Sam had just moved back to New Zealand after playing professional football in England, when he met Caitlin at a mutual friend’s party.

“He was only meaning to come back for a short time but then he met me and the rest is history!” says Caitlin.

“Sam proposed to me in Queenstown. Our friend who introduced us is a videographer and he pretended that he was practicing making couple films. So, Sam took us all to Moke Lake in Queenstown where he proposed to me and caught the whole thing on video! It was the most special moment. I was SO surprised!”

The couple wed on February 2nd 2022, at Markovina Vineyard Estate. “I am a wedding photographer myself and the staff at Markovina have always made me feel very at home. I also love the ceremony spots and the vines that run throughout the reception venue.”

Their theme was ‘elegant garden party’ which was inspired by the venue itself and Caitlin’s love of flowers.

“I absolutely love flowers so the florals were really important to me, the brief I gave my florist was that I wanted everything to look as if it had just grown there. Everything was perfect, whimsical, soft and delicate.”

“I have always loved flowers and florals so as soon as I tried my dress, I knew it was the one. I had a bespoke headband made from Tania Maras which tied in the flowers and pearls from my dress. I wore the Loeffer Randall bow shoes and I love how elegant and feminine they were. Sam really wanted a beige suit, and as my dress had a beige undertone it worked perfectly. He looked so handsome! My mum made Sam and the groomsmenu2019s ties from pink linen.”

Caitlin says it was a raining the morning of the wedding and thought plans would need to be changed last minute.

“It was a year of pretty much no rain apart from our wedding day and I was so stressed. Our florist rang me to make the final call on the placement of our florals (as they were fixed to the ground and couldn’t be moved) I stuck to my plan and decided I’d have the outdoor ceremony regardless as I wanted my garden wedding! As we were driving to the venue, the skies cleared up and it was 30 degrees and sunny for the rest of the day! I really felt like someone was looking after me in that moment and all my wishes were granted.”

The newlyweds honeymooned in a beachfront chalet in Rarotonga. “It was stunning! The relaxation after planning the wedding was exactly what we needed.”

Caitlin says if she could give wedding planning advice it would be, “Plan as much as you can so that you aren’t stressed on the day. Make timelines and have a clear vision of what you want your day to be. Start mood boards and hire vendors that you would want to be friends with who understand your vision. And most importantly, on the day if something doesn’t go to plan – just go with it! Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy it, it truly does fly by.”