I’m not sure that I need to introduce today’s wedding. Perfectly pretty, yet undeniably unique, these stunning images have captured every moment so perfectly, that words seem unnecessary.

A huge thank you to the Dunedin based, and outrageously talented Isabella Harrex for sharing this special day with us… put simply… we love you!

From the bride…

On love and family…

Sam and I have been together for four years now. We first meet when our works both held their end of year Christmas drinks at the same bar. One of my colleagues who was also an old friend of Sam’s, introduced us and things went from there. 2 years later on the same day  Sam took me out for dinner at the same place and proposed quietly over the table – I had previously told him that I’d say no if he made a scene!

We have the most beautiful two year old boy, Max (my unbiased opinion), who just seems to get cooler and cooler every day.

On the venue…

We had both the ceremony and reception at the Valley of Peace alpaca farm on the outskirts of Christchurch.

We had been hunting for a while and hadn’t found anything  that really worked for us. Also we wanted to have a lot of preparation time beforehand and most venues only let you in a couple of hours before. A friend of mine knew the type of thing we were after and sent me a link to the Valley of Peace’s website and we loved it immediately. We loved that the big barn fitted our theme, the outdoor space was huge and beautiful and the owners were really accommodating. They actually allowed us to come in 3 days before the wedding and set up all of our decorations so that we could just relax on the big day.

On theme and inspiration…

I’ve always been really in to creating things, so I knew that I wanted to have a DIY themed wedding. I also knew that I wanted  my dress to incorporate a lot of lace and look a bit vintage so we just carried the vintage theme throughout the whole day.

I was so lucky to have such an amazing bridal party who stayed up til ridiculous hours helping me cut, sew, fold, glue and everything else imaginable.  And I was also incredibly lucky that one of my bridesmaids mum, Gertie, allowed me to use all of her beautiful antiques to decorate the tables. She also supplied the flowers for the tables and a lot of the crafting equipment.

On a highlight, or two…

The whole day was so amazing, but I guess it was the people that came that were the highlight.  Especially those who had to travel from other cities or countries to be there. It was so amazing to have all the people we loved there celebrating with us, and to meet the members of each others families that we hadn’t previously had the chance to meet.

Oh, and also the weather! The fact that the forecast said south westerlies, storms and rain all day but it turned out to be the most beautiful day was definitely a highlight!

A tip future brides to be..

My biggest regret was having so many ideas and not beginning them straight away in case I thought of something better. So, my advice would be to go for it straight away! It will take pressure off the month leading up to the  wedding so you’re able to relax and actually enjoy the whole process instead of worrying that things wont be finished.

♥ Photographer: Isabella Harrex!!! Whom we HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend ♥ Service + Reception The Valley of Peace Alpaca Farm ♥ Catering Continental Catering ♥ Hair: Jess Kerr ♥ Make Up: Kathryn McCarro ♥ Flowers: Handmade by bride & bridal party ♥ Cake: Made by Grooms Aunty ♥ Invitations + Stationary + Favours: All handmade by bride & bridal party ♥ Brides Dress Custom made by Louise Anderson ♥ Bridesmaid Dresses custom made by an old friend from highschool ♥