Real Weddings

Nyasha and Tatenda

Photography by Ryan Watts Photo

“Tatenda and I met at an event through some mutual friends. We hit it off from the get-go and quickly became good friends. We lived in separate cities, but in a way, the distance cemented our friendship because we communicated every day through texts and calls. We’d look forward to when we were in each other’s city and got to spend time together. When we were at the early stages of getting to know each other, we would always go to the beach and talk for hours. To this day, Tatenda and I still love exploring different beaches in any city we visit. Over time, we became best friends. Fast forward a little while, and our friendship turned into a relationship. It was long-distance at first but, because that’s how our friendship started, we believed we could make it work - and we did. When we celebrate each other’s birthdays, we always go all out. It’s something we love to do. Tatenda knew it was the best time to propose during my birthday without me growing suspicious along the way. He took me to Castaways Resort, and I was so thrilled because I had always talked about wanting to go there one day. We had the loveliest spa day and felt so relaxed at the end of it. To top off the day, we had dinner at the resort overlooking the ocean. After we finished the main course, dessert came, and as the waiter opened the dish, it said, “Will you marry me?” and he got down on one knee. I was absolutely speechless but managed to get the most important word out: YES! As we started planning, we knew that we wanted an elegant day for our wedding. We chose to have it in Auckland because we knew that there were many venues and vendors we could pick from that would help bring our dream wedding to life. Choosing a bright, light-filled room was the foundation, with white as the primary colour with hints of sage green and gold. Allely Estate ended up being the perfect venue because it was a blank canvas that we could turn into anything.”

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Venue: Allely Estate
Photography: Ryan Watts Photo
Dress: Alma J Bridal Boutique
Suit: Devonché
Cake: Sweet Bites
Styling & florals: TKT & Co. Events
Draping: Event Styling Co.
Dance floor: Twelve Tables
Makeup: Makeup with Leyla
Hair: House of Brown