Real Weddings

Sinead and Clint

Photography by Photography by Andie

—How did you and your partner meet? "We met at a classic Wellington flat party. Clint had finished a footy game with my flatmate and came over afterwards. As the tale goes, it was early 2012, the drinks and the chats were flowing, so after a few more meetings, we were all in." —What was the proposal like? "The proposal was exactly as expected for us. We love travelling and going on adventures, whether travelling or hiking in the bush. We went away to Abel Tasman for our ninth anniversary. We always bring a small bottle of bubbly or a whiskey flask for every hike we do for a kip at the top. The night before our hike, Clint snuck off to get some bubbly for the next day and returned with a much bigger box than usual, so it was pretty clear what the next day would be like. We hiked through the Abel Tasman in one of the few rainy days and survived the wet weather just enough to come out the end of it engaged." —What was your wedding budget? "$20,000 to $40,000." —How many guests did you have? "100." —Did you include anything non-traditional in your wedding? "Our first dance was a lightsaber battle in which I (the bride) got to win. We had some excellent choreo and barely remembered it the night of." —What is your favourite memory from the big day? "We wanted the day to be about us, so we went for a helicopter ride to the Tararua Ranges before the wedding. We were lucky enough to have an absolutely stunning blue sky day and make it to the top of the mountain and get some snaps in the snow exactly like we wanted. We then went down to a river's edge, and it was a time for just us to be together for a few hours - easily the best moment of the day." —What do you consider the best wedding investment you made? "Choosing the right person to marry and the right people to celebrate with." —Who was your outstanding wedding vendor? "Impossible to nail down! Our photographer, florist, chopper pilot, venue, and caterer - everyone was amazing to deal with and made our day so perfect. Andie, our photographer, made us feel so relaxed and didn't pressure us to be anything but who we were. They were even willing to jump in a chopper for us and support us all day. Lyndal, our florist was able to capture the environment we wanted with her creative vision; we really wanted something sustainable and the option of fake flowers with any colour we wanted, no matter the season - and I loved that she could reuse them for other people's weddings. Her excitement was infectious! The food was fantastic, the venue coordination was so easy, and there really is nothing like a helicopter experience to make you feel special." —What is one thing you wish you had known before planning and having your wedding? "Believe people when they talk about budget creep! No one will care or even notice if anything goes wrong, so enjoy the planning and the day. It's about you and your loved ones, so don't get caught up in having to be the best."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Photography: Photography by Andie
Florals: Little Lace Flower Company
Venue: Tarureka Estate
Helicopter: Kapiti Heliworx
Celebrant: Caroline Mooney