Both our ceremony and reception were held at McGrath Estate, a 200-acre property in the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland NZ. The Estate settles on a western slope in the ranges overlooking the most magnificently beautiful but rugged valley. The valley is home to rolling farmland, dense green native bush, an ancient kauri forest and striking sunsets; all things beautiful (to us!).

I grew up in a small rural suburb at the foothills of the Waitakeres, it holds the most magical memories for me and we have both spent so much time together exploring this wild pocket of NZ. We both wanted to get married somewhere we felt connected to, so luckily we agreed that it’s the most romantic place in the world.

The venue was everything we wanted, remote, isolated, a bit wild yet tranquil and scenic. With its handsome tall Red Barn to house our reception, we didn’t look anywhere else.

Our ceremony was in a small paddock framed by a stream and natural hillside terraces, which served as great seating for our guests. We were married under a large Totara Tree. It was incredibly relaxed, we wrote our vows, which was a bit overwhelming but would recommend ten times over. It is pretty cool being able to say exactly what you want to someone you love with no interruptions! Dom played the guitar while his sister sung one of my favourite Julie Byrne songs. It was really special and made the ceremony so personal.

Our reception was in a huge barn with a large deck, which flowed out from the back. We ate incredible food, drunk lots of good wine and danced to compulsively danceable music provided by the family band and Dom’s band.