Luisa, Glyn the kids and I headed up out the back of Pleasant Point last night to the farm where Luisa’a brother was shearing. The day was incredible, the light was fantastic and the kids were a blast to hang out with.

We worked on the old tractor (starting with the instructions, which were in French) to try and get it going, and then searched for the best pine cones.

All the searching and working had us feeling a little peckish, so we chilled out for a while on the picnic blankets, with some jelly snakes and some books.

After all the sugar and sitting down some RUNNING was necessary - after tickling Mum and Dad to death!

A few quick snaps with Mum and Dad before heading home to hot chips. Thanks for a fantastic evening – you guys are champs!

Fairlie, McKenzie Country, Godzone.

Olivia, Chris, their family and friends are preparing themselves for a incredible day. The weather was phenomenal, the views incredible and the atmosphere was electric.

Olivia and the girls were busy being pampered, enjoying some nibbles and a few glasses of bubbly at Olivia’s parents house. Olivia owns the hair salon Viva La Glam in Timaru, and of course had her fabulous colleagues helping her to prepare.

Once the girls were all ready to go we grabbed a few snaps outside the house and down at the stables Olivia’s father built for the horses.

Olivia and Chris had seven wonderful page boys and flower girls lead them down the aisle, and also to present the rings (once they found the alter!)

The reception was held back at the farm – Olivia parents house under a funky white marquee.

After a few nibbles and some time to relax with their guests, it was time for speeches.

Olivia’s father taught his daughter how to have her new husband eat how of the palm of her hand and Angus gave up a few choice stories about Chris.

After a beautiful and fantastic day with their closest family and friends, Olivia and Chris prepared for the rest of their lives together, as Mr. and Mrs. O’Sullivan.

In a beautiful old farm house, nestled away in a Geraldine garden reminiscent of AA Milne’s ’100 Acre Wood’, I found a hive of energy. Roseanne, her bridesmaids and her honorary bridesmaids were preparing for one of the biggest days of Roseanne’s life.

As I collected together the details of the day (planned and created almost entirely by Roseanne) it became clear to me that this was no ordinary wedding. Every tiny detail had been thought over with careful consideration and everything was personalized to suit Roseanne and Eldon.

Roseanne designed her bridal gown and her bridesmaids dresses, as well as their bouquets. As Roseanne wears very little jewelry, Eldon gave her a gorgeous watch in place of an engagement ring, a theme carried through to the wedding as Roseanne’s bridesmaids and Eldon’s groomsmen were also presented with watches for the wedding.

As the girls started to get dressed, it all started to become very real. Guests were beginning to arrive for the ceremony and Roseanne could hear the boys arrival on the tractor.

Meanwhile, my second photographer Heather was hanging out with the guys. Getting dressed and relaxing. Preparing for the day ahead.

At last, it was time for the ceremony. With the guests and her fiance waiting, Roseanne and her father glide down the aisle towards the man Roseanne’s father was about to give her away to.

After a beautiful ceremony including readings from Roseanne’s honorary bridesmaids, Jordana, Brianna and Becky and a fabulous rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ Roseanne and Eldon we married.

After the ceremony, Roseanne had organised some games for the guests, a photobooth to play with an an incredible afternoon tea for all to enjoy. Everything was handpicked by Roseanne and Eldon to enhance their day.

Guests were also asked to stamp their leaf and sign their names on Roseanne and Eldons ‘Wedding Tree’ – a print Roseanne had made with their initials engraved into the trunk of the tree..

The farm was the perfect setting for Roseanne and Eldon’s wedding party pictures, and the GTO Pontiac they chose for their transport was just magical.

After their pictures we all made our way to the farm shed for Roseanne and Eldon’s very creative, intimate and magical reception.

Roseanne spent months collecting suitable old bottles and jars, she made table centre-pieces and decorations with flowers and oils as well as hand making bottles of chocolate, apricot and caramel sauce for guests to take away.

The tissue paper flowers hanging from the roof and the wedding cake itself were also all handmade by Roseanne.

Speeches and a meal finished up the evening. Roseanne’s father shared with us their proposal story – a tale of a girl on her travels and a boy waiting patiently for her arrival home. Roseanne came through the arrivals gate at the airport to see her man waiting for her – holding up a card requesting ‘Roseanne Gardner’. As she rushed towards him he dropped the back flap of the card down to reveal a question – ‘Will you marry me?’

After months of planning, prep and hard work… here they are.

Mr. and Mrs. Megaw
(that’s EM-EEE-GEE-AE-DOUBLE-YOU – MEGAW!) 

I know this doesn’t seem particularly earth-shattering, or even a new concept, but despite my claims that I am going to be a non-traditional bride, ‘bridesmaids dress the same’ was my default.

My fiancé and I had originally planned to have only one attendant each (in a truly indulgent sort of way, I love that they are called ‘attendants,’ as if they are there to attend to my every need and whim…). But we both also wanted to have a sibling involved as well, as we are close to our families and wanted them to play a part of our big day. So months after asking our ‘firsts’ we asked our siblings to join the fun!

My sister was thrilled, until we started discussing dresses. I already had dream dress #1 picked out, which my beloved bestie from Vancouver also loved.  She is tall and voluptuous and stunning, and this dress will be perfect on her, and fit with my vintage bohemian theme. When I excitedly shared #1 with my sis, she was lukewarm; being not-quite-as-tall and considerably more curvy (in ALL the right places), this dress was a disaster waiting to happen. I stubbornly dug my toes in (a la bridezilla) until… one day last week…. Epiphany.

“My bridesmaids don’t need to wear the same dress,” I literally whispered to myself, as I awoke from an evening’s dreams of weddings. The world was suddenly a shiny, new place. The best part? I get to continue shopping!!

My little sis’ look is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, she is gorgeous and dramatic and divine. However, the long and ethereal that suits my Vancouver girl really doesn’t do her justice. She needs a nipped-in waist and structure. The challenge is to channel vintage without going pin up girl, bohemian without going retro. Lucky for me, I find oodles on inspiration on anthropologie.com… Check out this as an online option!

So what are the rules? I can’t believe it took me months to figure out that my mix n match wedding doesn’t require matchy-matchy bridesmaids. So while I want my sis to find the dress of her (bridesmaid) dreams, I also want her to ‘fit’ the overall look that we are trying to achieve. Do their dresses have to be the same length? Can my sis wear a block colour while my matron of honour wears a print? Does it make sense then to wear the same jewellery and/or shoes ?

From 'inspired by this'

And what of the groomsmen?? If the bridesmaid don’t match, do the boys choose their own attire as well?

From a recent flick through the newest Cosmo Bride (Autumn 12), this is what I noticed:

Matching bridesmaids & groomsmen: 10

Unique bridesmaids gowns & matching groomsmen: 3

Free for all: 1 – and it’s the best little free-for-all I have ever seen!

The free-for-all needs to be carefully managed so that it doesn’t look like a fabric food fight. While I don’t mind a difference in lengths of gowns, I can see a bridesmaid might get mistaken for ‘just another guest’ if she is in a cocktail length gown. As for colours, I think that there needs to be some connection between the fabrics and the bride’s dress; just not sure how this is done yet! I had told my bm’s that they can choose their own shoes, as I don’t want to put too much pressure or expense on them. I am sure I will suggest a style that might suit them both once I have my own shoes – strappy sandals, or platform heels?

As the seasons change here, and because I have five weeks of Uni left, and since my fiancé is overseas for ten more weeks, and as I move out of my house for EQC repairs and therefore lose access to my glut of bridal magazines … A lot of the planning has taken a backseat. But dreaming of dresses is never hard!

Can’t wait to start shopping with my sis!!

x x x m.

With my fiancé rocking colder climates for the next few months, the only way to stay warm is to wrap myself in beautiful, luscious silks, sequins, and lace; aka wedding dresses. Yes, plural.

I was sitting & sipping in the spa last night with one of my ‘style council’ (more on these fabulous ladies later) and I was explaining the ‘after party’ dress I had just purchased on trade me – a gorgeous cream lace, long sleeved, gold lined, Stitch Ministry dress. It is divine.

She asked how many frocks I planned to wear on the day. (I am known for my multiple costume changes.) I had thought, only two? She seems to think three is the right number. How exciting for me!! We decided that I now need a pair of cream silk harem pants and a drapey (sequined?) top to go with, for the after after party – the lounge suit.

In terms of wardrobe, mine is always evolving. I am constantly up-cycling; I find adrenaline-equaling pleasure in hunting out decadent designer numbers in old haunts. I have more evening gowns than a primary school teacher could ever need. This applied to my wedding dress as well – I am currently on the third one. But this is the one!!

(Oops, that’s like a jinx. I’ll just duck over to trade me quickly to see if there is anything else I love…)

Dress number one was from an Australian designer, bright white silk, knee length with structural drapes. Beautiful, but too big; and, not really what I wanted, a bit too modern perhaps?, and WHITE.

The second was a vintage Zambesi column dress that I fell deeply in love with. I tried it on in anticipation, thinking, ‘this is the one!’ It was everything I wanted in a dress: off-white, with a long, flowing skirt, plunging v neckline, some art deco-style stitching… Unfortunately, being 5’3” and curvy, ‘column dress’ does not equal ‘fabulous.’ Sadly, out it went.

Most recently, I have invested a bit more money in a gorgeous Sophie Voon dress (still from trade me though!!). It will need some altering, but I love it. It is simple, vintage, and has a lovely v-train on the back, with a scalloped lace edge.

I have to admit, as well, that THE dress also influences and moulds the style of the wedding. I can believe it when planners tell you, get the dress and take your direction from there.

From my gorgeous Voon dress, I am channeling vintage, simplicity, elegance, a bit of bohemian, and afternoon garden styles. I see a Twigs & Honey headpiece, some vintage jewellery, beautiful colour pop with my shoes, and a bouquet of hydrangeas…

Have fun playing dress up! x x x m.

Wellywood.

Rockstar.

Saturday, 11th February 2012. The weather (despite the forecast all week) is phenomenal. The clouds are incredible… and yet not a patch on Kat; my beautiful bubbly bride.

You’ll get to meet her shortly, but first a wee taste into what a fabulous couple Ben and her really are…

Kat choose these goooogeous sparkly shoes, and beautiful white bouquets. Although at first they might seem at odds for a wedding, sparkles and tradition are Kat and Ben all over. Together they are strong in their Christian faith and family values and traditions… but my goodness do they both have sparkly personalities!

Kat’s brother and sister, Rachel (Kat’s Maid of Honour) and Andrew (one of Ben’s groomsman) designed their wedding stationary, including the B&K crest and the print above – a line from one of the hymns in their service.

Kat regularly travels to London for work as she is an event planner by trade. She is currently working on New Zealand’s organisation for the London Olympics… apparently planning her wedding after that was a breeze!!

She choose a fantastic long veil (which proved ‘interesting’ to navigate in the Wellington Wind!) and I found the cute (and very appropriate) wee coaster above in her incredible home where the girls were getting ready.

One of Kat’s friends came round to work on the girls hair and makeup, and the jacket above belonged to Kat’s mothers, mother. It looked stunning with Kat’s dress and kept her cozy through the evening.

Pictured above from left to right; Rachel (Kat’s sister), Halia (Kat’s best friend who is apparently good at debating (and winning!)) and Kate (Ben’s sister) were the most gorgeous and incredible bridesmaids Kat could have asked for.

The girls watched their favourite movies including The Notebook – while frequently acting out their favourite parts… I’m quite impressed by how much Rachel knew by heart!

With their hair and makeup done, the girls dressed and carried out final preparations (lip gloss, etc) to leave for the ceremony.

Some quick bridal portraits outside, and were off to the church!

Kat’s parents were just fantastic. Both are an obvious inspiration and rock for Kat and they were absolutely there for her right the way down the aisle.

Kat’s bridesmaids and her Mum traveled behind us (Kat, her Dad and myself)… they were delighted to see me pop out of the sunroof for a quick piccie while we paused at the lights!

Stuart (Kat’s Dad) just beamed with pride as he helped his little girl  out of the car and prepared to give her away to her fabulous fiancee.

Bagpipes played to announce Kat’s arrival, and music accompanied her and her father down the aisle, to meet Ben.

The ceremony couldn’t have been more special. It with stitched with personal details; from one of Ben and Kat’s very special friends and mentors leading the service to marry them (Rev. Michael), all four parents proudly giving Kat and Ben away to each other, to Nana and Petra’s readings, and Rachels stunning strong voice accompanying the signing of the register.

Kat and Ben are so clearly committed to each other and so fabulously in love they seemed to, at times, almost forget we all were there. Throughout the ceremony were many precious looks, giggles and silent expressions exchanged between them both. Communication without words.

We stayed behind at the incredible Old St Pauls church for a few photos before heading down to the reception for some speeches, dinner, dancing and cake!

The speeches were all fantastic. With such a strong family bond at the heart of all of them, several had even me welling up! Some though, were just plain hilarious… funnier though, perhaps was Rachel’s delayed reaction to a joke regarding Ben’s choice of tartan (y’all know what I’m talking about!)

Despite this, Rachel and Andrew (Kat’s brother and sister) absolutely had the last laugh. They prepared a rap, to the beat of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air telling the story of Kat’s life. They had the room in stitches, and Kat in absolute fits of laughter… I honestly can’t express how impressed I am!! Siblings of the year award goes to…!

Once the speeches had finished, and the cake had been cut, the dancing began with Kat and Ben truly rocking out their first dance as husband and wife.

Kat and Ben, I can’t express how blessed I feel to have had the pleasure of capturing the first day of the rest of your lives together. You’re an incredible couple about to embark on an exciting and incredible journey together.

“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self‑seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:3-6 as read during Kat and Ben’s service

I started the day off chilling out with Sam and the guys at The Shearers Quarters, Seadown. They rocked it  out on the driving range and then headed in for a drink and a bite to eat…

Then I caught up with the girls in Washdyke, Addict Hair and Beauty worked hard all morning to do up the girls who all looked completely breathtaking!

Amy’s big sister, Kerrie was her maid of honour… the best maid of honour ever!

Time for the guys to get ready, I headed back to Sam’s brothers to snap away while the guys made themselves presentable for the wedding… don’t they scrub up well??!

‘Big Red’ (obvious reason…) was Sam’s Best Man… he was my best man too since he kept everyone laughing all day long!

Amy’s dress was incredible. It wrapped around her and set off her beautiful bouquet of roses perfectly.

Kerrie was there to fix the lip gloss and help Amy get into her dress…

Once she was ready, Amy emerged from her bedroom at her parents house as a bride. Her Dad saw his little girl as his little girl for the last morning before he gave her away.

Sam organised a couple of fantastic wedding cars as a complete surprise for Amy and we headed down to the ceremony.

Amy and Sam’s ceremony was fantastic, beautiful and the gorgeous Billie sang as everyone signed the register.

After the ceremony we headed back to the reception venue The Landing Services Building which is just FANTASTIC. The walls and decor are incredible and the service is out of this world.

We cranked out the Polaroid before rocking it down to the old sheds and rail tracks behind The Landing Services Building.

Back to the reception for dinner and some beautiful speeches. Amy and her Dad had even me in tears. Big Red and Sam did fantastically and Kerrie and Chris (the MC for the evening) were just hilarious!

Congratulations, Amy and Sam. It was a true pleasure to be able to capture your special day for you.

See Amy and Sam’s engagement photography.

Meet Meagan and Kj.
Kj likes surfing, snowboarding, chilling out and arm wrestling.
Meagan likes organisation, second hand stores, anything vintage and wedding planning.

Meagan loves to DIY. Everything! As an event manager by trade, and having been a bridesmaid four times… Meagan knows where it’s at! She’s documenting her journey of planning her own vintage-inspired DIY wedding on my blog, and also has a facebook page where you can chat with her about all things weddings.

Meagan bought the bike below for KJ for Christmas, and beautifully restored it from being suffocated with rust… it even has the most incredible vintage bicycle bell! Love!!

‘Cheese’ – one of Meagan and KJ’s best friends came along for a ride out to Taylors Mistake, where KJ and him spend a lot of time surfing. We hung out at the house bus overlooking the bay for a while, chowed down some beautiful Indian and headed down to the beach.

Meagan brought some bubbles (and some fabulous chairs) although it was a little windy it was quite warm and relaxing chilling out by the ocean.

We had such a blast rocking it out by the gorgeous ocean, we were shooting right up to dark.

I spent one of my precious holiday days turning our guest list into a mailing list, with the proper column headings for a mail merge. I proceeded to email, text, and facebook our friends and family for their street addresses and email addresses*.

For my organizing-loving brain, it is so important to start these tasks early – imagine having your beautiful wedding invitations in front of you, ready to be sent, and having to trawl through your parents address book, your inlaws-to-be address book, and your diary for addresses, last names, and zip codes!

A word on last names… What does a girl do in this day and age?? I work part time at a high end frock shop, and we dress brides, bridesmaids, and mothers on a regular basis. I have been hosting a casual survey of brides. ‘Are you taking his name??’ Most brides are apologetic and say ‘Yes, I am a traditionalist!’ Not many are keeping their maiden names! I am surprised by this! For me, it was never really an option. It’s not that I am a big-time feminist, although I do believe in healthy amounts of girl power; it’s not that my fiance’s last name is hideous, it is quite lovely, easy to spell, and very modern. I am just a Kelly-girl, through and through. Always have been, and as I see it, always will be. Is this a byproduct of getting married later in life? (Does getting married at 34 actually qualify as ‘later in life???’)

It was interesting then to see that there are a number of married couples on our guest list who have kept their separate names. There all also lots of unmarried couples who are committed and some who have children together. Interesting.

Having been a bridesmaid five times (yes, five), it adds to my research that four out of five of those brides have taken the surname of her beloved. Carrie, Rachael, Angela, and Fiona. Some with more heartache and debate than others!

Lucky for me, my fiancé solved the non-dilemma by telling me that he wouldn’t give me his last name even if I wanted it! He thinks it is hilarious to throw these tidbits into conversation to see if he can get a reaction.

From the guest list to the mailing list, I then studiously went to work on the seating arrangement. I know, I know, definitely jumping the gun here! We don’t even have an indication of who might be attending said wedding, and no doubt half the arrangements will be debated and vetoed by the groom (and groom’s family, and bride’s family). But I will admit I felt a weight lifted having that job started and sorted… For now anyways!

If you are in the market for a paper planner to help you along the way, I just found this excel template online.

According to the spreadsheet, one should start the seating chart 3 weeks before the wedding. Oh well, nothing like being prepared!!

Happy new year x x x

m.

* I think we will email out the Save-the-dates to our guest list, apart from the grannies who aren’t so internet-literate! Save some trees and save some money!