On a lovely sunny summer day, Kylie and Brad vowed to spend the rest of their lives in front of their nearest and dearest at Ataahua. Photos of the day showcase the happy couple utterly in love surrounded by the luscious greenery of the gardens and accompanied by their loved ones.
Kylie awed in 1882 by Kenneth Winston, a traditional sheath gown with vintage inspired patterned lace and a shimmering sequinned layer. The long lacy scallop shaped train is an enchanting feature, perfectly matching the whimsical fairytale atmosphere of the venue. She paired her gown with a simple cut edge veil, a charming touch to a classic look.
There are so many beautiful images to scroll through, so enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
It was everything I was wanting and more. I absolutely loved it and knew when I went back to try it on again, it was definitely the one. I felt absolutely beautiful and did not want to take it off.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
When I went into Astra, I sort of knew what I liked but had no idea where to start or how the process worked. The day I walked in to have a look Ilyese was there to greet me, we had a look at a few dresses on the rack and set up a collection on the Astra bridal site that I liked the look of. I then went in for my first consultation to try on a range of dresses, which I then managed to narrow down to two and from which I chose my dress. Ilyese was absolutely amazing from day dot, she made me feel so confident and relaxed and I couldn’t recommend her highly enough!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We met on Saint Patrick’s day back in 2012 on the dance floor in a night club. Brad had a huge leprechaun hat on and danced his way towards me, brought me a drink, but then next minute he had dashed off and left me awkwardly talking to his friend. We then saw each other a few months after at a 21st and the rest is history :)
Brad did so extremely well with the proposal, he had organised a weekend away at Lake Tarawera for us. I didn’t think anything of it. We had been there a few hours when we decided to go and have a drink on the jetty, next thing I knew he was down on one knee. I was so surprised I couldn’t get anything out apart from a lot of aww’s and a thank you once I had said yes.
As we were having a drink to celebrate, we saw a jet ski slowly towing what looked like a child in a ski biscuit (well that’s what I thought anyway.) Brad recognised the voices and was wise to what was going on (some of our friends had brought a jet ski down, and decided they would come past on it after the proposal... all they knew was that they were looking for a house with a jetty - almost every house on the lake has a jetty.) Next thing we were treated to a three masted naked spin right in front of the jetty. That kicked off the weekend's celebration, followed by the girls turning up, and both sets of parents. Safe to say there were big celebrations that night and a lot of sore heads the next day. It was the best weekend every and every time I think about it or mention it I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Everything about the day was my favourite. I cant choose one particular part cause it was all so incredible.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
It was all absolutely perfect from when I got up to the end of the night. My bridesmaids and I started the day super early, and my mum dropped off some beautiful treats for us all while we started to get ready for the day. It was such a fun chilled morning and absolutely loved having mum and my bridesmaids there with me while we all got ready.
I remember the feeling of my mum helping me into my dress, having a few special moments with her and feeling absolutely beautiful. Being able to walk out and to tap my dad on the shoulder and see the emotion of him seeing me in my dress for the first time was so special. Being able to reveal my dress to my bridesmaids was also very special, and to see their reactions was priceless.
Our ceremony and the whole day was perfect and went so smoothly. Seeing Brad for the first time as I walked down the aisle with my dad is a feeling that words can’t quite describe, a wave of tingles through your body and excitement if I was to somehow describe it. It was a very relaxed ceremony which suited our personalities along with the beautiful venue. The weather was definitely was on our side for our wedding day as we had had torrential rain the night before and thought we were going to have to have our ceremony inside, but the sun was shining the whole day with no rain or cloud whatsoever. We were so lucky.
Our reception was an absolute blast and our MC's did such a good job through the whole night, right from when the ceremony ended through to when the party started. Everyone was up on the dance floor for the whole night, it was so good to see and such a good time. Just having everyone around you that you love and celebrating such a special day is the best! I wish we could rewind back to our special day and relive every moment.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Take time to enjoy the pure joy of the day. Everyone you treasure and love is in one place and is there for you. You may not fully appreciate this till the day, but you will.
