Lisa and James brought me on board as wedding planner for their Auckland wedding. With full-on, busy careers, passing over the wedding planning and coordination to me was quite a welcome weight lifted off their shoulders. And that’s exactly what I am here for! 🙂 It was an absolute joy to help these two lovebirds have exactly the kind of celebration they wanted. Our intention was for a family-centred celebration with all of the delicious food, drink and music needed for a great night turned party.
The two sweethearts had beautiful, personalised ceremony that had everyone both tearing up and laughing their heads off. To help make a decision on who was to read their vows first, Lisa and James settled on an old-fashioned game of rock, paper, scissors. (I should have used this tactic to help with the wedding planning decisions… 😛 )
After the ceremony, we left the newly-weds to their congratulations, catching up with their loved ones and enjoying snacks and drinks in the afternoon sun.
Thanks to Williams Photography for capturing the happy day and the beautiful couple so well!
Congrats!
Congratulations again, Lisa and James! You deserve the world and have so far still to go on our wonderful journey together. It was a joy and an honour to be a part of your special day – thank you for having me along for the ride. Sending loads of love, luck and laughter your way!
– Steph xo
Bridal Party
Lisa and James’ bridal party was made up of their siblings and best friends, so they were always going to have a brilliant time together. A gorgeous bunch they all are, as well! Rach, Em and Lisa (yes, 2x Lisas!) were put in charge of choosing their bridesmaid outfits. As you can see, they did an absolutely beautiful job! With floor-length gowns in blush, with sweet yellow posies adorning the fabric – perfectly tying in with their own bouquets and bright yellow nail polish.
The party headed around the corner to the American-style Barn at Abbeville Estate, which absolutely oozes character and charm from every angle. Williams Photography captured so many awesome photos, in front of the building, against the beautiful stone walls inside and of the girls just hanging out. Afterwards, the maids and men were sent back to enjoy cocktails and games while Lisa and James were whisked into the Chapel and gardens for a few more special moments and portraits of just the two newly-weds.
Styling and Decor
While Lisa is a no-fuss kinda gal, we opted for a very minimal and laid-back style with just a few touches of rustic details. For the reception, we had an assortment of sweet jars of garden-style flowers – white roses and daisies with yellow billy buttons and craspedia. While in the gorgeous Chapel, we had a garland of greenery with babies breath surrounding the stained-glass windows. This was re-located to the bridal table for the reception, which was a perfect fit. 🙂
Lisa’s talented friend made a three-tier chocolate cake as a wedding fit, complete with an adorable topper of sheep!! Our MC even had serious style, donning a star-studded suit so that everyone knew he was taking his duties very seriously. 😉 And he did an absolutely brilliant job, with everyone in hysterics during speeches and helping to keep the night flowing smoothly – thanks Digby!
With a gap in the speeches and before dinner was due to come out, Warren stole the newly-weds once more for some sunset fun in the nearby field. Hurdling a fence was no drama at all for Lisa, even in her wedding dress. Lisa is a farmer herself (you might have recognised her from a recent episode of Country Calendar!) and also helps owners of lifestyle blocks to maintain their small farms. I do remember a sneaky comment, wondering whether Abbeville Estate might like to employ her services to help repair their fence… 😛
If you’d love an Auckland wedding planner to help with planning, styling or coordination, just get in touch and we can talk options! In the meantime, grab a cuppa tea and enjoy browsing through some more love stories over here plus some testimonials just here.
