Tara & Tim- Photographed by Charlotte Kiri

A destination wedding against the stunning backdrop of Queenstowns’ landscape. The rustic and relaxed vibe and picturesque surroundings of Mt Nicholas Station was the perfect setting for Tara and Tim’s destination wedding day. Planning remotely from Sydney meant the couple had to be intuitive in their decision making- fortunately they chose amazing vendors to help create their big day, including gorgeous blooms by Gypsy from The Vase Queenstown and Charlotte Kiri photography who captured the day beautifully.

English Tim and New Zealander Tara reside in Australia so had many destination options for their wedding. They chose Queenstown as it’s a favourite holiday place they wanted to share with loved ones who had never witnessed it’s stunning scenery. Mt Nicholas Station, a family-run, fully operational High Country Station was the perfect secluded and historic venue, situated across the glistening lake from Queenstown. With over 100,000 acres of epic mountain peaks, tussock plains, wild river valleys, native forest and long stretches of beachfront, it was sure to Wow visiting guests. Read more about their special day below.

“I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.” – W.B.Yeats

How did you meet?

We had known each other through friends for a while but it wasn’t until Tara and an enterprising single friend up a singles party business that we met again as single. Tim came to two ColdStart parties – and got lucky both times. The second time was with the host (Tara). We have been together for 7 years.

The Proposal

Tim proposed on a yacht on Sydney Harbour (where we live). It was unexpected and very romantic. Six months into our engagement and only 4 months out from the date we had set for the initial wedding, we found out we were having a baby. We put everything off by a year so we could enjoy everything about Tilly’s arrival first.

The Style

The most important for us was that our wedding felt informal and inclusive and that we had great food and great wine. Organising a wedding remotely meant there were a lot of decisions you had to make just by going with your gut as we didn’t have the luxury of meeting all our suppliers ahead of the big day. It actually ended up being a great thing as we were really efficient in our decision making.

The Destination

Tim is from England and Tara is from NZ and together we live in Sydney so there were many options we considered however, one place we have holidayed together in most often is Queenstown and it never fails to impress. We decided to get married there as it is a place we both love but was also a place we were really excited to introduce to those of our loved ones who hadn’t visited. Mt Nicholas Station was the perfect destination for the rustic, relaxed vibe we were hoping to create.

Favourite Details

We were both so happy with Mt Nicholas Station – there is nothing we would have changed about it. Having the amazing view of the Lake and being remote enough to really be able to enjoy it was special. Tara had also requested a song for each of the guests that was played on the night and everyone really got into it and there was dancing all night.

Favourite Moment of The Day

Tim and I walked down the aisle with our little daughter Tilly and that was my favourite moment; seeing everyone, being on the lake and presenting ourselves as a family unit to our loved ones was so special.

Stand Out Vendors

We had the most amazing vendors. Charlotte was our photographer and throughout most of the planning, my right hand gal. She was in constant contact and at times prompted with with questions which really helped me firm up plans for the day. On the day, her and her hubby were amazing; taking pictures of our guests and putting together a story that when I look at the pictures I can so easily recall the emotion of that moment. Mojo was the band and they were so talented. Shay and Pearly were so accommodating in pulling together a playlist that kept everyone dancing all night. Gypsy from The Vase Queenstown did my bouquet and it was quite the statement piece – it took my breath away and still does when I see pictures. In2Food did the catering which was a share platter menu and was delicious.

Advice for couples planning a wedding-

Think about what is most important to you about the day and spend your time on those things. There are a lot of rabbit holes you can go down when planning a wedding but if you stay focussed on the things that matter most to you both, you can easily avoid those.