Faye + Karl \\ Captured by Taylor-Hughes Photography

Uniting friends and family from opposite sides of the world, Faye + Karl said I Do and celebrated under the stars in one of New Zealand’s most incredible destinations, Lake Wanaka.

Captured by U.K based photographers Jade and Jack of Taylor-Hughes Photography this romantic destination wedding was inspired by the beautiful surroundings and a touch of classic English style.

When they met in the U.K 5 years ago, Faye did not realise that it wouldn’t be long before not only this man but also her new home New Zealand, would soon have her heart.

Read more below about Faye + Karl’s love story and all the beautiful details from their wedding day – including a stunning helicopter ride and portrait shoot amongst the mountains.

“You are my best friend and my adventure buddy. You help me to live, laugh and love, you challenge me and you compliment me. I love you when we are together, when we are apart, and feel privileged to be standing here with you today”. Faye & Karl – from their vows.

How did you meet and how long have you been together?
We met in the UK, almost 5 years ago. We are the product of a successful Tinder match! After a year living and travelling in the UK, I made the move to New Zealand when Karl returned home.
I regularly reminisce about how fortunate we were to even meet, and how crazy it would have seemed if I knew I’d end up on the other side of the world. I’m very happy that we did.

How would you describe each other?

Karl described me in his wedding speech as clever, inquiring and beautiful – which was a rather lovely set of compliments! Prior to my hens do, when asked in a quiz what his favourite thing about me was, he said my brain! It caused lots of laughs among my friends when readout.
I’d describe him as intelligent and loving, and I told him in my speech that both he, and New Zealand, have enriched my life beyond measure. I also told him that he compliments me, and challenges me – and the balance between those for me has been the magic of our whole relationship.

Tell us a little bit about the proposal and your engagement?
Karl proposed 1833m up at the top of a mountain (Avalanche Peak in Arthurs Pass) in March 2018, with a diamond in a box. This was after an 1100m climb! He did keep reassuring me that the climb to the top would be worth it, but oddly enough I still had no idea. He even asked an unsuspecting hiker to take a photo of us on the summit and then got down on one knee. She was almost as shocked as I was!
The scuttle back down the mountain felt even longer as we hurried back to a BBQ at our house with our closest family members to celebrate.

Tell us about your wedding style. What influenced your planning for the day?
Being English but marrying in NZ, I wanted a classic style for my dress, flowers and hair to give a flavour of home. The location was the focal point, so we kept the style quite rustic and minimal to let the mountain backdrop do the talking.
In terms of planning, we tried to focus on the key things that we valued from a wedding. Those were the photos to document the day in a candid style, great food and drinks and a band to get the party going at the end of the night.

Why did you choose your destination?
My family was making a long trip from the UK and I wanted to give them something of NZ to remember, Wanaka suited perfectly. We were lucky enough to find Lookout Lodge in the area that still suited our budget. We also spend quite a lot of time hiking in the mountains and both love the outdoors so this scenery was perfect for us too.

What was your favourite moment from the day?
We hired a helicopter as we knew the mountains offered such an amazing backdrop for our photos and I liked the idea of spending some time alone with Karl to have the pictures taken. All of those moments were wonderful as we had a chance to enjoy time together in private. The best moment for me was when the helicopter did a fly-by of the venue as we came in to land, it was super exciting for us and for all our guests.

What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage to us was making a lifelong commitment to one another with our family and friends, and having an opportunity to celebrate this with all these special people in one location (which is especially rare when they live on opposite sides of the world).

Who were your stand out vendors?

Taylor-Hughes Photography had a special place in my heart as Jade and I were childhood friends. We spent a lot of time together in the UK as children and so I knew it would be extra-special if they could make it. We’d admired their candid photography style from afar for a couple of years prior, as they seemed to capture the closeness and more intimate moments from weddings they photographed. Jade added such value to our day, she handled much more of the organisation than we expected which gave our wedding party the direction they needed, when they needed it. They were absolutely the right balance between letting us do things our way, and provided some much needed direction at times!

Smoke’n’Barrel offered unpretentious food but still focused on big flavours. Their slow cooked meats accompanied by yummy homemade sauces and salads were served family-style and kept food standards high, without being super-complicated. I truly think they offer the best simple catering for those looking for high-quality but low-hassle food for any event.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?
Try not to sweat the small stuff. We had a couple of items (photos, food and band) that were important to us and we stayed focused on those despite the temptation to get caught up in other details.