A Sentimental (and Seriously Amazing!) Hahei Wedding by Michael Schultz

When I saw the magical images from today's creative wedding, I instantly fell in love. Soul mates Brad & Alle organised their wedding from Australia confessing they combined "a little bit of research, guess work and some last minute hoping for the best" to make their special day happen. A beautifully creative wedding, the couple along with friends and family all pitched in to craft details large and small, and the result is stunning and truly personal (even the celebrant shed a tear!).

Oh and I love the idea of hiring out a holiday property as an alternative to a traditional venue, it combines your getting ready location, accommodation, ceremony and reception venue (depending on guest numbers of course!), and you can choose a spectacular unique spot in a location special to you.

A big, big thank you and congratulations to the lovely couple, and a big virtual hug to the awesome Michael Schultz Photography, you are too cool (and talented) for school! Enjoy xox

A Sentimental (and seriously amazing!) Hahei Wedding by Michael Schultz

How did you meet?

About 13 years ago Brad told me he thought I was a good person, I said I thought he was a good person too. We've been together ever since.
We live in Australia but chose to have our wedding in Hahei because it holds a special place in our hearts and Brad is NZ born. While it was very difficult not being able to invite all our loved ones, it allowed for the special little wedding we desired in such a beautiful part of the world.

In three words describe your wedding style... Sentimental, Intimate and Light

We wanted to DIY as much as we could, not only to save money but also to personalize our wedding. These sentimental touches made the wedding truly 'us'. The invites, decorations, table settings, favours, all flowers, signs, etc were all DIY.

Did you DIY?

We incorporated lots of music into our wedding. One of the most special moments on the day was when my Brother played me down the aisle with a song he'd written for us. If I could have any song as the soundtrack of my life, that would be it. Also, I used Van Morrison's " Sweet Thing" lyrics in our invitations. Brad had Paul Kelly's ' Until Death Do Them Part' played during our ceremony. Our first dance was to Samuel F. Scott & The BOP " All My Dreams". And in my pre-wedding panic I had The National on repeat to calm my nerves.

What music did you play for those special moments?

SAVE We managed to save in many areas for our wedding. Without a doubt this wouldn't have been possible without the tireless and amazing help from our friends and family. Even our superb photographer went above and beyond! From start to finish we had people chipping in, setting up, packing down, all of it. They cooked up a super feast that included gifted lamb from a dear friend's farm; another beauty did my hair along with the bridesmaids, my mums and daughters as a gift. The flowers were bought wholesale and then we foraged for greenery and I put them together with my girls the night before. The cakes were ordered through a local café and we decorated them ourselves too. One big saving was finding a perfect venue in a secluded holiday house, with the most relaxed and accommodating hosts. We hired all we needed and decked it out the night before.

SPLURGE Having our wedding in NZ was somewhat of a splurge, requiring flights and accommodation etc. We were so overwhelmed that our guests travelled all that way to be with us. My dress felt like a splurge too - I had always thought I would either make my own or find a vintage one but, on a whim, I tried the Daughters of Simone 'Jude' Dress on in a local boutique and really loved it. I'm so glad I found it - It was a dream to wear.

What were your save and splurge items for your wedding?

Organizing our NZ wedding from Australia was challenging at times and took a little bit of research, guess work and some last minute 'hoping for the best'. That aside, we liked that we were kind of planning a little holiday and a wedding all at once.