-
Couple
Felicity and Riley Haymes -
Location
Tauranga -
Venue
Local church -
Reception Venue
Felicityu2019s parentsu2019 backyard -
Flowers
Silk flowers from Eyebright Nelson
(And arranged by a local florist) -
Dress
Madison Rose Bridal -
Suit
Nelson Tailors Menswear -
Hair & Make-up
Family friend -
Photographer
Siobhan Cox Photography -
Caterers
Happy Puku (Catering charitable trust who help provide jobs and life skills for those who are suffering from homelessness).
The couple met at a BBQ drinks night when Riley was visiting friends in the North Island. Mutual friends introduced the pair and a perfect couple of months into dating, the couple were engaged. During a visit from Felicityโs best friend, Abby, they decided to take a visit to the beach where Riley was waiting to pop the question. โIt wasnโt until what felt like a minute later after I saw the ring, I realised what was happening!โ says Felicity. โPlus, Abby got the whole engagement on camera!โ The couple share a wedding date with Felicityโs parents. She says getting married on her parentsโ 50th wedding anniversary was a sign of good luck. โThe day was perfect. The sun was out and there was a gentle breeze which was great for a summerโs day.
We wanted a summer wedding, December is hectic for most people so we waited until people were back from their Christmas holidays. When we had confirmation that our dream wedding venue was available at the end of January, we knew it was the date for us and we locked it in. We got married at NZ High Country in Queenstown on the 30th of January 2021, as we live in Queenstown there is no other place we would rather get hitched and the views from our venue were incredible.
I had my heart set on having white florals so our cream/white theme came together from there. White florals, candles, du00e9cor, cake, wedding dress, sign writing + details, cream groomsmen suits and champagne bridesmaids dresses.
As we had such a small wedding, we did canapes and cocktails in the afternoon. When we left to take photos, we realised we forgot to cut the cake! When we returned, we decided to cut the cake spontaneously, sitting around the table drinking champagne and eating cake.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Nobody really notices the table arrangements and decor. Get organised early, have a timeline of the day as well as all the key vendors & wedding party contact details and send this to everyone involved in putting the day together, that way if there are any issues your team can sort it out for you. Have a good MC, they are vital in keeping timings on track. Allow more time than you think you’ll need to get ready on the day. Enjoy yourself! This is the most expensive party you are ever going to have, make sure the drinks are cold and the music is good, make it a wedding to remember!