Stacy & Adam
THE DETAILS
Location: Jack's Retreat
Catering: In2Food
Bride's Gown: Trish Peng
Bride's Shoes: Gucci
Hair: Beautiful Bridal Hair
Makeup: Ally Walsh
Groom's Attire: Rembrandt Custom
Rings: The Village Goldsmith
Photographer: Stephan and Nakita
Flowers: All Bunched Up
How did you and your husband meet?
We met in first year of university but we didn’t connect again until third year. We’d grown up through middle school with all of the same friends, but somehow we never met. I think when it’s right, fate has a way of ensuring you meet at the perfect moment.
What was your favourite part of the wedding planning process?
I think for me, the dress was always going to be the best part of planning a wedding. At first it was the most stressful part for me as I’d tried on tens of dresses and none were quite right, until I met Trish. That’s when I knew the dress meant as much to her as it did me and I just trusted her throughout the process. The other fun part had to be the food and cake tastings - YUM
The most memorable moment from your day:
Walking down the aisle and once reaching the alter, impromptly deciding to swap sides so my hair wouldn’t blow into my face - meaning the groomsmen all had to hold my cathedral length veil which was hilarious seeing these grown men holding such a delicate veil - but also super special. Adam and I actually said afterwards it was really nice looking into each of our bridal party’s eyes - me looking at my bridesmaids and him looking at his groomsmen. The second had to be walking into the marquee for dinner! What an entrance that was!
Was there anything that you would do differently about your wedding day?
Everything was perfect - maybe if we could’ve changed the weather to be less windy… but then again, those little hiccups are what make the best stories and what I feel truly brings the day together.
What is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
My biggest advice would be to plan ahead of time. Not just the big ticket things like the venue and dress, but because I’m such a serial planner, we had time to think about smaller details, like asking one of Adams groomsmen to be our celebrant. That was incredible, it’s so special to have someone you love so much and have so much respect for leading you through the ceremony - and being in all of your photos!! We also had my brother as our MC which was great when it came to things like group photos - knowing most of the guests he was able to seamlessly say ‘hey you’re up next’ and the whole day was really effortless. I think if the budget allows, a wedding planner is also top of my list - Kim from One Fine Day was so helpful in the lead up to the wedding but you really see the scale and impact of what they do on the day itself. Unbeknownst to us, Adams family had missed the bus pick-up to the venue, but Kim took care of it all without even asking us - and that’s the best part, no worries. I knew with Kim there, no one was going to be bothering the bride with logistics.
Tell us about the search for your dress:
I always thought I would do a dramatic a-line/ball gown dress, something classic and pure white - lace wasn’t for me I said repeatedly, no fuss. I went to store after store after store in Wellington and Auckland, but with larger bust and hip measurements I found a lot of them were really unflattering with more attention being put on the neckline and I felt they were either too revealing with low necklines and cleavage, or I felt like I had a uni-boob. I felt like there was no real statement or focal point to the ones I’d been trying on, nor did they seem to fit quite right, I slowly was realising that lace could be a more flattering option for me. Once I had this epiphany, Hailey Bieber’s wedding dress was all I could think about. Trish was amazing and had the foresight to help me create something very in-line with Hailey’s dress, but more me. From her dress I knew the shape would be more flattering on me if we highlighted my shoulders and waist. I knew I wanted it to be slightly edgy as was our stationery and Adam’s black Rembrandt velvet jacket, this influenced things like having the lace flow over my hands into a pointed shape, going for a sheer lining and the way Trish designed the pattern to come to a dramatic point on my back. At first I thought I wanted a more ‘leaf shaped’ lace, but the femininity of the flowers with a pearl center really grabbed me. I thought the mix of femininity and edginess was just me. I loved the way the lace overlaid onto my skin arund the entire neckline front and back - almost the same as we’d designed my wedding band, with one pearl overlapping onto my skin. And of course the dress has PEARLS EVERYWHERE! It was magical. I wish I could wear it everyday. I’m considering having it taken up into a midi-length dress… but the thought of cutting into it is very scary!
