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Marigold Gown – Tegan & Dominic

COUPLE’S NAMES

Tegan Moyne and Dominic Clark

 

Wedding Date

3 March 2018

 

LOCATION

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.

 

GUEST TOTAL

120

 

PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophia from Bayly & Moore

 

Choosing a photographer was a top priority for us that we wanted to get right. Neither Dom or I am particularly comfortable in front of the camera so we met with a few photographers early on to get a feel for who we felt comfortable with. Meeting with Sophie and Si we instantly felt relaxed in their company. Sophia was so professional yet she slotted into the day so naturally like having a friend around, which made it so easy for us. Everything we wanted in a photographer was Bayly & Moore’s work. We loved their relaxed, moody and photojournalistic style of photography. On the day we weren’t made to pose or force anything. We just wandered around with our bridal party and went about the day. Soph captured it all perfectly.

 

BRIDES DRESS

Bo & Luca Marigold Gown.

 

A beautiful floor-length silk embroidered gown. It was slightly fitted with a round neckline and lovely tiered sleeves. The neckline and bodice were heavily hand-beaded which carried through down the bodice.

 

This dress I saw online when I first started the dress search. It was my absolute favourite from the start. I never ended up trying on any dresses or going to any bridal stores for fittings. I took a risk and brought the dress from Sydney, and hoped that it worked for me. Luckily it arrived and was exactly what I hoped for and I felt like a dream on the day.

 

WEDDING THEME

We didn’t have a theme as such. We just tried to incorporate things that were appealing to us and worked well to complement the setting. The venue is so beautiful we didn’t want to ruin its charming and scenic aesthetic. There were no colour schemes or a style; we just went for a natural dressed down look, which let the barn and scenery do the talking! We aimed to provide an excellent party for our guests, which was relaxed, thoughtful and fun.

 

FLOWERS & BOUQUETS

We chose Auckland based Twig and Twine to do our florals. Sandy did such an amazing job and everything that arrived on the truck that morning made us girls squeal! Everything was exactly what I had envisioned and suited the setting perfectly. Both the bridesmaid’s bouquets and mine were quite unstructured and textured. I wanted a full and wild bouquet, which it was! Full of dark leafy greenery, burgundy Lilies, fluffy lipped Protea, berries, Queen Anne’s lace, and sea holly.

 

For our tables, we kept it simple with Olive leaf garlands, which left enough room for the dinner platters. We had a beautiful hanging structure above the head table filled with antique hydrangeas, hanging Amaranthus and lots of greenery. It looks amazing in our photos and was our main decoration to dress up the barn.

 

CAKE

Our cakes were made by Alice, from Minitier. We decided to have three cakes and serve them as dessert.

 

Our lovely trio of cakes was Dark chocolate with plum and chocolate ganache, a gluten-free lemon cake with lemon curd and for our main wedding cake, we had a toasted coconut and jam tier and a white chocolate and blueberry tier on top. They were delicious and we had enough for our BBQ the following day too.

 

FOOD & BEVERAGES

Our catering was done by Posh Nosh, who came from Tauranga. They were incredible, nothing was too much trouble and the food was amazing. All cooked onsite using fresh local produce in their mobile kitchen for 120 guests. I don’t know how they did it so well, but it was outstanding. We had grazing tables instead of canapés, which was such a great idea. The food was abundant and it kept everyone going until dinner. For dinner we had platters served to the tables, everything was so fresh and delicious. No one went hungry and we still keep hearing how impressive the meal was from our guests.

 

GIFTS REGISTRY

We ended up with a registry with Mildred & Co so we asked for no boxed gifts. Mildred & Co has an option where you can have selections that your guests can choose to contribute towards. We thought this was a great option for those still wanting to get us a gift. Our guests could contribute towards our upcoming travels, our honeymoon or artwork.

 

MEMORABLE MOMENT

There were so many memorable moments leading up to the day. Having our friends and family help set up the day before the wedding was so much fun! There was a lot to do, as the venue was completely DIY. So spending the day with our small army of troops was a great lead up to the day and we managed to spend quality time with family who had come from out of town. On the wedding day, seeing Dom at the end of the aisle was the best moment! I felt so relaxed and happy to see him, I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. A close second favourite was taking off for some sunset photos after dinner – one of the only times we got alone so that was pretty special.

 

ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE

Don’t stress about the small stuff. It doesn’t matter on the day. All that matters is you and your partner have the best day. It goes so so fast; don’t worry if little things go wrong (which they always do). Don’t spend any time or energy focusing on that, as time is so precious!! Soak up every happy moment.

 

VENDORS & SUPPLIERS

Location: McGrath Estate 

 

Photographer: Bayly & Moore

 

Caterer: Posh Nosh Catering

 

Hair and Makeup: Natalie Dent

 

Florist: Twig and Twine

 

Brides Dress: Bo & Luca

 

Bridesmaids Dresses: Widdess

 

Rings: Alexandra Odds