A Sleek Inner City Wellington Wedding

The wedding of Althea and Christian was celebrated amongst an alluring contrast of man-made structures and an organic Wellington harbour seascape. Drawing inspiration from their city surrounds, Althea and Christian’s wedding was an ode to the classic nature of minimalist styling. Pastel palettes of blush and white transformed the venue, offering a softness to the palette of industrial textures and dark hues.

Beautifully captured by Olivia Melhop Photography…

How did you meet and how long have you been together?
We’ve known each other since we were young, we went to the same church but didn’t really know each other until when we were about 12 – 13 years old. We went to a youth group together and we weren’t really friends at first because I (Althea) thought Christian was a mean person! We got to know each other as we grew up and became really good friends towards the end of high school and started to like each other. We have been together about 7 years now!

Tell us a little bit about the proposal and your engagement?
This is actually a story and a half haha. We got engaged in January 2021 and we had been talking about getting engaged and getting married for a while. I (Christian) really wanted a drone and when I would tell Althea she would say “Oh you know maybe wait until we’re engaged or married first”. But what she didn’t know was that I already bought the ring in
October. We got engaged in Taupo on a beautiful field overlooking the lake, the sun was setting and it was the perfect moment. I planned to distract her with the drone and get her to play on it and then have it circle around us and film me proposing! It was the perfect plan. BUT when I showed her the drone, she was shocked and was a little bit upset. That’s not even the worst part. The area we were at was near the airport and the drone wouldn’t even fly!!! I was there trying to get the drone to work and Althea was just sitting there watching me. She eventually gave up and wanted to leave but I had to somehow get her to stay. In the end I had to snatch her phone off her, drop it on the ground hoping that we would be in frame. I literally said “Althea I suck at this, will you marry me” and she thankfully said yes.

Tell us about your wedding style. What influenced your planning for the day?
We wanted our wedding to be quite modern, simple, clean and quite minimal. We’re both quite easy going so that was reflected in our wedding style. We didn’t want too many details that would overwhelm us on the day. We definitely took advantage of the venues as they were and we didn’t want the decorations to outshine the already beautiful spaces we chose.

Why did you choose your destination?
We chose to get married in Wellington because we grew up here and most of our family and friends are here and we wanted them to celebrate with us. We actually didn’t initially plan to have our wedding at Whisky & Wood. It was about 2 months before the wedding and we saw a Tiktok of a new space opening up in Wellington. And I initially thought that it was way too late to change the venue but Christian convinced me and it was the best decision! We loved the space, it was so light and modern and fit the style we were looking for. And a bonus was that Sweet Axe Throwing Co was downstairs so we also booked that after the ceremony!

What was your favourite detail from the day?
We hired Sweet Axe Throwing Co. which was downstairs from our venue. We got to throw a couple of axes after vowing “til death do us part” haha. It was such a great experience and the Sweet Axe team was so amazing. We really wanted our guests to also enjoy the day and experience something they’ve probably never experienced at a wedding!! And because there was also a bit of time between the ceremony and reception we wanted to treat our friends and family and really make the wedding a whole day celebration while we took off to do our portraits with Olivia.

Did you have a stand out vendor from your Wedding?

All of them were amazing but for us it has to be our photographer Olivia. What we appreciated most about working with Olivia was her professionalism and positive attitude. She was fun and she had our best intentions in mind. She really worked with us and incorporated our own ideas with hers. From the very beginning, Olivia made us comfortable, we had never posed in front of a camera before and she gave us prompts and tips on what to do. She was engaged with us in the whole process and constantly checked on us when planning. We’ve bumped into Olivia
at other weddings and also around Wellington and we recommend her to everyone we know!

What was your favourite moment from the day?
Our favourite moment was being in front of each other at the altar and saying yes to marriage. It was so beautiful being there with our close friends and family. And for them to come and celebrate and support us on our new journey was very special. It was a moment that we had been waiting for for a long time and we were so excited to start a life together!

What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage for us is a promise we make together, to each other in front of our family, friends and God. It’s a promise and a commitment that we will work together in our relationship no matter what life throws at us. Marriage for us is not just a label that we get after the wedding but it’s an everyday choice.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?
I think the most important thing to note is that the wedding is a celebration. It’s an event to celebrate your love towards your to-be husband/wife and it’s supposed to be fun! I think people get so caught up on the details and traditions that sometimes this can be forgotten. On the day, it’s important to really enjoy the moment with your spouse and not to stress. Have people around you that will ensure things go as smoothly as they can so that you enjoy
your day.

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