TAYLOR & DAN | MOUNT MAUNGANUI

To say we are OBSESSED with this wedding is an understatement. Literally oozing “cool”, we are almost speechless with how incredibly unique but oh so special this day was for the lovely Tay and Dan. This couple truly followed their own advice, that there are no rules! They certainly made sure their day was 110% an authentic and intimate affair, and did exactly what was right for them and not what anyone said they had to do. And how good is a wedding reception filled with pizza and red wine!?

Where did you purchase your dress and accessories from:

I chose to wear Lola Varma because of their philosophy. They truly believe that you should feel like ‘you’ on your wedding day. I tried on some classic princess dresses, and I even tried some sexy tight dresses, but I just didn’t feel like me. Don’t get me wrong, all were beautiful dresses, but I wanted to feel comfortable. Anyone that knows me well, knows that a statement blouse is my favourite item of clothing, so when I found Lola Varma and their range of non-traditional bridal pieces, I just instantly fell in love. My blouse is a piece that I’ll wear over and over again, and treasure forever.

Where did you find your inspiration for your wedding day:

We mainly drew inspiration from our everyday lives. I know it sounds silly, but we wanted our wedding day to just be an extension of ‘us’. It was really important that we incorporated our values and our passions into the day.

Our love story began…

Dan & I worked together while I was studying at university. We both started working at a cafe within a few weeks of each other - him as the chef and I was making coffee. Gotta watch out for those chefs!

We saved on…

Since intimacy was really important to us, we only had 30 guests. This definitely saved us a lot! We also didn’t have a venue for the ceremony, so skipped on any big hire costs.

Do you have any tips for other brides & grooms?

There are no rules! Don’t feel like you have to buy in to any traditions or comply with anyone else’s idea of what a wedding should be. We didn’t have a first dance, we didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen, we saw each other getting ready etc. Do what feels right for you two, not what people say you ‘have to do’.

Tell us about your venue and why did you choose it:

Getting married on the beach was a no brainer for us. We both surf, so standing right in front of some of the country’s best waves was pretty special. My dad was also in the Navy for 30 years, so the sea has played a huge role in my upbringing.

We didn’t really want our reception to feel like a reception - we just wanted to take our pals out for dinner. We stumbled across Alpino on a trip to the Mount a few years ago and just fell in love. It is the smallest, most intimate little restaurant, which has a really romantic feel. Plus who doesn’t love the combo of pizza and red wine?!

What were the highlights on the day:

I vividly remember walking down the aisle and seeing Dan for the first time. I just let out this huge giggle/squeal and everyone in the crowd started laughing. I just wanted to run to the front and give him a big hug - it was such a special moment.

When we hopped into our photographers van after leaving the ceremony, and it was just us for the first time. We started laughing and being like “WOAH WE’RE MARRIED” - felt like school kids!

Our photographer Rach was just incredible. She shot lots of the wedding in film which I feel really added too the authenticity and intimacy. The photos are so unique and she was such a laugh to have around.

Our wedding style was…

If I had to sum it up, I would say it was ‘effortlessly cool’ hahaha. Everything was just so relaxed and there wasn’t a whole lot of structure to the day, but also so unique and so distinctly us.

Tell us about the proposal…

The proposal was completely unexpected. Dan took me on a weekend away to Hawkes Bay, which I thought was to celebrate the end of my uni year. We were having a picnic on the beach and he popped out the ring. I was so shocked I couldn’t speak!

We splurged on…

The food and drink! We are huge foodies, and Dan trained as a chef so we had to make food a big part of the day. Alpino put on the most beautiful 6 course dinner of traditional Italian antipasti, seafood, pizza, pasta etc. We also had stunning Italian wine, signature cocktails and rounds of tequila. Lots, and lots of tequila.