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A Country Wedding

Beau and I met when I spent my gap year from school working for his parents in the shearing sheds and crutching trailer, working with sheep and wool! We spent many long days together working, and a great friendship bloomed.

A few (or four) years flew on by, and we ended up having mutual friends through Uni and flatting when we both left our small rural towns of Waiau and Kaikoura to head to the big smoke of Christchurch. I was studying to be a nurse and Beau was building at the time.

Being a rural small town girl in the city was tricky to get used to. I’d often call Beau when I was lost in the city (no Google Maps back then), when I’d locked myself out of the flat, or when I couldn’t remember where in the city I had parked my car! He was an absolute rock for me and would come and help me out at any time. Finally we decided to give the romance thing a shot!

Eleven-ish years later we’re now married with two beautiful kiddos, Macey and Max.

Our wedding went without a glitch! It was a beautiful day on Hawkhills Farm, Inland Kaikoura, on 2.12.23. We tied the knot on a wee hilltop in front of our awesome families and friends, where you could spy the sea. A helicopter took us over the Clarence Reserve where we had some photos taken overlooking the Heron River. Beau and I have had some great adventures over there and I spent some time there as a child, it’s a special place.

We had a lovely reception down in the woolshed (surprise surprise, where it all started) full of love, a lot of laughs, and tequila. We danced the night away to Matt Hantler Music on our outside dance floor under the festoon lights and the stars, while the kids roasted marshmallows and stole the donuts off the cake! Tucked up in bed by 4am, what a night!

I had a dress made for me twice by another company, and both times it wasn’t what I had ordered. I sold it off and flew straight to Bridal Brilliance in Auckland. I knew exactly what I wanted and the lovely girls there had me try on two dresses which I absolutely adored, and basically could’ve eeny-meeny-miney-moed it, that’s how much I loved them both! I picked my pick, it was made to my size and arrived in impeccable timing and condition in a lovely big dress bag. I felt a million bucks wearing that dress, I’m not even going to sell it! Thank you so much, Bridal Brilliance.

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