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Kate and Matt's fairytale wedding…
High-school sweethearts Matt and Kate planned a fairytale wedding filled with exquisite personal touches.
Kate fills us in on her dream day…
The theme of our wedding was ‘shabby chic’, and I’d bought all sorts of second-hand treasures and sat for hours with friends and family, making things for the table decorations, name cards, bunting flags, candles, sweet jars, framed photos… the list goes on.
My wedding gown was exquisite. When I finally saw myself in the mirror I felt like a princess – just what I wanted, and right off the rack in champagne/mushroom silk taffeta with lace and crystals. My flowers were pale pink peonies, which were carried over into the bridesmaids’ bouquets, church flowers and the cake decoration.
Our day passed like a dream. I walked down the aisle accompanied by my dad and 92-year-old grandfather, to
Amazing Grace sung by Stan Walker. It was a spectacular moment when we made our promises to each other in words we had chosen together. As we walked back down the aisle it was a bit of a blur – a collage of smiling faces, congratulations and hand shakes. When we reached the end we just held hands for a moment – we were married!
After the ceremony we joined everyone for afternoon tea and the cutting of the cake in the church foyer. My nana and my friends baked an amazing wedding cake, friends had organised the entire afternoon tea, and members of our church did a great job offering the food made by friends.
We were then whisked away to our favourite spot in Wellington – my parent’s farm in Whiteman’s Valley – for photos. We had a tea party under the trees, complete with bubbles and sweets, photos in the grass and with Dad’s race bikes and tractors.
Our close friends and family gathered for our reception, where outstanding food, beverages, service and laughter highlighted the evening as the hours disappeared.
All the careful thought and energy that we had put into the tables was evident, from the hand-stitched white hearts, to the bonsai trees with table names from everywhere Matt and I had travelled together. But the highlight of the reception was when we took to the dance floor as an old favourite,
Somewhere Over The Rainbow, began to play.
Photos by Rowan Sims – Invision Photography
Venue: Totara Lodge – The Carvary, Upper Hutt
For more inspirational real weddings see Bride & Groom magazine!
