Real Weddings

Kimberley and Greg

Photography by Sophie Isabella Photo

"We met at a church university student hangout in Dunedin. It was a typical Dunedin summer night, chilly more than anything else, and we were in this outdoor café area that was pretty packed with heaps of people our age. I remember the moment so clearly like it was just yesterday: lots of chattering and loud music around us and almost having to yell over all the noise to introduce ourselves to each other, haha. The proposal was just magical. Greg had arranged for us to take some cute photos with this photographer (who also ended up shooting our wedding) that I had been chatting to on Instagram for quite a few months. We went out to my favourite spot in Christchurch, the Godley Heads track. Towards the end of the shoot, Greg said he needed to go to the loo, so he ran off to look for one, and we stayed behind to take a few more shots. Ten minutes went by, and I got a call from Greg; he claimed that he’d found the perfect spot for the last few snaps, so we went looking for him. When we got there, there was this little picnic set up with the most amazing view of the waters, and he'd changed into a navy blue suit. He had written me the sweetest letter, and it was there he asked me to marry him. Little did I know, all of Greg's family and a few of our closest friends were hiding and popped out to surprise us when I said yes! We loved the idea of an outdoor wedding to showcase New Zealand's beauty for our overseas guests. Along with that, the idea of dining and dancing under the stars was a pretty spectacular one. We also focused on details that would be meaningful and bring warm, fuzzy vibes, like handmade wedding favours, handwritten place cards, and a personalised Kiwi/Malaysian food truck menu, just to name a few things. I grew up in Malaysia, which has a lot of different cultural aspects included in weddings, so there were two things that were essential for us to prioritise in our special day. Firstly, as we had the privilege of my grandparents making the big trip over to be there for us getting married, we wanted to include a Chinese tea ceremony during our reception. This ceremony usually includes an exchange of tea and red packets - the significance is that the newlyweds show respect to their elders with the tea, and in turn, the elders then demonstrate their acceptance of the marriage. Secondly, at Chinese wedding dinners (especially at Malaysian ones), it is a tradition to shout 'yam seng!' which essentially means 'cheers' - the fun part is that we usually make a game out of it and yell for as loud and long as possible. It truly lifts the atmosphere to another level, and we got to do that at the end of all the speeches. It ended up being special in so many ways, especially with all of our close family and friends surrounding us."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Dress: Alter Me
Photography: Sophie Isabella Photo
Marquee & hire items: LL Hire
Florals: Hanse Flowers
Signage: Moxi Designs
Linen: Tble. Linen
Food Truck: Double Parked