Steph and Callahan vowed to spend the rest of their lives together surrounded by friends and family at Christian Youth Camps in Ngāruawāhia. Photos from the day capture the couple completely in love and savouring every heartfelt moment.
Steph stunned in Kingston by Forget Me Knot—a brushed satin A-line dress featuring a romantic exposed boning corset bodice and elegant off the shoulder sleeves. The lace up back added a beautiful detail, and the full skirt, complete with pockets!
We hope you enjoy browsing their photos and reading about their wedding day as much as we did! Congratulations to the happy couple!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The corset top was perfect—100%. I also loved the fabric. I’m NOT a lacy girl, but I didn’t want the dress to be too plain, so I loved the shine of this fabric.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I knew going into my dress hunting that I wanted to get a corset dress that was off the shoulder. I went to a few bridal stores before Astra but couldn’t find anything that quite fit the memo, while also making me feel like myself. When I walked into Astra Bridal, my mum and friend immediately pointed out Kingston by Forget Me Knot (which was displayed on a mannequin), and I knew it was the one. I tried on a few other dresses at Astra Bridal too, just to be sure, but I just loved that dress.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Callahan and I met at church. We had some mutual friends who started hanging out, and then we started to hang out too. I was desperately trying to ignore the feelings that were starting to grow, as I was supposed to be moving over to Europe for an OE. However, Callahan had different plans. He asked me out for a coffee, and I realised that he was the one for me.
Callahan completely surprised me when he proposed (which he is very, very proud of). He organised his cousin to ask us to pose for a photoshoot for her, and our mutual friend Tegs to take me to get my nails done. During the photoshoot, he dropped down on one knee—and of course, I said yes!
What was your favourite part of the day?
It is SOOO hard to pick just one part. We had the best day! My favourite part was just before our ceremony. Cal and I met privately (without looking at each other) for a chance to pray together before the rest of the craziness of the day. It was so nice having that moment with each other before being in front of everyone else. Oh, and we had such a fun dance floor, our guests really came in clutch!
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Our wedding day was amazing. The weather was stunning, it was SO hot all day long (luckily, our ceremony and most of our photos were under shelter). My girls and I had the best experience getting ready—we had good vibes, music, and food. My friend Jana did our makeup, and Jadey worked wonders on our hair (if you’re Hamilton-based, I HIGHLY recommend them—my hair is usually untamable).
Our ceremony was out at CYC Ngāruawāhia. We had some friends perform a piece during the ceremony, which felt so magical and special. The day went by so fast—between the ceremony, taking photos, mingling with friends and family, speeches, etc. We had build your own burger platters for dinner, and they tasted phenomenal! We ended the night with an amazing dance floor. It was such a great day!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
My biggest advice for brides would be to make sure you have some planned, intentional time with your fiancé where you ban all talk and thoughts about the wedding, and just enjoy being together. Also, don’t sweat the details of the wedding too much—at the end of the day, you get to be married to your favourite person, and nothing else matters as much as that. :)
