Love Story
Kylie and Ben first met in Ponsonby’s famous Longroom, they were introduced by two of their closest friends who thought it would be fun to set them up for a double date.
Ben proposed up north while on a long weekend away glamping with our Staffy on a private beach, where he cooked a beautiful sunset dinner before he got down on one knee.” The couple decided on Mantells, Mount Eden for its beautiful and unique Italian style architecture and styling. “As soon as you walk through the doors you feel like you have been transported to the other side of the world- without the jetlag!”. The central location was also important to them as they had guests travelling to New Zealand from all over the world. The couple says that the venue itself was a big influence on the theme they chose, it gave them the feeling of being back in Italy on holiday where they made some of their favourite memories together. “Our theme was simple and classic, white roses and greenery. We had photo frames in the venue filled with loved ones on their wedding day. We also included a special reading in our ceremony in memory of my late grandad.” Kylie says she modelled some of Trish Peng’s designs over 10 years ago and had been obsessed with her work ever since. “It was a dream to be wearing one of her gowns.” Ben went for a linen suit by Dorset Suits, which they first saw on the runway at the Wedding Show. “My maid of honour was my sister Mavis, and my bridesmaid was my best friend Viktoriya who travelled from Malta to be with us.” Kylie says she bought two sets of dresses in the same colour which they tried on together once Viktoriya arrived in the country, eventually deciding on dresses from ASOS. The couple chose a three-tier lemon cake with vanilla bean cream cheese icing, decorated with beautiful white roses and greenery to suit their theme. “The top tier we made especially for my aunty, it was a red velvet, gluten and egg free special.” The couple had a rough week leading up to their big day, having been badly affected by the Auckland floods. “We had 40 minutes to take as much as we could from the house. Watching all the steamed dressed being thrown into rubbish bags was a real grounding moment for me. Our home was red stickered and made front page of the newspaper.” The couple were forced to find accommodation not only for themselves, but for their guests who had been arriving throughout the week. “Leading up to the wedding I was incredibly proud of our family and so grateful to have such a strong support network. We all pulled together to make everything work out and the wedding went perfectly.” Kylie and Ben say, if they could give advice to other couples planning their wedding it would be, “Even if you plan every single detail there will be things that happen that are completely out of your control; just take it all in and enjoy every minute!”
