Sharon & Sam  

It was a day that was all about ditching formalities, running barefoot on the sand, about handmade decorations, a sunshine filled dinner and a ceremony overlooking the sea. The beautiful Maori Bay beachside wedding, captured by WonderFerris was all about chilled out moods, Sunshine and love story of Sharon & Sam.

The couple met years ago through Sharon’s brother. She tells “Sam had been friends with Sharon’s older brother since they were early teenagers (and they’re still friends!).”

The bride worked with Brooke Tyson Ritual to create her gown. She explains ” I lookedat  a lot in different bridal shops but couldn’t find what I was looking for in my price range so I decided to get it made by Brooke, as friends had recommended her. The process was easy and exactly what I wanted – a simple lace, low back, long summery flowy dress.”

The couple chose their favourite beach spot for the ceremony – located in Maori Bay in Muriwai.

  

The couple crafted their own ceremony, telling “We used vows we found online and modified. Then we did a couple of individual made up lines and a funny line each. We had very minimal decorations as the spot is already beautiful, but we did have a homemade archway and floral/green pathway. The feeling we wanted was relaxed, not too formal, but one of genuine love, commitment, celebration and honouring God.”

“We loved the walk back down the aisle after being married and everyone cheering.”

The bridesmaids dressed in different white gowns and carried floral arrangements by  Sarah Elizabeth Floral. “Our florist was amazing, we discussed what flowers I liked and she made up the bouquets – we have similar tastes so it was easy.” says Sharon. “We foraged for a lot of greenery foliage and some flowers for tables and that helped to keep the price down and they looked really natural.”

Of their photographer, Sharon tells “WonderFerris was great and made the whole thing easy. We knew that photos can be really draining but we found it fun and well organised. They didn’t muck around and we love the photos!”

Guests gathered on a friend’s private farm for a marquee reception. Sharon noting “We loved having all of our family and friends jumping in to help out and make it possible. They helped make it more fun and less stressful. The few days beforehand doing all the DIY setup was so fun because we had such a good helpful and creative crew.”

Many of the elements of the day were handmade, Sharon remarking “We handmade all decorations and did all the setup ourselves, the only thing we hired was a portaloo and some festoons! The marquees we borrowed from people found on local community Facebook pages. Tables and chairs from our church and friends, bread and meat (friends home kill lamb on the spit) for the dinner (only salads/vegetables and dessert were catered) all drinks, snacks/afternoon tea, cake, tea and coffee, transport and more.”

Of their first dance, the bride remembers “We did a classic slow dance with a few cool moves that we practised. The live band gave us some options and we picked Jason Mraz – ‘I won’t give up’. It was really nice.”

Congratulations on your wedding Sharon and Sam! Thank you for sharing the beautiful stories of your day! A big thank you, also, to WonderFerris for sharing today’s wedding!