Today’s bride-to-be’? She’s just about as obsessed with all things sparkly as we are. “Like a magpie, I love sparkles and shiny things. Sarah, our photographer, suggested glamour in grungy locations. I couldn’t be happier with how the photos turned out! I felt like an old Hollywood star.”

And that Sarah? She’s one of the faces behind De Lumière Photography and joined Akacia and Matty on a wander through Newtown alleyways and Carriage Works. We’re so very delighted to share her work with you today!

Before we get into the shots though (and remembering each and every one includes Akacia’s stunning sparkly jacket!), let us dive into how these two met, in the bride-to-be’s own words. “I met Matty a few months after moving to New Zealand for work. We were both in other relationships at the time but got along well and stayed in contact, just as friends. By coincidence, we both went through breakups at the same time. A few months later and after a million hints, he finally asked me out.”


On his love for Akacia, Matty shares “I love Akacia’s drive and passion for success, her straight-up approach to life. She believes in making your dreams a reality. She is a great balance to my craziness. And the cutest thing I have ever laid eyes on.”

“I love all the small things Matty does” notes Akacia, “He buys me cheeseburgers, even when I tell him I’m not hungry because he knows that really, I am hungry. I love that in a crowded room if he finds something funny, he will look at me, cos it’s even funnier to him if he knows I’ve seen it too. I love that when he has achieved something I am the first person he wants to tell. I love that when my world seems like it is falling apart, no matter what, he tells me everything will be ok.”

It was seven years of memories before the couple decided to get married, tells the bride-to-be. “The engagement was not a surprise – after seven years together we had discussed marriage and decided we wanted to celebrate our love. On Boxing Day, on top of a mountain in Idaho, surrounded by snow-covered trees, he got down on one knee, I don’t know if he asked me to marry him, I just screamed ‘Is it now?!! YES! YES!’ and went crazy. It was all a wonderful happy blur.”