Delicate Olive Grove Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Anna & Seth

New Zealand holds a special place in my soul, so Anna and Seth’s stunning delicate olive grove wedding at Craggy Range Winery, on the north island’s east coast, definitely tugs at my heart strings, and I know it will on yours. The couple chose the terrifically talented Meredith Lord to capture their day.

Of their beginning, and proposal, Anna remembers, “After mutual friends of ours tried playing match-makers for months, Seth & I finally met each other at a local bar on a Summer Sunday afternoon. We soon realised it was meant to be and filled the next 5 years with so much fun & adventures together. Then while on holiday, after a swim at our favourite beach in the Coromandel, laying in the sun on our sandy towels, Seth popped the question. We were the only ones on the beach that day and it could not have been more perfect. Because we had just purchased our first home together and had planned a housewarming party which was to be held ten days later, we decided to keep our engagement a secret until we could make the announcement and celebrate with our family and friends at the party. The backyard housewarming, turned engagement party, was so much fun and seeing everyone’s faces (especially our parents!) when we announced that we would marry in 12 months time was priceless!”

“Seth and I really enjoyed designing my own special custom made engagement ring through Naveya & Sloane!” Anna gushes about her stunning ring. “And Kim from Lushka is the most talented florist. I absolutely adored our bouquets!” which were a mix of cream roses surrounded with luscious greenery to match their day.

The bride chose a local wedding dress designer, Corina Snow, to create her dream dress. “Simple, floaty and comfy was what I was wanting for my dress, and Corina bought that vision to life. I know what I feel comfortable and confident in, so I didn’t try on any other dresses first. The whole experience was so easy and stress free, and when it came time to try on my very first wedding dress (aside from my Mum’s. I used to ‘dress up’ in it as a little girl) at the final fitting, I fell in love and a few happy tears were shared with my Mum. I couldn’t wait for Seth to see it on the day.”

Of Seth’s terribly handsome wedding attire, Anna tells, “Because our colour scheme was very neutral, we decided to throw in a pop of colour with a blue suit from Barkers. Seth then matched this with tan boots and accessories from 3 Wise Men.”

“We wanted a venue with stunning scenery, delicious food and amazing wine. Craggy Range could deliver this and more – we didn’t even consider looking at any other venues. We also wanted our wedding day to have a rustic and natural feel, and we wanted it to be relaxed and fun for both us and our guests. We planned a weekend getaway to the Hawkes Bay with our closest friends and family.”

“Seth and I packed the car and made the trip from Tauranga to the Hawkes Bay on the Thursday, started the celebrations on the Friday with our nearest and dearest who had travelled from all around New Zealand, (some as far away as the US and UK). We became ‘Mr & Mrs’ on the Saturday, and shared a lazy Sunday brunch with them all before we packed up, drove back to Tauranga and flew to Mexico on honeymoon the next day.”

Anna walked down the aisle to “Elation” by Isbells with both of her parents, and she and Seth were married in the Olive Grove, in amongst the trees and vines with Te Mata Peak in the background. Anna remembers fondly, “I was living a moment that I had been dreaming about, and I had the biggest smile across my face when I saw Seth.”

“We had written our own vows to each other, promising to ‘travel the world, fill homes with memories and get old and grey together’ and vowed simply to be ‘yours forever’. My Great Aunty Carole was our marriage celebrant, and Seth’s two sisters read Bob Marley’s ‘Only once in your life…’.We each had a best friend standing by our sides when we said ‘I Do’, plus Seth had his two brother-in-laws and I had my two sisters. Our ceremony was personal and filled with lots of love, smiles and a few tears.”

Of their photographer, Meredith Lord, Anna says, “As soon as we came across Meredith’s website, we immediately contacted her. Her photos were so beautiful and just the style we were after. From the first time we met her for coffee, to the big hug she gave us at the end of our day, Meredith was ‘oh so lovely’, and we are so lucky to have had her document our day with amazing photos that we will cherish forever.”

“Our reception at Craggy Range was in the restaurant ‘Terrôir’, and we partied the rest of the night in the Barrel Room ‘Sophia’. Aside from the flowers, we pretty much DIY’ed everything – made stationery for the day, venue signs, welcome packs for our guests when they arrived at their accommodation, sourced 100 Agee jars which were lit with candles and wrapped potted herbs with burlap and twine for simple rustic centrepieces.”

“We displayed photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days at our reception. Seth’s Mum lovingly made ‘Gran Adamson’s Gingernut’s’ for our wedding favours, in honour of Seth’s late Gran,” Anna explains lovingly of some of the special details from their day. At Polka Dot Bride, we adore such sentimental, personal touches to a wedding day.

Cindy’s Cakes made an incredibly delicious caramel mud cake, with caramel mousse filling and fresh berries!

For their first dance, the couple chose, ‘The Wedding Song’ by Angus & Julia Stone, which their band had learnt and played as they walked into the Barrel Room. “While our guests slowly made their way over from the restaurant, we had a few moments where it was just the two of us in the middle of the dance floor. It was one of the most memorable moments of our day.”

Anna says, “I loved the whole planning process. I love to organise, I love planning parties and I love to surprise people. The entire wedding was planned with our suppliers via email, Facebook messages and text messages, as we live a four hour drive away from the Hawkes Bay and, although this was daunting to start as we didn’t know who to contact, it all became so easy and exciting as we booked and liaised with the suppliers that would help create our dream day. We cannot thank Meredith enough, and Shelley at Craggy Range, for all their help, recommendations and guidance with it all, as everything came together perfectly and just as we imagined.”

To end their perfect day, Anna remembers, “Seth and I then walked through the vines at the end of the night to the winery’s Honeymoon Cottage…”