Stephanie and Jordan said “I do” in front of their friends and family at the stunning Rose & Smith. Their day was filled with so much love and countless smiles, with photos capturing the happy couple enjoying and celebrating their special day together.
Stephanie shined in Zinaida by Maggie Sottero, a satin ball gown featuring a pleated keyhole bodice, elegant off the shoulder sleeves, and a romantic V back. She completed her bridal look with our Hendrix veil, crafted from glitter tulle and perfectly complementing her princess inspired bridal look.
Keep scrolling to explore more breathtaking images, catch a glimpse into Stephanie’s wedding dress shopping journey, and read her advice for future brides. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I know everyone always says they end up choosing something completely different from what they thought they would like, but not me. I knew I wanted a big ballgown dress and loved the off the shoulder sleeves. What made me fall in love with my dress was that it felt like a really modern twist on a classic gown. I loved the keyhole and the deep V back. They felt like real points of difference. Another big factor was that it was comfortable to wear. It was a lot of dress, which comes with a lot of weight, but I wore it until 1am without being uncomfortable.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
Being Australian, half of my bridal party was from Australia, and when they expressed that they would not want to miss the dress shopping and were willing to fly over, I decided Wellington was the best fit so they could just fly in for the weekend, as we don’t live near an international airport. I made a weekend of it and booked an Airbnb, with everyone arriving on Friday night.
Seeing as everyone had made a huge effort to come, I was not wasting a second. I had booked to go to four shops in one day, starting at 9am and finishing at 5pm (I do not recommend this, we were all dead by the end). Store number two, I tried on a dress that really got that magical reaction from everyone and even made my one bridesmaid who never cries cry.
After a lunch break, we were onto Astra, store number three. We got a rack full of dresses and got to trying. By this point, I knew what I liked, so we were able to get through the pile pretty quickly. There was one absolute showstopper at the time, and I truly thought I had found the perfect dress.
Fast forward one more store and a nap, and I am going through the photos of the day (I cannot stress how important it is to take photos). I’m looking at what I thought was the one, and I think, I do not like that dress one bit. While looking through the photos, I’m looking at the dress I ended up choosing and thinking, how did I just skip past this? It’s stunning. By this point, you can imagine I’m feeling very confused.
I sit on it for a couple of weeks and decide to make the trip back down to Wellington to try two dresses, the dress that made everyone cry and my dress. I went to Astra first and put my dress on and was in love, but still in the back of my head I was thinking of dress number two that was still yet to try on again. I try dress number two on and immediately know that I have to have the other dress, my dress.
Lisa and the team at Astra were phenomenal. Everyone was so welcoming and it felt really comfortable. Lisa really knew what she was talking about and was very helpful in suggesting dresses, alterations, and accessories without being too pushy. The store in Wellington is huge, and compared to other stores we went to, it was really nice to have the room to walk around and get a feel for the dresses. The huge mirror also helps.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Jordan and I met on a Contiki through Europe in 2017. The connection was instant, but we were mindful that it might never work as I was from Australia and he was from New Zealand. We parted ways after the Contiki but never stopped talking. At the beginning of 2018, I decided to come to New Zealand for a holiday and never left.
We intertwined our lives effortlessly, and five years later we returned to Europe, with Jordan carrying a ring in his pocket. Jordan proposed at sunset in Santorini, and we were able to spend the next three weeks travelling Europe in our freshly engaged bubble.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Impossible to pick! It was honestly totally incredible, but if I had to choose, it would be watching our friends and family from all over the world merge together like they had always known each other. It was so cool to watch someone drag a person they had just met onto the dancefloor.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
So perfect, I couldn’t have asked for more. The weather on the day was sunny, with just a few clouds and about 23 degrees (which was amazing, considering the day before and after was 28/29). Our mornings were both relaxed and cruisey, no stressing or rushing. After both my hair and makeup trials, I wasn’t totally in love (this is why trials are so important), but both of the girls listened, understood, and were able to make changes on the day. It was perfect. I truly felt like a princess, and apart from the ballgown dress, I definitely have Natasha and Charlotte to thank for that.
The florals were even better than the inspo pics I sent and absolutely stunning. Everything on the day ran smoothly (shout out to Paula and the Rose & Smith team). The food was incredible, and our guests could not stop raving about it. Our DJ absolutely blew it out of the park and had everyone on the dancefloor until the very last second.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Apart from the already mentioned above, take photos while dress shopping and get a hair and makeup trial!
I think I would have to say, don't sweat the small stuff. I lost sleep over fonts and ribbon styles, and as much as back then I didn't want to believe it, people don't notice that kind of stuff. Also, make the decisions for you, what makes you happy and what you want. I almost had our ceremony in a different area as the place that I loved meant our guests would be sitting in the sun on a hot February day. I am so thankful someone talked some sense into me and I decided on the spot I really loved it, and as it turned out, the majority of the area was in the shade by that time of day.
Lastly, I could not recommend any of our vendors more. You will not regret choosing any (or all) of these guys, they all played a huge factor in making our day perfect.
