Real Weddings

Shannon and Hamish

Photography by Photography by Andie

—How did you and your partner meet? "We met at university through my best man Aaron, who studied with Shannon. He invited me to hang out with them one day, and then we started hanging out more without him over the break. One thing led to another, and our relationship began." —What was the proposal like? "Pretty low-key. We just went for a walk down on Owhiro bay beach, with the pretence of a nice brunch round at the beach house and kiosk. My mum was in on it: she asked if we wanted a photo cause the weather was nice. After that was all lined up, I dropped to one knee, and luckily Shannon said yes." —How many guests did you have? "88." —What is your favourite memory from the big day? "Watching Shannon walk down the aisle is something I'll never forget," Hamish shared. "She was beyond beautiful, and I felt like the luckiest man on earth. That being said, completing the first dance and finishing the 'formal' part of the wedding was amazing and so good to see our practice pay off." "Obviously, saying 'I do' was amazing," Shannon said. "But otherwise, mingling with the guests after the ceremony. It was really good to have all our close friends and family together, especially those we hadn't seen since pre-Covid." —What do you consider the best wedding investment you made? "Our photographer, Photography by Andie. Not only are Andie's shots phenomenal, but she and Michelle were great for keeping us calm and on track throughout the day." —Who was your outstanding wedding vendor? "They were all fantastic! The day couldn't have been as perfect as it was without any one of them. Daria from Cakelab made the best-tasting and most beautiful gluten-free cake. Brackenridge is the ideal wedding venue, with amazing backdrops, catering, and plenty of on-site accommodation. Bronwyn from Bloomwood Flowers knew and produced exactly what we wanted without us necessarily knowing ourselves. Wendy Morrison helped us build and personalize our ceremony and vows and ensured the ceremony was smooth on the day." —What is one thing you wish you had known before planning and having your wedding? "The best advice we got was to start planning and booking early. Things can go wrong, and you need time to process and fix them. Our advice is: enjoy the day! It goes by so fast."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Photography: Photography by Andie
Catering: Trestle and Mortar
Florals: Bloomwood Flower Design
Cake: CakeLab
Venue: Brackenridge Country Retreat
Celebrant: Wendy Morrison
Hair: Calma Therapies (Jo Bentley)
Makeup: Kelsey Wilson
Dress: Sally Eagle Bridal
Suit: Rembrandt