We're obsessing over these stunning images of Chloe & Manuel's wedding day this past February. They hosted their special day in Havelock North, a place they both adore, and knew it was the area in which they wanted to gather all their loved ones and commit themselves to one another.
Chloe wore the modern and romantic Lawrence dress by Jenny Yoo - with its clean lines, sweeping skirt, and elegant scoop neckline, it was everything Chloe had dreamed of and more.
Keep scrolling to see beautiful images, how Chloe found her dream dress, and get some insight into their day!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I always thought I knew what type of dress I would choose. It was going to be simple, form-fitting and modern. But when I went shopping I decided to try on different styles for the fun of it - there aren't many opportunities to try on wedding dresses so when I got the chance I had fun with it. Jenny Yoo dresses caught my eye as they had a simple elegance to them that suited my style, so for the fun of it I tried on one I thought I would love and also the Lawrence dress because why not. I have a video of when I tried the Lawrence dress where I just kept saying "I can't believe I'm actually considering this, I actually really like it". It was so different form what I wanted but I felt amazing in it, I felt like it looked the best on me and my body shape, it took me a couple of days to realise just how much I loved it and when I tried it on for the second time I knew it was the dress for me.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I was pretty set on the dress I wanted and where I would get it from but wanted to have a “bridal experience” trying on dresses anyway. So I booked a couple of bridal appointments, including Astra, with the intention of having fun. When I came to Astra talked with Lisa through what I had in mind, she pulled some dresses according to that but we also threw in a couple of wild card dresses for the fun of it. One of those wild card dresses was the dress I chose. I tried it on twice that day, and then left it to go home and think about it. I had one other bridal shop to try out, but when I was there I found myself comparing every dress to the one I had loved at Astra. So right after that appointment I came back to Astra to lock it in. All of the ladies, especially Lisa, were so helpful and accommodating to me trying on dresses. I’ve recommended to a few brides I know that they should book an appointment at Astra as the whole experience was amazing.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We knew each other through mutual friends at Church for a few years. Then in 2018, we both did an internship at the same place. From here, I began to develop a wee crush on Manuel and flirted any chance I got. However, Manuel thought I was too young for him (I was 18 and he was 21 at the time). However, in one of the many convos where I flirted with Manuel, I said something that made him realise that I could potentially be a good match for him. From this moment the flirting became mutual. Manuel waited until the end of the internship to not ask, but tell me we were going on a first date. We quickly fell in love and knew that one day we would get married. Manuel began to plan his proposal just before the 2020 Covid lockdown, and received the ring many months before his planned proposal date. Then just before my 21st birthday, we took a regular trip out to the Wairarapa where Manuel had arranged a beautiful picnic with a bottle of wine, pavlova and cheese and dropped a knee to propose. 1 week later at my 21st, we announced it to all our friends. It was one of the best-kept secrets and everyone in the room was so surprised.
What was your favourite part of the day?
For us, we wanted to have a dancefloor to remember and I definitely think we achieved it. Our dancefloor was so much fun: we sang, we danced, we had sparklers. Everyone joined at one stage or another and it was our favourite part of the day.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
We had a "destination wedding" - everyone we know lives in Wellington including our families but we love Havelock North so much, so wanted to find a place out there to get married. Our day was relatively relaxed, we had an afternoon wedding so plenty of time to get ready and soak in the day. Everyone pulled together to help us make everything work on the day. We had an outdoor ceremony in the courtyard of St George's, followed by photos on Te Mata Peak, an indoor reception and we ended back outside for the dancefloor. Manuel's brother took our ceremony which was so special for us and the food was amazing (it was one of the things we both looked forward to the most). Overall it was the perfect day.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
My biggest piece of advice is to decide with your fiancé the non-negotiables, those things for your wedding you can’t do without.
For us it was our photographer, suits, food, and a dance floor. Everything else sorted itself out but those things were what we cared about the most and compromised other “nice to haves” for.
