Timeless, understated elegance nestled amongst the mountains

Dissolving into the foot of The Remarkables, Queenstown made for a picturesque wedding location for Lachlan and Cassie. Inspired by the venue’s minimalist surrounds, the couple kept their wedding decor effortlessly simple, contrasting vast alpine scenery, with crisp white hues.

This effortlessly chic wedding was planned & styled by One Fine Day Weddings and captured by photographer Ana Galloway.

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

We are an online dating success story! We matched on Bumble in late 2016. We are quite sure we never would have crossed paths otherwise, so very thankful for modern day dating apps. We had our first few dates in quick succession, and though it wasn’t discussed in those early days, we both knew early on how important we were to the other person.

How would you describe each other?

Lachlan is a thinker. He is incredibly patient, and the kindest person that I know. He’s a great listener and is an absolute weapon when it comes to pub trivia.

Cassie lives life with her heart on her sleeve. She is caring, empathetic and incredibly driven – she pretends that she’s not competitive when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Anyone she is close with, she has their back no matter what.

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

Both of us place a huge importance on family and knowing how sentimental Cassie is, Lachlan got a ring made for Cass that uses the diamond from her maternal grandmothers engagement ring. He proposed on Christmas Day, 2020. He had created a beautiful photo album of our life together which provided the perfect set up for the proposal. We had the most wonderful time being able to share the news and celebrate with our families.

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

The overall style for our wedding was timeless, understated elegance. Both of us are pretty minimalist and favour classic styling. We wanted a day that wasn’t overly styled, with our focus more on family, friends and food. Our venue allowed us to soak up the incredible views whilst having an epic dinner party with our most loved. We picked a clear roof marquee to accentuate the views of the mountain and lake. We also chose to have a formal dress code – just can’t go past a classic tux!

Why did you choose your destination?

We live in Sydney and have travelled to New Zealand quite a few times over our time together. It is a special place to us, with lots of happy memories. Queenstown is as beautiful as it is fun, so deciding to have our wedding there was a no brainer. Plus a location as inspiring as this to get married at sets the tone for our life together.

We also wanted to be married somewhere a little off the beaten track and a spot not many people knew about. We kept our venue a surprise for all of our guests which was really cool because it created quite a buzz of anticipation. We organised a bus to pick all our guests up which meant our guests could really kick back, enjoy our day and soak up the magic that is NZ.

What was your favourite detail from the day?

The location. That backdrop just can’t be beat. It really felt like we were hosting an intimate dinner party with all our favourite people nestled in the foot of The Remarkables mountain range. It was so special. Being able to spend time with those closest to us in such a jaw-dropping location was amazing, and we were both in awe of our family and friends that made the trip to celebrate us. It was quite a humbling feeling.

What was your favourite moment from the day?

For Cass it would have to be during our evening portrait session with Ana, our photographer. We grabbed a bottle of champagne and snuck away to a nearby paddock overlooking the lake as the sun began to set. Ana had a gorgeous playlist playing on a portable speaker whilst snapping some photos of us, and we will forever treasure having that time for just the two of us on our wedding day. It was grounding and helped time slow down.

For Lachlan it would be our first dance. The sun had just about set, casting a soft light over our venue, and Cass looked so beautiful. We had had a lot of fun in the lead up to the wedding teaching ourselves the dance in our kitchen at home, so it was a great moment to be able to enjoy together on our wedding day.

What does marriage mean to you?

Marriage to us means a lifetime commitment to each other – an investment of time, thoughtfulness, understanding, affection and forgiveness to another person. It means mutual respect, being vulnerable and sharing in life’s big moments, as well as the mundane in-between ones. Marriage means always trying, always supporting, always loving.

Who were your stand out vendors?

We honestly recommend all our vendors, but our favourites absolutely were our caterers Aspiring Catering, our celebrant, Andrew Bell and our photographer Ana Galloway. Other stand outs was our stunning wedding cake, by Sophie Roseanna Cakes and our DJ, Mountain Beats DJ Co, who maintained the good vibes from start to end!

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

In the early stages, share a bottle of wine and set up the foundations of what you want your wedding to be like. Choose 3 top priorities and pick 3 words you want your day described as. Continue to refer back to this throughout the planning process. Also, invest the time to work with your celebrant and reap rewards of having a ceremony that really feels like yours on the day. Hire good vendors and relax knowing everything is taken care of.

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