26/03/2010

Our wedding day was a perfect, sunny Hawke's Bay day. Our venue for both ceremony and reception was the exquisite Tom McDonald Cellar at Church Road Winery. We were looked after amazingly well by both Church Road staff and Dish Catering. Having attentive, helpful staff definitely made a difference to the day. In fact we were quite blessed with all of our suppliers and support people!

 Our photographer, Eva Bradley, was just fantastic. She put us all at ease and was the perfect mix - professional and fun! Celebrant Bev Kerr was my beacon of calm! A truly lovely lady. Our make-up artist Vania Bailey was just that, an artist! Our makeup was fresh and glowing; complemented perfectly by spray tans from Suzie at Spray of Sunshine. Hairdressers Rodney Wayne in Napier had the girls looking ultra-chic! Nails by Ange in Greenmeadows were natural yet eye-catching and my lash extensions courtesy of Trish at Lush Lashes definitely added a wow factor!

My dress was from Gown's on Gloucester, bridesmaid's dresses from Xpressions, flower-girl & page boy outfits from Spratz, and the big boys' suits from Van Meer (sourced through Chris Wiig). Our wedding cake, a delicious chocolate and caramel affair, was created by my cousin, Claire Whitburn, part-owner of DMP Café in Napier. The reception was fantastic with band Naked Gun really setting the mood.

Highlights of the Day...

The entire day was amazing but if we had to choose a favourite moment.... mine would be standing with Bev, hand in hand, saying our vows to each other. Bev's was walking back up the aisle after the ceremony. And really just having all of the people we love sharing in our special day.

Words of Advice...

We would definitely recommend hiring a band. Naked Gun created such an awesome atmosphere and even though a bit more expensive than a DJ, they really added a little something extra to the reception. Get creative and make your own wedding invitations and/or centre-pieces. It's a great way to let your personal style shine through and is definitely more economical. The Copy Centre in Napier has just about everything you could ever need for invitations and Spotlight is fantastic for centre-piece material.

Shop around! I got my bridal shoes from Number One Shoe Warehouse for $25! They looked exactly like a pair in a bridal shop which retailed for close to $200! We got all of the bridal party jewellery from Diva and it looked amazing. You don't have to spend bucket-loads to get gorgeous looking products. Remember that planning your wedding should be fun! Don't be afraid to ask for help! I had a wonderful support group, including my Mum and bridesmaids. Your actual wedding day goes so quickly you need to relish every little part of it!