A romance formed from swooning moments in a Ponsonby bar, where golden locks of hair and reference to Brad Pit made for a life time of happiness. This glamorous couple hold similar values and inspire each other as individuals and as a unit. Admiration of the balance one-another find in each other makes for a dreamy long lasting passionate love story.
“For us it is a recognition of the life we have built
together so far and the promises we wanted to make to each other moving forward.
We have a son (and now a daughter on the way) so our wedding day was never “the
beginning” but more, look how far we’ve come and an acknowledgment of that
commitment.”
Amy + Brad were wed at the beautiful grounds of Kauri Bay Boomrock. Scenic landscape wrapping around their ceremony with ocean sparkles and farmland fields framing the exchange of love. Styled with black and crisp white, this modern yet classic pallet resonated through gowns, stationery and florals. The simplest of touches spoke of such thoughtful sophistication. Cameron from Haute Weddings captured this stunning measure of love and we are thankful to share this inspiration with you.
How did you meet and how long have you been together?
We met back in 2015. We were both on a night out with friends and ended up at Freeman and Greys in Ponsonby. Brad noticed me and, walked boldly across the room to say something along the lines of “Wow, look at your beautiful golden hair” and, before I could respond from what seemed a great start, followed that with, “I’m Brad, like Brad Pitt, but not quite as famous.” Somehow that line worked and here we are married with a child.
How would you describe each other?
Brad is a selfless, hardworking, and genuine guy, a wonderful father who always makes time for his family. Brad will stand up for what he believes in and will be with you through thick and thin.
I would describe Amy as a beautiful mother, wonderfully caring life-partner, and someone who can always make me laugh.
Tell us a little bit about the proposal and your engagement?
We had a trip planned to Queenstown to get away after the first Covid lockdown of 2020, I was also 12 weeks pregnant with our first child. We were walking along Lake Wakatipu where we stopped to take some photos, I turned around and Brad was on one knee, he knew how much I’d enjoy of the process choosing my own engagement ring, so in true Brad fashion proposed with a “superhero” ring as a placeholder. We went on to plan a big 100 plus guest wedding but due to the uncertainty around covid chose to rethink what was truly important to us about our day. We didn’t want to risk it not going ahead so cut our guest list down to 33 guests, fully outdoors in an intimate, romantic, and timeless wedding which was the best decision and added to it being one of the best days of our lives so far.
Tell us about your wedding style. What influenced your planning for the day?
When we chose Kauri Bay Boomrock as our venue we were drawn to the view. How it is quintessentially Auckland with rolling hills, stunning views of Waiheke Island, and all the sheep in the distance. We decided to plan with this in mind and opted for an elegant, intimate and romantic day. Trying to keep the view as the focus we kept all colours to black and white, including the flowers, furniture and even our cookie favours.
Why did you choose your destination?
Since the decision to cancel the big wedding, we knew one thing for certain our wedding would still be at Kauri Bay Boomrock. The view is breath taking, the staff are so accommodating and nothing else compared. We had always wanted an outdoor wedding so now with on 33 guests we were able to take that one step further and have one big boardroom style table outside on the patio for the reception dinner. This really added to our intimate feel for the day and the staff did everything to make this unusual request happen.
What was your favourite detail from the day?
It’s so hard to pick one so here’s some favourites. We wanted full white florals including flowers running the entire length of the table and a lush display over our ceremony arch. Naomi from Leaf and Honey brought our vision to life. We feel with a smaller wedding there needs to be more attention to detail, we incorporated the curve from the arch, bentwood chairs, bar sign and round cookie favours to add a cohesive feel to the styling.
What was your favourite moment from the day?
Having our nearest and dearest, everyone super important to us come together to witness our marriage and spend the day celebrating us with was truly special. Also seeing everything come together in reality. You never quite know what all your ideas are going to turn out like, so it was a bit of a wow moment walking in seeing Brad standing there, surrounded by friends and family, and seeing all the incredible work from our vendors
What does marriage mean to you?
For us it is a recognition of the life we have built together so far and the promises we wanted to make to each other moving forward. We have a son (and now a daughter on the way) so our wedding day was never “the beginning” but more, look how far we’ve come and an acknowledgment of that commitment.
Who were your standout vendors?
As already mentioned, our venue Kauri Bay Boomrock. They helped us navigate the cancellation of our big wedding to accommodating our “out of the norm” requests such as our one table fully outdoors as well as a full bar outside for the entire evening. We had so many comments from guests about how great the staff were too. Our photographer Cameron from Haute Weddings. He was able to take into consideration our wedding style, including our attire to capture our vibe. He edited in a way that fitted with our timeless aesthetic and even stayed longer into the evening to capture our very spontaneous first dance.
Advice for other couples planning a wedding?
Have a clear vision for your day, make a vison board to get your thoughts out and when choosing vendors ensure they align with your aesthetic. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, do things out of the norm and when your day arrives, sit back, and enjoy it! You’ve put in the hard work planning so trust that it will be perfect.
Do you have a favourite quote or piece of your vows you would like to share?
We wanted a short ceremony so decided to write our vows together. Part of our vows was a promise we made to each other was “to work together to achieve our joint and individual goals.” Even though we have been together for 6 years we lead very different day to day lives. We believe there’s in a huge importance in working together as a unit but also allowing time and space to achieve things that make us individually happy too.
|| VENDOR CREDITS ||
Photographer: Haute Weddings | Florist: Leaf and Honey | Cake: Spill the Tea, Flavour- Chocolate Cake with Whittakers Milk Chocolate Buttercream and Raspberry Sauce, covered in Vanilla Buttercream | Ceremony Venue: Kauri Bay Boomrock | Prop or Furniture Hire: Twelve Tables– Bar, Bar leaners, Bar stools, Arch, Umbrellas, Linen tablecloths + The Pretty Prop Shop– Cake stand, Welcome sign holder, Champagne bowl, Drinks tubs | Stationery: Bride | Signage: Just My Type | Celebrant: Joel McGeorge (Brad’s cousin) | Brides Rings: Culet | Transport: Organised through venue (Kauri Bay) | Catering: Kauri Bay Boomrock | Bridal Gown: Purchased from Paperswan Bride ,Designer-Alyssa Kristin | Hair: Robyn Munro | Makeup: Kate Solley | Veil/Headpiece: Hera Couture | Bridesmaids: Glassons | Suit: Rembrandt | Grooms Shoes: Tarocash | Groomsmen: Rembrandt | Outside Lighting- Fairy lights: La Lumiere | Bride Earrings: Maison Sabben
Read more about HAUTE Weddings on our Wild Hearts blog, here, follow us to the dreamscape destination of Queenstown for a styled shoot with HAUTE Weddings and One Fine Day – An Ethereal Winter Reception, or head over to their website www.hauteweddings.co
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