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Meeting and Proposal

Andrew and I meet by chance in February 1994, a few weeks later we decided to start seeing each other. Nearly two years later on the morning of Christmas 1996, my daughter Gemma, Andrew and I were gathered around the Christmas tree opening presents. Andrew turned to Gemma and asked if it was ok for him to ask her mum to marry him? Gemma nodded her head in approval and giggled. He then turned to me and on one knee proposed and presented me with a ring. I placed the ring straight onto my finger and accepted.

The Planning

In early November 2005, 17 Months before our big day, we finally decided to take the plunge and set the date for our wedding. We decided on the 3 rd of March 2007. Looking back now, we are so glad that we had plenty of time to plan for our special day, as most of our key focus items such as the photographer, venue, accommodation, transport etc. needed to be booked well over 12 months in advance.

Andrew and I agreed right from the start that we would be planning our wedding together and that our focus was for an enjoyable stress free day. The theme for our day was a country wedding, which is what we had always wanted. We decided to have all of our formal photos taken prior to our wedding ceremony, so that at no point would we not be involved with our guests once the ceremony commenced. Our guests list was finalised at 39 and included everyone we wanted to be part of our day. Andrew and I had attended weddings previously that seemed to treat the guests as spectators; however we wanted our guests, like us, to have an awesome time and to be very much involved.

When we first started planning it was very difficult to know who to approach, but as we discussed our ideas with people within the industry, things became a lot more directed and what we wanted became more of a reality.

Our Special Day

Our special day began with Andrew and I sharing a breakfast together at our wedding accommodation, Stoneleigh Lodge. Andrew and I spent the morning preparing together until the point at which I began getting into my gown. My reveal to Andrew was truly special and began what was to be a magical afternoon. Our formal photos were at a local beach, where we all removed our shoes and engaged in some truly amazing photos. We traveled in a horse and carriage to the venue for our wedding ceremony and formal afternoon tea, Millwood Weddings.

On our arrival at Millwood, a converted 1860’s Methodist church, we were greeted by all of our guests who had been partaking of fruit and marshmallows dipped in a cascading chocolate fountain prior to our arrival. Our ceremony went as planned and involved a special reading for Gemma and both of our mothers lighting candles to symbolise unity. After the ceremony we gathered in the beautiful gardens of Millwood, where we untied a ribbon to symbolise a new beginning and we cut our beautifully prepared 3 tier chocolate cake with raspberry flavoured icing. We then all shared in a beautifully prepared formal afternoon tea, where we were able to meet with all of our guests and share this special time with them. The formal afternoon tea concluded with the arrival back to Millwood of the horse and carriage, Andrew and I then passed through all of our guests who showered us with rose petals and into the awaiting open top carriage. Andrew and I then returned to Stoneleigh not as we had left before but as husband and wife.

Having left all of our guests at Millwood, upon leaving they were presented with a gift. An individual cake decorated with a butterfly and enclosed within a cute noodle box tied with a silver ribbon.

To end our day, we meet with family and close friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Rotherams of Riccarton.

The Things That Didn’t Go To Plan

Gemma's hair didn’t remain up as it should have, however she made the best of the situation by redoing her hair in the short time that she had available and did an excellent job.

As a surprise, we had organised to have all of the wedding party and our guests release individual live monarch butterflies. The butterflies were to be released upon the conclusion of a special reading by our celebrant to symbolize a new beginning for us. This would have gone perfectly to plan had the courier company responsible for delivering the butterflies not lost them. Upon being found they were returned to the Butterfly Company in Auckland alive, much to the relief of all the parties involved.

Wedding Gown

To find the right gown, I searched online for months. I finally decided on a beautiful gown available from the venusbridal.com website. A local Christchurch stockiest enable me to be measured and have the gown ordered through them. I selected an Ivory strapless A line delustered satin princess style with a cathedral train, Antique Silver beaded and embroided bodice, Romantique bands which encompass the neckline and a matching beaded stole.

Rings

Andrew and I selected and had his ring made with a titanium outer band inlayed with a platinum band. I selected a plain platinum band to match my engagement ring as well as Andrew’s inlayed band.

Things We Did Ourselves

I handmade our invitations as well as the individual gift cake thank you cards. We wrote together our ceremony that included a surprise acknowledgment for Gemma. We produced a format for our day and organised together all the parties involved to ensure that our day flowed as we had envisaged.

Advice for Engaged Couples

Really decide what you both want for your special day and put the time, effort and money into the things that you will treasure forever. Have for your day what you want for yourselves and not for others.

Married Life?

Having finally committed to each other after 13 years, Andrew and I really feel at peace and we now look forward to growing old together.

Photography by Jacky de Boer.