KASIA + CAMERON \\ Captured by Bek Smith

An elegant cliffside soiree at Kauri Bay Boomrock, with dreamscape views over the Hauraki Gulf for Kasia + Cameron’s destination wedding. The day started at the most beautiful victorian mansion, before heading to celebrate with vows amongst the modern architecture of The Lodge at Kauri Bay Boomrock.

A stunning backdrop of green rolling hills and coastal views, all captured beautifully by photographer Bek Smith. Steeped in romance and effortlessly chic in details, the venue was elegantly styled with the perfect tones for the contemporary minimalist lovers. White blooms and green foliage from The Botanist adorned the modern tablescapes. Celebrating love with family and friends from around the world.

“To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.”

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

At the time of our wedding, we’d been together for almost 11 years! We met at a mutual friend’s 21st Birthday and were set up by her Mum!

How would you describe each other?

I’m the organised yet creative one who can remember where every item lives in our house and I’m usually always planning for things in the short-term. Cam’s the more spontaneous yet analytical one who is usually planning for the long-term. Our powers combined, we make a great team.

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

The proposal was such a dream. We were travelling through Japan on an incredible holiday over Christmas and New Year. On New Year’s night in Kyoto, where in Japan it’s a much more quiet and spiritual event, we visited a Temple and Shrine at midnight taking part in the traditional ceremonies. I even picked a fortune card which a part of it translated to “You will find a Husband” – I just laughed it off. After midnight we walked back to our accommodation, and once home Cam got down on one knee and proposed. We spent the next day exploring more of Kyoto on a complete high and in our own world, slowly trying to get in touch with family to share the good news.

What was your favourite moment from the day?

The whole day was incredible, but I think our first look was really special. A moment just for us where we could take the significance of it all in. It also helped remove the nerves from the rest of the day.

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

Our wedding style was Classic and Formal but with a Softness to it. We wanted our day and our guests to be all dressed up and elegant, but we weren’t going to take ourselves too seriously over it – we wanted it to be fun and definitely wanted to break into a proper party at the end of the night. As we live in Hong Kong it did make planning the day a little bit more difficult, but it also helped narrow down on what we each decided was important to include on our day.

Why did you choose your destination?

Choosing Kauri Bay Boomrock was such a great decision. The privacy and exceptional service it provides was a huge pro for us, and it gave us the perfect mix of concrete/urban design amongst the beautiful rural NZ landscape. We had my family attending from Poland so it was a great way to showcase NZ’s beauty. Having a ceremony and reception venue in one, that provides almost everything you need also made our life far easier planning the wedding from Hong Kong. The team at KBB were so incredible to work with and made the planning process so simple.

What does marriage mean to you?

For me, it’s getting to spend my life with my best friend. It’s supporting and trusting each other, always having each other’s back and knowing that he’s my rock and support system during the good and bad. We get to spend our time adventuring and creating memories together, to hopefully share with our own family in decades time.

Who were your stand out vendors?

All of them! Kauri Bay Boomrock, Bek Smith, Wild Souls, The Botanist, Colab Cakery, Mixit DJ’s and Made Up by Ruth were all exceptional and made the process so easy for us. I had done my homework and picked people whose work not only did I love, but was so consistent which meant I could just trust them to their thing. And we’re so thrilled with how everything turned out!

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

That cliche advice of it’s your day, so you can choose how you want to spend it. I understand possible pressures from family or friends to include or do things a certain way, but ultimately it’s a day about celebrating your love for each other so plan it to be exactly how you want it. Include things you love, remove things you don’t see a need for – you don’t have to follow the old-school plan.

Oh, and spreadsheets! Track everything – it’ll make your life easier down the line.