asked to walk me to my car, where I asked the line that defined the relationship – “Well, aren’t you going to kiss me?”. From there we progressed from KFC and walks through the botanical gardens to spending more and more time together and then romantic trips to Martinborough (as allowed by COVID restrictions).
What was your favourite part of the day?
Getting to see my soon to be husband standing in the altar waiting for me. The day was just so perfect, better than I dared hope for. From when I needed to get up at 5am and seeing the sun rise after a week of storms in Windy Welly, to having our first dance as husband and wife. It was an absolute dream seeing the hard work Sam and I did with planning the wedding and it all working together so well. It was so worth it; we really felt the love from our family and friends.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Getting ready went so fast. My bridal party and I got ready at my husband’s parents house in Lyall Bay. I was praying for sun after Wellington had a big storm the week previous – and thankfully my prayers were answered. At 6.30am it was time to start on make-up with the bridesmaids going first. I loved watching the sunrise giving me hope and happiness that it would be a perfect day. We needed to leave the house at 1, and honestly the 7 hours of getting ready between went so fast that before I knew it, we were ready to go. When we arrived at Old St Pauls, the sun was shining with not a gust of wind in sight (which is very uncommon if you know Wellington), I was so nervous but so excited to see Sam and our guests. It was so special having my father walk me down the aisle. After the beautiful ceremony, we were off to take photos at Parliament grounds before heading to our wonderful reception at The Boatshed. We cut our cake, had our first dance with my new husband and my father. This was followed by the shoe game, some speeches and an amazingly yummy dinner/dessert, not to mention dancing with our glow sticks! hahaha
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Enjoy the experience and remember that it’s YOUR day, nobody else’s. Don’t worry about drama, focus on the day, it goes so fast so make the most of it and have fun. Good MCs and photographers will make the day go smoothly and be so memorable.
