AMBER + SHANE // CENTRAL OTAGO WEDDING CAPTURED BY DAWN PHOTOGRAPHY

A wedding that defied the grip of a global pandemic coloured the small town of Clyde in sparkling love as Amber + Shane sealed their forevers at Olivers Lodge in Central Otago.

The historically rich town set the perfect scene for their magical day, filled with character and vintage charm.

Amber’s gown impressively sheathed in shimmer dancing in the sunlight, gracefully flowed to the ground. Reflecting the glimmer caught between the eyes of the bride and groom, as their always & forever stood in front of them.

With the weather’s attempt to dampen the day, Amber sourced a strikingly beautiful teepee through Gather and Gold for the ceremony. Which seemed to only amplify the intimacy of the wedding as it’s golden hues wrapped the ceremony in a warming love, while raindrops softly fell on it’s canvas.

Between the unique desert-like landscapes surrounding Clyde and the rustic historic buildings of the township, Dawn Photography immaculately captured the essence of a glittery, vintage love.

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

We have been together for 6 1/2 years. We meet at one of my best friends engagement party, it was a bit of a set up, I think we were the only single ones there, Shane nearly didn’t come until another friend of his rang him and told him he needed to get there fast, he turned up late, but we actually really hit it off and chatted the night away.

How would you describe each other?

We are both very stubborn, quite opposites, he’s the manly man, I’m the girly girl. Probably why we fit together so well.

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

Shane took me away for the weekend to Melbourne for the weekend, we stayed at the Crown Towers Hotel in a luxury suite, we had couples massages, and just before going out for dinner, he got down on one knee in our hotel room and asked me to marry him. It was such a perfect weekend. We had our engagement party in a restaurant in Clyde with friends and family, and got married 18 months later.

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

We both wanted a fun and relaxed wedding, we wanted everyone to have a fantastic time with us celebrating, so we went with a more glam garden party theme, I spent many hours looking at magazines and on the internet for styles we both liked

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

We chose Clyde because it’s close to our home, and it’s a gorgeous wee town. It has a lot of historic old buildings that are so beautiful for photos, so this just added to the appeal for us

What was your favourite moment from the day?

My favourite moment was our first look, walking down a gravel track to my soon to be husband was such a stand out moment, just us, the bridal party behind us, waiting for him to turn and see at me. I asked Shane what his favourite moment was and he said the same thing, the first look.

What does marriage mean to you?

Marriage is everyday life with your best friend, it’s the grabbing a hand or a kiss in the hallway on the way to the bathroom, its unloading the dishwasher together, its lying on the couch watching tv, its spending time with our beautiful daughters, it’s all the little moments put together, whether its boring or fun, as long as you can connect somewhere in the day to show you love each other.

What does marriage mean to you?

Stand out vendors were Gather and Gold in Wanaka, 3 days before, I checked the forecast and it was for rain, I definitely did not want to be standing in the rain during our ceremony, so I rang Sarah, and my goodness their team were fantastic, they said no problem, we will put it up on Friday, all ready for Saturday, we were thrilled, it started raining as I was walking down the aisle. And the teepee looked sensational.

The Photo Booth in Queenstown, I rang Carla 2 days before our wedding in an absolute flap as our other photo booth pulled out last minute due to the covid panic, Carla said no problem at all, asked when and where, she arrived, set up, and was amazing all night long, our guests loved the photo booth, it was so much fun, and also a special wedding favour that everyone could take away with them.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Advice would be to definitely set yourselves a budget and try to stick to it, have realistic ideas, talk to each other about what you both like and don’t like, and ask friends what they would or wouldn’t change about their weddings.