On a sunny summer day, Triona and Brett promised to spend the rest of their lives together in front of their loved ones and the stunning view at Palm Beach Lodge. Their day was filled with lots of fun, love, and happiness.
Triona shined in Savannah by Christina Rossi, a striking V-neck mermaid gown with unique floral beaded lace, hail spots and layers of dreamy tulle. She also added extra length to the train, an element that gives this gown an extra dash of drama.
Continue scrolling for beautiful images, insight into their wedding day, and Triona'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?
Every time I thought about the wedding, I could only picture myself in the Christina Rossi dress. No other dress came to my mind. It had a low back and low front which I wanted, and the fit was just amazing! I tried on a veil with it, and it was perfect!
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
When I started looking up wedding dress styles, I had a clear picture of what I wanted. I wanted a mermaid style dress with a low neck, very form fitting, and I really wanted a dramatic train. I had seen quite a few Maggie Sottero dresses online at Astra Bridal. My MOH/Best friend and I went to one of their Sip and See events, and we found lots of dresses that we loved. A few weeks later, my three friends and I came in, brought in some bubbles and had the best experience. Ilyese was fantastic! She really made the experience! I tried on a LOT of dresses! I must have tried on 12 dresses and loved them all! But the dress I had originally wanted, which I loved, was just too expensive for me.
There was a girl next to me trying on dresses and she had tried on one that she didn’t like at all. My friends asked if I could try it on. I tried on the Christina Rossi (Savannah) dress, and fell in love with it instantly! But I really wanted a longer train! I decided to go home and have a think about it, as I didn’t want to make a rash decision. I had a look online at Christina Rossi’s website, and I saw that I could add on a longer train. I was over the moon! We added on the train and the dress was just perfect!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
I had just got a job in an Irish bar in Auckland and Brett (my husband) was a regular at the bar. We became friends, and both of us fancied each other but we didn’t know! (Everyone else had already figured this out lol.)
Two weeks later, my best friend got engaged and we ended up going to the pub next door to celebrate. We ended up getting together that night (with my friends' help/interference.
We were together for 4 years, and had planned a group trip to Queenstown with our friends. Brett and I had booked the Onsen hot pools one evening.
I had just got changed in my bikini and I turned around, and he was on one knee!
What was your favourite part of the day?
Ah I don’t think I could pick a favourite part; everything was amazing from start to finish!
I must say, all of our friends made everything so special for us. They knew that it was hard that our families couldn’t be there and they did everything they could. Everyone worked together to make sure everything went off smoothly. They set up the living room at the venue into the party room and a friend was the MC. Both our families could not make it as the borders were closed, so I had my two friends walk me down the aisle. It was low key, but it was the best day ever!
Our photographer Marvin was amazing! I would highly recommend him! We did a pre wedding shoot two weeks before the wedding, so we could get used to one another. He made the whole experience so fun, and everyone at our wedding loved him! We were very happy with the photos.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We had originally booked the wedding to be in Ireland on the 4th of September 2022, but Covid was still around and was looking like it was coming back again. We ended up cancelling the wedding at the end of January 2022, and rebooked a different wedding for March in Waiheke! It wasn’t the wedding we had planned, but we could not have asked for a better day!
The venue was this lodge with three apartments all close together overlooking Palm Beach, so Brett stayed and got ready in one of the other apartments with his friends, and I got ready with my girls. Started off with a cup of tea and walk on the beach early that morning with my MOH/bestie. Then we got back and had some breakfast and a few glasses of bubbly, while my friend Britney did our make-up and hair. We were so lucky that the weather showed up for us. When we arrived in Waiheke the night before, and it was wet, windy and stormy. But the next day, we had a beautiful day!
It got windy just as we left the beach!
Our ceremony was short, sweet and our vows matched each other. It was very “us”- lots of laughing and joking! After we did our photos on the beach, we went back to the reception, and we had the food, which was amazing! My friend Aoife made us the most amazing FOUR wedding cakes!! One NY baked cheesecake, Raffaello cake, chocolate biscuit cake, and a lemon cake. These was her first wedding cakes and they were delicious! They all got eaten even though there was only 30 people there LOL. After that, we mingled and caught up with friends! We had the speeches, and videos from our friends and families who couldn’t make it. After that, I changed into my party dress, and we had a rave!! My friends set up the lights and we partied all night long.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Try and get a good night’s rest the day before- it’s a long day full of excitement! Just make sure to take the whole day in, spend time with everyone and don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything will work out and just make sure to have the best time!
