Jennifer-Clair and Brandon celebrated their special day surrounded by loved ones at the picturesque Bridgewater Estate. Their photos beautifully capture a couple deeply in love and completely enchanted with one another.
Jennifer-Clair looked stunning in Lorenza by Maggie Sottero, an all over lace A-line gown featuring boho inspired floral lace, a plunging V-neckline, and a soft tulle skirt that added a romantic, dreamy touch.
Keep scrolling to enjoy more gorgeous images, learn about Jennifer-Clair’s wedding dress journey, and discover her advice for future brides. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
Looking for a dress was hard. I always thought my Nana would have made my dress. She made everyone’s dresses. I grew up visiting her house, watching brides get pinned and measured, and I always thought I would one day have that experience with her too.
She passed away not long before my accident and engagement. I had a clear picture in my head of what I wanted, and it was hard to start looking for something that matched that vision because I had always believed I’d have the exact dress I imagined, made by my Nana.
Then I found the dress that had been in my head.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
My search for the dress started early, and I kept going back to the Astra Bridal website. It was easy to use and navigate. I found the dress… then, months later, it disappeared. On my birthday a year later, my sister (who was my maid of honour), my mum, and my niece (my flower girl) went dress shopping with me. Between my mum and my sister, I didn’t even get a chance to talk or describe what I was looking for, but I didn’t need to. They just knew what I’d like.
When it came time to pick dresses, the three of them found the dress on the hanger and said, “That’s it. That’s the one.” And it was the one. It was the same dress I had found a year (or maybe more) earlier. It turned out to be the last one of that style in stock. It was the first dress I tried on, and most importantly, it was the only one my then 1 year old niece showed any interest in! I truly loved my experience at Astra Bridal. Liz was amazing! After the first dress, my mum and sister had already decided it was the one and went off to support another bride. They only came back to say “no” to any other dress I tried on after that!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
My friend and I have birthdays two weeks apart. He was turning 18, and I was turning 19. For his 18th, we headed into Auckland CBD for our first night out. Since we were new to it, he invited a friend (who later became our best man), and that friend brought another friend, my now husband, Brandon.
At the end of the night, we were in an Uber: birthday boy in the front, me in the middle back, best man on one side, Brandon on the other. After the best man asked for my number, I turned to Brandon and said, “I bet you can find me on Facebook.” He sent a friend request in under a minute. The next day, the best man gave him my number. Brandon called that evening (with a bit of liquid courage), and we talked for three hours. We talked and dated for about a month before we became official.
At the time, I was studying architecture, and Brandon had just started working full-time. He stayed up late helping with uni projects and later supported me through surgeries, chronic health challenges, and emergency room visits. He even slept on waiting room chairs. He doesn’t just take care of me. He loves and cares for my people too. After years of being by my side through two near-death experiences, completing my degree, and starting my Master’s, I was hit by a car in August 2022. While I insisted I was fine, Brandon pushed me to see a doctor. Not long after, he decided to propose.
He secretly hired a proposal planner, booked a vineyard, and told me we were going to a work event. When we arrived, he led me to a beautifully decorated space and got down on one knee with my great-great-grandmother’s ring. I started ugly crying, and when he nervously tossed me the ring, I handed it back and said, “You have to ask me.” He did. I said yes. He proposed the day after my birthday, just over a week before the six-year anniversary of the day we met.
What was your favourite part of the day?
I wrote down everything I could remember as soon as I could. I had that, along with the photos, to remember the day.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Wedding planning was hard and on a budget, but it was important for us to have our day. We had a lot of help pulling it off. Eric, our florist and my now brother-in-law’s childhood friend, was amazing and went above and beyond. Since our budget didn’t cover delivery or setup, my dad and brother picked up the flowers the morning of, and my bridal party arranged them at the venue. Our rings were made by my mum’s cousin, who had made my mum’s wedding and engagement rings. I wore the bow my Nana made for my mum’s wedding dress. It was special to carry that on my day. I hand-painted all our wedding stationery and designed it in Photoshop. We bought second-hand and DIYed a lot. Our seating chart was written on the bathroom mirror.
I stayed up late making our cake and had a small crash the morning of while rushing it to the venue. The Bridgewater staff fixed the cake and rearranged flowers from ceremony to reception. They let us make the day our own, and we didn’t follow a traditional timeline. The wedding morning was crazy. I stayed at a motel near my parents, woke early, picked up the cake, and drove it to the venue where the accident happened. Then back to my parents’ to steam my dress and veil, but I melted the veil. My uncle finished steaming it for me. Hair and makeup started as guests arrived. I had the quickest shower and hair wash ever. Penton & Co made me look beautiful despite being tired and flustered. I left 10 minutes late, then realized I forgot my shoes. My mum had moved them somewhere “safe” and couldn’t remember where, so she and my sister turned back to find them. The flower girl’s shoes were left behind too and arrived an hour later. We were running late, but I stayed calm, and our videographer and photographer captured all the important moments.
Our vendors were great with our unusual timeline. Instead of a first look, we rearranged things because the videographer wasn’t there long. Brandon surprised me with a Morris Minor. My granddad used to rally them, so it was a meaningful tribute. During formal photos, I got sunburnt. The day was beautiful and sunny after many gloomy days. I didn’t put sunscreen on, worried it might yellow my dress since I’d only be in the sun briefly. For the ceremony, I walked down the aisle to Hawkins Music singing Lover by Taylor Swift live. I asked my cousin to “fix” my train at the top of the aisle to give me a moment to breathe and take it all in. After signing papers, my husband and I did a dip walking back up the aisle. I’m so glad we did.
We extended cocktail hour to include speeches, our first dance, and impromptu father/daughter and mother/son dances. We greeted everyone, then took a few more photos while guests moved to the reception. After dinner, sunburnt and with gravy down my front, I took a cold shower keeping hair and makeup intact and changed into a dress my mum made. I wanted more photos in my wedding dress, but the sunburn stopped that. So on the day, we decided to have a one year anniversary photoshoot to dress up again.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
The day was a mess. Nothing went to plan and everything was late and rushed. But we did not stress. When things went off track, we just sat down and let everyone else handle it. Before the wedding, we decided not to stress over what we could not control. It was the best day of our lives. I was running on adrenaline and feeling amazing. Many guests and family said it was one of the best weddings they had attended because of the personality we put into it and how we made it truly our own. We could not have done that without our incredible vendors.
I cannot recommend doing a first look enough. It gave us time to enjoy the day together. Wear sunscreen. Do not stress. Slow down and plan ways to pause. Wear a bib at dinner. Ask questions, do your research, and know when to save and when to invest. Hire a content creator. They had photos and videos ready before we even went to bed.
