On a rainy and dreamy day, Tayla and Jamie vowed to spend the rest of their lives together in front of their loved ones at Red Barn. Photos of the day show the joyful couple were full of happiness and love as they celebrated their big day. The woodland backdrop perfectly matched the nature inspired elements of her dress and accessories.
Tayla shined in Ellen by Rebecca Ingram, a shimmering A-line gown with a floral and vine lace motif covering the bodice and extending into the sparkle tulle skirt. The sequined lace combined with the glittery tulle skirt adds the perfect amount of sparkle, while the horsehair trim adds the perfect amount of volume. She paired her gown with our cut edge veil, a simplistic accessory that allows her gown to shine. She also completed her look with our resin flower hair comb and leaf drop earrings.
Keep reading for some inspo and an insight into Tayla's dress shopping journey.
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The
gown I chose was Ellen- a beautiful whimsical gown with blush undertones and
glitter. I am a girl that loves pink and glitter so this dress really stood
out. I tried her on first and whilst trying on other gowns, I just kept looking
at Ellen hanging up- that's how I knew it was my dress! I went back the
following year to pick up my dress and purchased my veil and hairpiece, which complimented my dress perfectly.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
After getting engaged, my mum, my friend and I went to Auckland to have a look at the bridal show. I found a dress online at another bridal store which I loved and wanted to try on, however, the people at that shop were really pushy and quite rude. Because I was engaged, we thought it would be fun to go to Astra Bridal and try on dresses to start seeing what styles I liked with zero intention on purchasing a gown as we weren't getting married for 2-3 years. We met with my stylist from Astra and she was absolutely AMAZING! She understood the assignment. She helped me try on so many different styles and took time to listen to what my dream dress was. The first dress I tried on at Astra (despite trying on many others) was the one that I ended up purchasing at the end of our appointment. My stylist listened to everything I wanted in a dress, put no pressure on me to purchase, and just gave me time to process and decide what I wanted to do, which made the experience just so amazing and memorable.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Jamie and I met in high school and started dating when we were 16 & 17. After almost 5 years of dating, we went on our annual family/friend holiday to Kawau Island. He had told my mum a few weeks prior, and his best friend (the best man) came along. He waited till a beautiful evening and told me we were going to take my mum and stepdad and get some family photos on the jetty so we could get dressed nicely (as nice as you can get on a holiday where all you do is swim and kayak). My mum started to take photos of Jamie and I, and he said we should do the pose from the titanic as it was fitting for being over the water. I turned around with my arms up (looking ridiculous I might add), he tapped my back, and my mum told me to turn around and he was on a bent knee.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Honestly, the entire day! I loved every part so it is really hard to narrow down a favorite. Getting ready and getting the glammed up is always amazing and fun, but walking down the aisle and seeing Jamie is definitely a major highlight.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
In the week leading up to the wedding, the forecast kept saying rain, so we mentally prepared and changed things accordingly to cater to the weather. My girls, my mum and my gran got ready together at a beautiful AirBnB in Karapiro with alpacas and a beautiful view, whilst Jamie and his boys got ready at our venue. The morning was nice and relaxed with grazing platters and mimosas. It was a lot of fun and so special having my mum and gran get ready with us. Our ceremony was supposed to be outside, however due to the weather, it was moved to The Shed, which ended up being absolutely beautiful. The team at Red Barn were amazing and made the space just perfect. They had umbrellas for us to stand under while waiting to go down the aisle and no request was too big.
The rain cleared just enough for us to get the staple driveway photos that the venue is so well known for, which was exciting, and despite the weather and being unable to control it, it was absolutely magical! The food was to die for and our guests are still talking about it now weeks on. The staff were amazing. The bar manager even went out of his way and moped down the outside dance floor, so that Jamie and I could have our first dance outside under the lights, which was something really important for me. It just made the day that much better having a venue make sure we had the day we really wanted. We arranged with our venue and photographer to do a 'last dance' in The Shed. We had candles lit in a circle and it was the two of us and our photographers. We danced to one of our favourite songs and just enjoyed a moment to soak in the evening. This was such a beautiful moment just to be together - Amy and Maddy captured it in such a great way! The entire day was flawless and we wouldn't change anything!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Jamie and I made a conscious effort to try and be together
right from the ceremony till the end of the night. This way we made joint
memories with our guests and spent our wedding day together. It's so easy to
end up separated while trying to see guests throughout the night and the day
goes so fast!! I am definitely a Type A personality, so things like the weather
and it being completely out of my control was something I struggled with. My
biggest advice would be to just plan for the wet weather and no matter what,
just enjoy it! The rain gave our day a different element and did not hinder our
day at all- our photos still came out amazing!!
