Names: Jaycee and Cameron
Wedding date: February 1st, 2019
Ceremony & Reception Venue:
St. Josephs Catholic Church & a private residence with tipis at Jack’s Point, Queenstown, New Zealand
How we met and the marriage proposal:
We both hate this question J We met at schoolies back in 2008, not the place you expect to find your husband but I am so grateful that I did. We’ve been together ever since.
Cameron proposed on a spontaneous trip to Bali. We were wanting to take a weekend away but as it was a long weekend everything was already booked or super expensive. I made a comment that we could go to Bali for the same price as an airbnb on the coast, so we did. We booked everything that morning and flew out that afternoon. I had no idea that our last minute trip overseas was actually a cover for Cameron to propose. We stayed in a beautiful resort and Cameron organised a very romantic candlelit dinner in a private garden.
About our wedding day:
We chose to get married in Queenstown, New Zealand. Cameron was born on the north island of NZ and the majority of his family still reside there. My family is from Victoria and Cameron and I currently live in Newcastle, NSW so no matter where we got married the majority of our guests would have to travel. So instead we chose somewhere that was special to us. I woke up to a storm! It was absolutely pouring the morning of our wedding. Thank fully at 11am it stopped the sun came out and by 1pm you would have been none the wiser. Cameron and I chose to do a “first look” and see each other prior to the ceremony. This was something we thought was important and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. All the nerves went away the moment I saw Cameron waiting for me, and it was incredibly special to have a moment to ourselves without 90 pairs of eyes watching our every move. I loved that we shared that moment in private (along with our photographer and videographer!). As we had no bridal party Cameron and I chose to do things a little differently. We had a beautiful musician play Holocene – Bon Iver as Cameron entered the church and walked down the aisle. A few moments later I walked myself down to meet him. The ceremony raced by and before we knew it we were married.
We then drove our little mini cooper to Jack’s Point to have our photos taken, which was only a 2 minute drive from our wedding venue a beautiful house that over looked Lake Wakatipu and with a backdrop of the Remarkable mountains. We had two tipis set up beside the house, they complimented the location so beautifully. Our 86 guests arrived shortly after via bus (we kept the location of our reception a complete surprise, not even our parents knew) and were greeted with beautiful canapés and wine. We had a seated reception with share style plates of salmon, lamb shoulder and pork with vegetables and salads to encourage conversation between our guests and minimise wastage. The sun didn’t set until after 9pm which complimented our outdoor summer wedding so well. We danced the night away under the stars with all of our beautiful family and friends that had made the long trip to NZ to share in our special day.
Our wedding style: relaxed and intimate.
Finding my wedding gown:
I thought that this was going to be one of the most difficult decisions I was going to have to make and it was the complete opposite. I found the Arcadia wedding gown on the Suzanne Harward website and it was instant love. I loved the tulle and how softly it fell to the floor, the intricate beading and the amazing low back. My only nerves were around how I would look in the dress. I immediately emailed to book an appointment and flew to Melbourne to try it on. The appointment was such an intimate experience; you have the whole store to yourself and the freedom to try anything on. The gown fit perfectly and I was in love once I tried a veil, the dress was even more beautiful in person and the colour was very unique. I knew it was the one when I was told that the Arcadia gown was a one off and no more would be made. I was able to take my gown home that day which was so special.
First dance song:
We originally had decided to opt out of a first dance however on the day our musician, Robert Glen convinced us to. He played an acoustic version of Jason Mraz – I’m yours, with no dance plan we improvised and we danced our little hearts out.
Advice for future couples:
The day should reflect you both as a couple. Don’t over think it. Do what feels right for you both. We made a lot of choices that went against tradition and weren’t the norm when it came to planning a wedding. We didn’t have a bridal party, we did a first look, I walked myself down the aisle. We made these choices because these were things that were meaningful and important to us. Trust yourselves and don’t be influenced by other people.
Wedding Vendors: Photographer; Kate Roberge // Videographer; Phillip Puckey // Groom’s attire; MJ Bale // Brides shoes; Billini // Bride’s accessories; One Day Bridal & APM Monaco // Florist/Planner/Stylist; One Fine Day // Venue; Matagouri Drive, Jack’s Point & tipis from Gather and Gold // Catering; Aspiring Catering // Cake; We had ice wine from Akarua paired with dark valrhona chocolate // Stationary; Paper/Paper // Musician; Robert Glen // Hair; Victoria from Boho Bridal Hair NZ // Makeup; Juliet from J.E.T