August 2023

When you think of winter weddings you don't usually picture stunningly clear blue skies, no wind and the warm subtle sunshine glistening on the glassy ocean. But that’s exactly what Sam and Ashlin’s day was graced with.

They married at The Bungalow, in coastal New Plymouth, Taranaki. A unique day, as they chose to have their ceremony in the morning, followed by coffee from a coffee van and canape’s at the venue. The reception was then held at the stunning Ahu Ahu Beach Villa’s as an mid-afternoon celebration.

Read on to see how their day unfolded

Were there any important details that were special to you as a couple, you wanted to incorporate in some way? 

I'm not overly sentimental, but we were determined to choose things we loved rather than things that are "traditional."

However we did play on the long distance aspect by not choosing table numbers, but table names which were locations we had been together. Super simple but relevant to us.

Tell us a bit about yourselves and how you met?

Technically me and Sam met online but it was on a Zoom quiz organised by a mutual friend during Covid. I was living in Belfast and he was in England. We did a Zoom quiz every Wednesday for months and got to know each other that way. I moved back to NZ in July 2020. We did long distance from Nov 2020 to April 2023 when Sam finally moved to NZ.

What was your vision for the day and how did you choose your style?

My initial vision was nothing like the end result. My initial mood board was really heavy on olive green colour, with pinks and whites (particularly in the flowers) to break this up. During the wedding planning, Sam and his groomsmen were all in England so it was difficult trying to navigate time zones and completely different shops etc. Me and my bridesmaids went to try on bridesmaid dresses and there was a beautiful blue colour that all three of us loved. It was definitely not what I had in mind but we all loved it and that was that. This really guided the rest of our vision for the day. From there, we settled on a navy suit for the boys and that influenced the colours of the flowers as I really wanted to break up all the blue but in a really beautiful, cohesive way. Both Sam and myself love flowers and we wanted these to be our main form of decor for our wedding. Sam's mum loves orchids which was perfect for the season of our wedding so we were lucky to be able to tie those in as well. Honestly, I could have chosen multiple different styles of weddings (decor, dress, colour scheme etc) and if I did it again, I would do something completely different, not because I didn't love our wedding style, but because there are so many styles I loved. But we had ideas and then we just went with what we loved and what was available at the time and adapted as need be. But just making sure we always chose things we loved, and knowing it would all come together if we stuck to that.

How did you find and select your (two) venues? What were you looking for in a venue?

Choosing the right venue was quite hard. I did not want anything even slightly corporate. I really love the slightly more rustic, barn style, which would take minor decor to set off and create a really warm atmosphere. Unfortunately there are no longer many venues like that in NP. The Ahu Ahu Beach Villas Lodge was perfect for this and I loved the Villas for getting ready in too. It had a great outdoor space for the ceremony but we got married at the end of August and I was not willing to risk not having an equally beautiful indoor option. So we ended up choosing two venues. We got married at The Bungalow as it had a beautiful outdoor option and a workable indoor option if the weather didn't play ball. Fortunately it did and we had the most beautiful outdoor winter wedding! While two locations created a bit more hassle, it was great in the sense that I could hopefully have an outdoor wedding but I could rest easy knowing if the weather was bad, we had a nice indoor option too. Then we all headed to the Ahu Ahu Beach Villas Lodge for the reception which was absolutely perfect for what I had in mind.

How did you go about choosing the vendors you booked?

I was lucky enough to know exactly who I wanted for most aspects of the wedding. Having lived in New Plymouth for most of my life I had a pretty good grasp on this and just went with people I knew or knew of.

The planning process: Did you love it? What was your plan of attack? eg, Budgets, making decisions, choose who to invite as guests?

I LOVED it. My plan of attack was a lot of lists and a really detailed spreadsheet outlining what had been paid for, when it was paid, who was responsible etc etc. I probably over planned but it set my mind at ease and I really enjoyed it. I was brutal with the guest list and chose to invite people I typically spend a lot of time with or who have had a significant impact on my life. Our guest list was small as not many of mine or Sam's friends from the UK could come over for the wedding. The hardest thing was my dress - I didn't have a great first experience wedding dress shopping. The lady at the shop just wasn't a good vibe. My second experience was better. But I ended up having a custom made dress and that was an experience I loved and is something I'll never do again so didn't mind spending a bit extra $$ here.

Looking back on your day, is there anything you would do differently?

I wished I'd relaxed on the day. I was so busy thinking about what was next e.g photos, first dance, instead of just enjoying seeing all the planning and effort come together and being with our family and friends.

I also wish I got a few more photos of me and Sam. I was so tired at the end (planning a wedding mostly long distance was no joke + having Sam's family and groomsmen arrive in the country the week of the wedding was A LOT) and I just wanted to go home so didn't take Abi up on her offer to get more photos. But I wish I had.

What’s some advice you would give to couples, reading this, planning their day?

Choose things you love and incorporate those. I think people get so caught up on a 3 course meal or other wedding traditions and often this isn't the things you enjoy in your life. For example, we LOVE Knead donuts, so had them as part of dessert. You love the things you love, so make that a part of your wedding day. Also, choose two or three main things that are important to you, spend the money there and do those things well. Not everything has to be fancy and expensive for it to look beautiful. And choose vendors that you get on with/work well with.

Was there one key moment in your day that you will never forget?

Sam messing up his vows. Hilarious.

I'm very Type A and wanted everything perfect (and it was) but him messing up his vows added some humour and relaxed-ness into the day.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?

The flowers were unreal! They looked so beautiful against the backdrop at The Bungalow and I loved that we could re-purpose them at the reception. I'm so glad we chose them as a statement piece.

Dream Vendors

Venue (Ceremony) The Bungalow

Venue (Reception) Ahu Ahu Villa’s

Photography Abi Hackling

Wedding Co-ordinator Kathy McLean

Furniture Dobsons

Coffee Caravan Vibe Coffee Van

Signage Be My Guest

Bridal Dress Liah Roebuck Bridal

Makeup Makeup by Annalee

Hair Simone Parli (Blackbird Society)

Cake The Cake Diary

Catering Humble Grazing and Robyn Trowern

Donuts Knead Donuts