LUCY + OSCAR // Modern Detailing Micro-Wedding Captured by Ana Galloway

A well refined minimalist micro wedding for this contemporary couple spilling with modern detailing, and pops of bold colour. After spontaneous surprise holiday for Lucys birthday turned into a romantic get away to remember with a Cape Kidnappers glamping proposal. When the pandemic put a hold on the big wedding plans Oscar + Lucy, they changed the plans a little and opted for an intimate sweet Summer soirée in the South Island’s Nelson, where Oscar grew up. Surrounded by 14 of their nearest and dearest, the most beautiful florals in deep cherry and crisp whites, and of course delicious local foods.

“We wanted our wedding, even in this reimagined form, to reflect us as people so it could be as relaxed for us and others as possible, which we achieved well – even if not what we had planned! We had everyone involved in some way, whether it was as a witness, celebrant or doing a speech. We were very lucky to have family to celebrate with, in such a special way.”

Artfully captured by Weddings and Portraits photographer Ana Galloway.

How did you meet and how long have you been together?

We met at the University of Canterbury in our first year in 2011 – we were neighbours at College House halls of residence. After a few years of being good friends, we got together and have been together for almost nine years.

How would you describe each other?

I would describe Oscar as very calm, rational and focussed. We are complete opposites! He is incredibly thoughtful and is always the more practical one in the relationship. When we travel he is always the one to manage logistics as it would stress me out too much, anything tech related he will know what to do to fix it, and nothing will ever phase him – the perfect balance to me.

Lucy is a wonderfully caring person who always puts everyone else before here (even me!). She works incredibly hard at anything she puts her mind to and has a superb attention to detail. Lucy is deeply passionate about food, travel, and cats, a sometimes frustrating combination when you are trying to make a booking in a new city where there are strays on our route!

Tell us a little bit about the proposal and your engagement?

It was Lucy’s birthday weekend in late September 2019, Oscar planned a surprise weekend getaway – only providing a list of what to pack (including a passport!). We got in the car and as soon as we didn’t turn right to the airport I knew we were somewhere NZ bound (not that this helped decipher where we were heading). We drove for hours north and we ended up in Cape Kidnappers where Oscar had planned for us to stay at Clifton Glamping, an insanely beautiful rural hideaway. We lunched and had massages down the road, then headed back to the glamping spot where we settled down for the night. With it still being Lucy’s birthday, she probably expected the question to be popped that day – but Oscar let her sweat it out and said nothing but Happy Birthday! The next day we explored Napier, and Oscar plotted another scheme, saying Lucy had to be ready for dinner by a certain time – but with a distinct lack of detail. A car drove up the road next to the tent, and a random guy came over to us – turns out he was our private chef for the evening – cooking for us in our glamping kitchen! Lucy knew something was up but played along well. It wasn’t until the chef said “good luck” as he left after having cooked a delicious three course meal, that the cat was out of the bag. Oscar turned on some music, made Lucy come outside to the deck and she could not stop laughing – perhaps a nervous laugh at what was about to happen. Oscar bent down on one knee and said some words that neither of them now remember, and proposed. Lucy, still laughing in shock, didn’t give a clear answer for a while – but eventually did say “of course!” which Oscar took as being good enough. We cracked some bubbles and that was that!

Tell us about your wedding style. What influenced your planning for the day?

We were one of the many wedding celebrations impacted by the pandemic, with us making the tough decision to postpone our wedding celebration only five weeks out from the big day – planned for early December in 2021. We had planned every detail of the wedding at that point – made more complicated with us being based overseas. Not long before we were due to depart for NZ (and the dreaded MIQ!), things were too uncertain with Auckland being locked away and further lockdowns possible, so we decided instead to hold a small family wedding instead, and to postpone the wedding party until we moved back to NZ.

The wedding was quite different to what we originally envisaged. Our amazing vendors were so understanding about our decision to postpone, and we were fortunate lots of them could also work with us on our what we have dubbed the ‘micro-wedding’ later in December last year. We tried to recreate our original wedding plans, still being based in Nelson where Oscar grew up. We held our micro-wedding at Oscar’s family home where we set up fun lawn games, as having a laid back event was really important to us. It was only 14 of us in total so it already felt intimate but the styling, colours, incredible flowers and food made it feel even more so which we loved.

We wanted our wedding, even in this reimagined form, to reflect us as people so it could be as relaxed for us and others as possible, which we achieved well – even if not what we had planned! We had everyone involved in some way, whether it was as a witness, celebrant or doing a speech. We were very lucky to have family to celebrate with, in such a special way.

Why did you choose your destination?

Nelson is a special place for us both, Oscar having grown up there and us having spent lots of time there in the last eight and a half years. Oscar’s family home was the perfect setting, overlooking Nelson and practically, it was perfect as booking a last minute wedding (even though small) has its challenges with finding a suitable location.

What was your favourite detail from the day?

The flowers, beautifully crafted by the Wilde Florist, really brought the day to life in a way I don’t think we could have imagined and were a highlight. Of course the flowers looked amazing in all of our photos, captured by Ana Galloway, which were an equally loved part of our day which we can always look back on.

What was your favourite moment from the day?

Sitting back holding a glass of champagne in the Nelson sunshine, watching our families play corn hole (~~sometimes~~ mostly not very well!) – it was a very understated moment but a special one we will both remember.

What does marriage mean to you?

Marriage means a true partnership, you’ve got your bud right there next to you for life (physically and metaphorically!). The last few years have shown us how unexpected and chaotic life can be, and having your person there means there’s a constant amongst that chaos.

Who were your stand out vendors?

All of them! Due to the uniqueness of the situation, we were able to work really closely and personally to shape what we wanted. The date of our wedding was also a public holiday and the fiddly time between Christmas and New Years, so we were incredibly grateful that everyone was able to pull together then and at such short notice The Wilde Florist for our incredible flowers. Emily from Wilde Wedding Design who put together the look of the day. Viva La Vaca for the food, coming to the party last minute and providing superb food. Blackbird Cakery for a beautifully tasty cake. Ana Galloway for magnificent photography AND genuinely helping with the flow of the day, in the moment. GK Events Hire, Got It Covered for being very flexible with drop off and pick up times.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Everyone will give you advice, or things you should do – do what YOU both want to do as a couple, and if that means ignoring tradition then do it. It’s your day so doing something that you both like and want is important.