Matthew & Kate in the Aura Gown
Matthew and Kate celebrated their wedding amongst the Autumnal colors of April in Queenstown, New Zealand
What is a GRACE woman to you?
To me, a GRACE woman is a strong, confident and elegant woman.
Which GRACE dress did you wear and how did you know it was 'The One'?
I chose the Aura dress and absolutely loved it! I knew what style would compliment my figure and I loved the shiny satin fabric with the asymmetric train.
Tell us about your experience when you found your dress.
Did you buy your wedding dress online or visit one of our boutiques?
I saw the Aura dress on Instagram about 6 months before we got engaged. I was conscious of not looking into dresses and accessories until it was time to do so, as I wanted to savor that special moment.
We got engaged in Paris in a hot air balloon, and during our travels throughout Europe, I looked back through my inspiration photos and researched Grace Loves Lace locations.
Unfortunately, Grace Loves Lace doesn't have a New Zealand store, but since we were traveling home via New York, I booked a couple of fittings while we were there. Eventually, I bought the dress online when we returned home.
What was your first date?
Matt took me to Kura which is a cool underground Japanese restaurant in Auckland City. We are both architects and the restaurant shows the historic foundations of Queen Street. It was such a unique experience and I highly recommend it!
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Matt took me to Kura which is a cool underground Japanese restaurant in Auckland City. We are both architects and the restaurant shows the historic foundations of Queen Street. It was such a unique experience and I highly recommend it!
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Did you DIY anything?
We wanted to add our own touch to our day through our signage and table setting. We designed the welcome sign, seating plan, table names, drinks menu, and food menus (with song lyrics on the back).
For the table setting we designed and 3D printed a variety of bud vases for our flowers which was so much fun! We also 3D printed our table name stands. We finished off the table decor with candles and green pears that we decorated with pearl pins and white satin ribbons.
Where did you get married?
Tell us about the location & the style of your wedding.
I grew up in the South Island, with many winters spent skiing so always dreamt of a Queenstown wedding. My husband loves Queenstown so it didn't take much convincing!
The Venue was the Winehouse which is a cute restored villa surrounded by mountains at the bottom of the Crown Range. We chose an April wedding to really take advantage of the beautiful autumnal colours.
The style was very classic; white, black and minimalistic. Being architects we thought less was more in this picturesque setting.
The funniest moment on the day or something that surprised you?
We planned to reenact the scene from 'The Office' at Jim and Pam's wedding where the wedding party dances down the aisle to "Forever" by Chris Brown. We chose to do this as the exit to the ceremony and paired our bridal party and family up. Everyone got really got into it and practiced their dance the day before. Matts's brother (groomsmen) did a worm down the aisle, which was equally hilarious and brilliant all at the same time! Everyone was clapping and cheering.
We wanted to bring this same energy into the reception so we surprised our guests by them singing us in with "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede. We hid musical instruments under certain guests' seats and it was the best entrance followed by a classy champagne tower!
Any last advice or words of wisdom that you can share?
Enjoy planning your special day as it is as much fun or as stressful as you want it to be! Try not to get consumed by the little things (coming from someone who still did).
Make sure to add things into your day to make it fun for yourself and your guests. We had so many little surprises.
Our videographer gave us the best advice - he said you set the tone of the day/night by the type of energy you bring! So bring it!
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