Real Weddings

Amanda and Joseph
Waiheke

Photography by Grey Area Productions Photo & Video

"We were introduced by a mutual friend who, a few years earlier, had mentioned to Joseph that she "knew a girl who would be perfect for him." Nothing came of it, because I was with someone else and he was in Wellington. A few years later, things shuffled around and fell into place, when Joseph moved up to Auckland, and I was single. We immediately hit it off on our first date and knew from that moment that we were going to be in each other's lives for a long time to come. Joseph's proposal was almost ruined when we went to Cuba. He was stopped at customs as the ring went through the bag screening. Once the customs officers figured out what it was that he was hiding in the bag, they immediately let him go and, thankfully, I didn't notice a thing. We're both from Iraq, so we wanted to incorporate some Middle Eastern aspects into our wedding day. We decided to do this by asking our mums to bring some homemade Arabic treats such, as Baklava, for dessert and, of course, we also snuck in some classic Arabic songs on the DJ’s playlist. We always envisioned having a simple, natural and stripped back day - something we can look back at and still enjoy in 20 years' time. It was a huge help that our photography team let us kick back and relax, so we could bask in the day and let everything unfold naturally. One of the best decisions we made about our wedding was bringing along our dog. We wanted her to be our ring girl, and she nailed it! She brought so much laughter and calm to the day, which made everything, if possible, all the more perfect."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Photography: Grey Area Productions Photo & Video
Dress: Pronovias
Suit: Working Style
Venue: Kauri Springs Lodge, Waiheke
Videography: Kelly Kim Videography
Florals: Wildflower Waiheke
Bridesmaids' dresses: Yohan Khosho