Ayana & Kenn
The beauty of Queenstown encouraged Ayana and Kenn to celebrate their special day in the city, bringing loved ones from around the world and sharing their culture with them all in a stunning ceremony and reception with a backdrop that’s truly magical!
“When we got engaged, we both knew we wanted to get married in Queenstown. We have travelled there a lot and made good memories. The views are also a plus! We wanted a venue that can hold both the wedding ceremony and reception. We also had families and friends travelling from USA, Australia and parts of New Zealand so we wanted to make sure the venue was easily accessible. Heritage Queenstown ticked all our boxes and their rooftop views were breath-taking!
The forecast was rainy for the whole week but we were blessed with the perfect weather on our wedding day. The girls started getting ready at about 9am and Heritage also provided us with food. I wanted to do a first look with my girls as none of them knew anything about my dress. Kenn didn’t want to do a first look as we both wanted to see each other for the first time down the aisle.”
Both Kenn and I grew up in New Zealand but really wanted to honour our Filipino heritage and culture so we made sure to incorporate Filipino wedding traditions at our wedding ceremony (candle, veil and cord) and at our wedding reception (‘sabitan’ money dance). The candle, veil and cord symbolise unity and everlasting love for the couple. The ‘sabitan’ dance allows guests to take turn in putting money on the couple, wishing them wealth throughout their marriage. We also wrote our own vows to each other.
During the reception we surprised our guests with our first dance right after our entrance. Kenn was also surprised as the bridesmaids and I prepared a dance for him to Megan Trainor’s Dear Future Husband and Beyonce’s End of Time (I still don’t know how I kept it from him for a year!). My dad and I also wanted our Father-Daughter dance to be fun so we danced to his favourite song to dance to: September by Earth, Wind and Fire.
Both our families also were a huge help at our wedding. Kenn’s sister designed our invitations, my cousin played the violin, my brother and another cousin acted as MCs and my other cousin as our DJ. We really felt the love from our families and friends. We genuinely enjoyed our day and danced the whole night. We really loved every supplier we had and would not change a thing about our wedding day.”
Venue, Planner and accommodation: Heritage Hotel, Queenstown
Photographer: Fallon Photography
Video: LightPerSecond
Hello Romeo Bridal Boutique / Georgie Henderson / Bespoke Weddings and Events / Sophie Roseanna Cakes / Barkers / Karl Williams / BHLDN by Anthropologie / Farmers / Tenfourteen Designs / Queenstown Wedding Hire / The Photo Booth / Rev Ian Hyslop / Heliworks Queenstown