Georgie & Daniel chose Omarine Estate in Christchurch for their wedding venue. Georgie & I first met over a coffee after her enquiring with me about photography for her upcoming wedding, we ended up talking for ages and ages over several cups of coffee, needless to say, I was super excited to have her book me in for her wedding photography & makeup for the 26th March 2022.

Georgie & Daniel met eight years ago when we were in our first year of university here in Canterbury. We’d both taken a psychology paper, and in one lab we were paired up for an experiment in the style of Pavlov’s dogs, where we had to ‘train’ the other person to salivate, and then measure the amount of saliva produced. It was a pretty quirky way to get to know someone, but it definitely worked in our favour as it gave us a good giggle and a reason to get to know each other. As soon as we became official it felt like we just fell into place, and we’ve been best friends ever since. We got engaged in 2020 when we built our first home. We decided to spend our first official night there the day before we moved in our furniture. The plan was for me to meet Daniel at the house after I finished work. I had an inkling that something might happen as he had been dropping not-so-sneaky hints all week, however, it was only really confirmed for me when we arrived and he pressed play on his speaker so that our song would play as we crossed the threshold. Inside, he’d set up the empty lounge with a table for two, a couple of champagne flutes, a bouquet of red roses, and rose petals leading all the way from the front door. I thought it was so sweet and romantic, and it was the perfect time for us as we began a new chapter of our life together. 

Venue: Omarino Estate Hair: Kelly Sheppard. Makeup: Tracey Allsopp Flowers: Katrin Iilla-Nel

Dress: To Cherish Bridal Celebrant: Hannah Duder

words from Georgie ….

1/ Why did you choose your venue?

We were looking for a venue that fit our budget, was local so that it was easy for guests to attend (and catch a taxi from at the end of the night), but also felt “like us”. We had been searching for a venue for a while when Omarino Estate finally popped up on Google. We knew straight away once we visited that it was the venue for us. The grounds were open and full of trees, and there were multiple places you could have your ceremony. We decided to do it under a large central tree, however, we also could go under the pergola or inside the hall in case of rain. The venue itself was already decorated with lanterns and fairy lights, which meant setting up was made really easy – but there was also plenty of ability to add our own flair to the day. Plus, the dance floor and speaker for music sealed the deal, as we wanted our wedding to feel like a big party! 

2/ What was your favorite part of the day?

We had just the best day and honestly enjoyed every minute! Though if we had to choose a really special moment for us was our ‘first look’ photo session with Tracey up in the Port Hills. It gave us a bit of time together before the madness to just enjoy each other’s company, whilst we still had the sense of anticipation for the ceremony ahead of us. Plus we were very lucky in that there wasn’t even a breath of wind (though it was difficult to get the veil to move for the photos!), and it was lovely and warm and just a really peaceful time.

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

One stand out vendor for us was our celebrant, Hannah Duder. She was absolutely lovely, as well as professional and clearly very experienced – we just felt totally safe in her hands. A few months out from the big day she sent us a questionnaire so that she could get to know us and find out what we wanted from our ceremony, and any additional personal touches or stories she could weave into the ceremony to help tell our story. She also helped us understand the legal requirements for getting a marriage licence, and made sure we sent a copy to her. All of this meant the ceremony ran smoothly and was personalised to us, and we felt relaxed knowing the really important stuff was taken care of.

Love Notes:

“We were blown away by Tracey’s professionalism and finesse. She knew exactly how to position us, and she had such an eye for detail – some of our favourite photos were a result of Tracey taking us outside for a spontaneous golden hour shoot. Tracey also did the makeup for me and my bridesmaids and it lasted all day. Thank you so much!”

Getting Hitched? Contact me, Tracey. View some more of my Wedding Galleries ❤️