Charlotte and Danny vowed to spend the rest of their lives together in front of their nearest and dearest at L’Orangerie. Their day was filled with laughter, fun, and love, with photos capturing the couple having the time of their lives. Their wedding was full of greenery, charm, and personality.
Charlotte looked breathtaking in the Marrakesh A-Line by Forget Me Knot, a soft crepe gown featuring a ruched scoop bodice and a flowing A-line skirt with a medium train, finished with covered buttons down the back.
Keep scrolling for stunning photos, a glimpse into Charlotte’s dress shopping journey, and her heartfelt advice for brides to be. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
To be honest, I’m pretty sure Lara knew my dress was the one before I did. I was a bit taken aback by all the amazing dresses and the options that could work for me!
Circling back, it was my smile when I had this dress on that really told them what I was thinking. I tried it on a second time before going home that day, and I can say 100% I wouldn’t change a thing.
It was the Marrakesh A-Line by Forget Me Knot, which meant it fitted my waist nicely and still left room for dancing and movement! I didn’t even notice it being strapless, and I wasn’t worried about it slipping down, the boned bodice was fantastic.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Dress shopping was super intimidating for me. I’m not really a fancy or dress up kind of gal, so I went into these dress appointments with a lot of caution and low expectations.
The ladies at Astra were super lovely and understanding, and helped guide me toward options I might not have tried by myself. The ideas were great and tailored to what they knew about my style (or lack of it) and my body shape.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Danny and I met at a local coffee shop on the corner of the road where we both worked. We’d each do the morning coffee run with our respective colleagues. It took him a long while to pluck up the courage!
We were in the early stages of dating when NZ went into the second big lockdown, which meant that we moved in together somewhat ridiculously early, but when you know, you know.
The proposal came a few years later down at the beach we love so much, Matarangi. He spun a little story to throw me off track about why and when we were there, and he nailed it. Such a gorgeous backdrop and a really sentimental spot too.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Having all of our closest friends and family together at once was one of the best things ever! How often does that happen? Incredibly special.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Tauranga’s weather that week was a bit average, to say the least. We managed to pick a day between rainy days where the weather cleared in the afternoon!
We had planned for hair and makeup on a roster, and the timing worked (very on purpose) for me, the bride, to have a walk down to the local café for a coffee run for our girlies. I recommend that break away so much!
While I was there, I ran into our celebrant Maggie (gotta love small town Tauranga), the most lovely and caring family friend who ran our ceremony. That little moment to gather my thoughts and check in with her was really special.
Our ceremony was in the trees, and our reception was in the barn. The boys arrived on bikes (Triumph Bonneville Bobber 1200 and Triumph Bonneville T120), and Dad and I arrived in his project car of many years, a 1970 Lotus Elan +2.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Enjoy the harmony (and the chaos) of that stage, and all of the build up. So many moving pieces to organise, including people, travel, etc. Yes, we got married and it was our best day ever (!), but you’ll look back on the lead-up and all its bits… and that’s very much a part of the amazing memory too.
Day trips with Mum to try on dresses, barbecues with family to celebrate the engagement, nail salon trials with friends. All of those little interactions are so special.
