Sasha & Edward

it was overlooking the sea in a little white chapel that Sasha and Edward said their vows. With the rolling hills leading down to the ocean, guests toasted with champagne and freshly shucked oysters, celebrating in the pure beauty of the day’s proceedings. Beautifully captured by Madeline Druce, the pair, who met in Perth decided a destination wedding in New Zealand was the perfect way to begin their next chapter.

Sasha tells “We met at a Sunday session on the beach in Cottesloe, Perth. We hit it off straight away, with conversation venturing into the early hours of the morning. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

Ed is from a farm in rural New Zealand, and I am from Western Australia. We are both outgoing, social and career driven people. We also love the outdoors, and good food and wine. Ed owns and manages a property investment company and I work in the food industry. We love how despite being from different countries and having different upbringings we have so much in common and share many interests.”

Sasha and her bridesmaids spent the morning together, complete with matching pyjamas. “My mum made and gifted all the bridesmaids (and wedding planner) a gorgeous set of white pyjamas with navy piped edging and embroidered initials, a lovely touch to kick off the preparations the night before.”

The bride worked with  Rhonda Hemmingway to make her gown. “When I went dress shopping I didn’t find anything I loved or that fit me well so I decided to get a custom designed dress made by Rhonda Hemmingway who had been recommended to me” she tells. Continuing “I wanted to my dress to be classic and romantic with a modern touch. It was made with silk organza and French lace appliqué. It was an amazing experience to collaborate with Rhonda and I absolutely loved the finished product.”

Sasha and Edward happened upon a private chapel right next to their reception venue – the sweetest venue for their ceremony. Sasha explaining “The ceremony took place in a quaint white weatherboard chapel overlooking Man O’War bay, surrounded by lush lawn and rugged hills. The chapel was built for private use by the owner’s family, but we were lucky enough to be able to use it. We framed the front of the chapel where we took our vows with beautiful billowing white floral arrangements by Blush, on white metal frames and the entrance stairs were draped in ivy and dark green foliage.”

Sasha walked down the aisle with her father to Van Morrison’s “Someone Like You”. She notes “Walking down the aisle with Dad and seeing Ed standing at the end smiling at me is a moment I will never forget”

Julia Fuller officiated the ceremony, Sasha recalling “We wrote our own vows, and reciting these to each other surrounded by our family and friends was such a special part of the day. One of my best friends Lisa shared some words about our friendship and her thoughts on our pending marriage which was beautiful. And Ed’s cousin Justine read a poem we had chosen. Guests then joined us on the lawn for canapés, live oyster shucking and plenty of champagne, with Nina & Dylan singing some of our favourite songs as we celebrated with everyone before ducking off for some photos.”

Post ceremony celebrations soon got underway at Man O’War Vineyard. Sasha remarking “Following the ceremony, guests wandered across the lawn and through the trees over to the beautiful timber Pavilion near the Man O’War Tasting Room. There was a large outdoor bar set up on the oceanfront and festoons strung across the lawn, with casual cane furniture and a large dance floor to get everyone on their feet after dinner.”

 

“We loved having friends and family travel from all over the world to share our day with us, and given it was a destination wedding, being able to catch up with guests on the days leading up to and after the wedding.”

“Maddie was so much fun to work with on the day and did such an amazing job capturing those natural moments,” says the bride of their photographer. “We had chosen her for her honest yet creative style and her incredible landscape shots – the results were everything and more we could have hoped for.”

Sasha remembers “A special moment that stuck out to us was when our photographer Maddie whisked us away after dinner for a moment to capture some sunset shots. She took us to the most beautiful secluded rural location where we watched the sun set over the ocean with the Auckland CBD in the distance. A real ‘pinch yourself’ moment, it was so romantic!”

Sasha and Edward worked with Nowadays Events  to plan and style their day, noting “It was  so special having an amazing wedding planner who had everything under control, allowing us to truly enjoy the day.”

“We chose to have two long tables for our reception, with the bridal party in the centre. The ceiling beams were draped in foliage and white blooms, and we kept the tables clean with varietal clusters of white flowers in clear glass vases down the centre, with tea light candles and magnums of our favourite New Zealand wines to pass around. We had gorgeous vintage style silver cutlery with soft white napkins tied with white leather and calligraphy place cards with the menu on the following side for guests.”

The sit-down feast was a favourite part of the day for the newlyweds who remember “Oyster Inn were just amazing to work with. We had dined at their restaurant before and just loved everything about it, their aesthetic and approach to food matched perfectly with what we were after. We were so lucky to be able to work with them to build a pop-up kitchen at Man O’War to do our catering. They created an incredible custom menu focusing on fresh locally sourced produce. We had canapes and freshly shucked local oysters on the lawn after the ceremony, followed by a two course sit down dinner and topped off with late-night fish tacos. Espresso martinis and affogatos were served from the bar after dinner by the Oyster Inn team using locally made hazelnut & vanilla bean Island Gelato and Island Coffee to keep guests dancing all night long!”

Sasha notes “We loved all the positive energy and excitement that it brought about with family and friends. And then being able to see our vision brought to life on the day and being able to enjoy it with all the guests.”

The newlyweds kicked off an evening of dancing to Ray LaMontagne “You are the best thing”. Sasha added “After we cut the cake we invited guests out to the dance floor on the lawn and bar service kicked off with affogatos, espresso martinis and a late-night snack of fish tacos to keep the party going. They were such a hit, and we had so much fun with everyone dancing under the stars all night!”

Congratulations Sasha and Edward! Thank you for taking the time to share the stories of your beautiful day. Thank you also to Madeline Druce for sharing today’s celebration.