I first met Amelia & Ryan for a family shoot around 18 months ago with the two little munchkins George & Margot.  Not long after that, they booked me for their wedding needless to say I was stoked.  It took a few go’s to finally get there (thanks covid) but the day finally arrived.  I spent the morning at the couple’s house where the girls got ready, it was such a vibe, hair, makeup, lots of laughter, and of course bubbles!

The couple decided to do a first look beforehand to help settle the nerves we did it at their home which was a really nice touch.  They chose Bangor Farms for their wedding celebrations and what a venue, I’d be waiting for one of my couples to get married out there so was super excited for their turn.

The day honestly couldn’t have been perfect in every way, they were surrounded by their nearest & dearest and shared the joy, laughter, tears (happy), and so much love on this special day.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.  

Venue: https://bangorfarm.co.nz/

Makeup: Tracey Allsopp https://www.staceybanfield.com/

Dress: https://bridesofmerivale.co.nz/

Styling & Flowers: https://www.thelittlehirecompany.co.nz/

Event Planning https://www.idoforyou.co.nz/

words from Amelia …

1. Why did we choose our venue?

Bangor Farm ticked every box we could imagine. Right from when you pull up the drive, everything about the venue felt right. We wanted to have dedicated spaces for each part of our wedding (arrival, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception) that was equally great no matter the weather. We love nature and the outdoors,  so we really loved the atmosphere of each space/room naturally created without having to dress it up too much. Photos were a big consideration too – making sure we could have great backdrops to have the type of imagery we wanted from the day. 

2. What was your favorite part of our day? 

There are too many to choose from that are favorites for different reasons. My morning getting ready was really fun! I invited close friends and family over to our house to get ready with me. It was so fun having people around getting excited and enjoying each other’s company. Another really cool part was the drive from our house to the venue with Ryan. We had our first look at home, then rode together in the bridal car – just the two of us – to our wedding. Having that time together to just connect and be together was so great and such a nice reset before our ceremony. 

3. What was the easiest part of one of your vendors, building up to and on the actual day too?

Moira from I do for You was so great. She was absolutely the glue that made our day all that it was. During the planning, she picked up on little details that I’d overlooked and had really great ideas to bring things to life. On the day, she just made everything happen and made sure we all had what we need…including reminding me to eat and drink! 

4. Where did you guys meet? We met in Australia in October 2015. Six weeks later, I had a job offer back in Dunedin NZ that I accepted, and Ryan moved over with me – having never been to NZ before! Right from the start we knew it was forever. We moved back to Canterbury in 2018 and bought our rural property where we now live with our two young children. On Valentine’s Day in 2019, Ryan made a special picnic which we enjoyed down by our lake in the summer sun where he also proposed! 

5. Advice for others?

Take your time and enjoy the planning process! It’s such a fun, special time that is so rewarding! Taking time to find and work with vendors that you connect with and enjoy working with is really important. Find the things about the day, that are really important to you and your partner,and take the time to get those right for you. We are so pleased we had Tracey for amaazzinngg photos, and she also connected us with a great videographer too which we are so grateful for! 

love note …

Tracey has taken very precious, beautiful family photos for us over a couple of years, and so having her be part of our wedding was always a given! A creative eye for detail, capturing all the unspoken emotion, theatre, and style of our day with a huge amount of expertise and personal touch…we just loved having Tracey with us, and the photos are exquisite! We will absolutely have Tracey continue to capture our family’s special moments in years to come.

Getting Hitched? Contact me Tracey Allsopp https://traceyallsopp.co.nz/contact

View more of my work https://traceyallsopp.co.nz/wedding-gallery ❤️