Real Weddings

Tanisha and Stephen
Waterfall Farm

Photography by Fay Carey Photographer

"We've got different ideas about when we first met, but we met during high school. People like calling us high school sweethearts, but that term is a little too mushy for us, haha. Stephen was very sneaky with the proposal! I had been busy planning a weekend trip away with some friends to Waiheke: organising a winery for dinner, which friends could make it, and all those details. Little did I know, he had already booked flights and accommodation in Queenstown. He'd told all of our friends, my parents, and my boss, and told them to play along and keep it secret. He even called the place I booked for Waiheke, told them the plan, and asked to move the booking to another day (which we ended up using as a celebration with friends). So he came home from work, we got ready to go, and got in the Uber - which instead took us to the airport rather than the ferry terminal! We landed and went for a nice dinner. Every trip he took to the restroom, he was busy messaging our friends with little updates. When we returned to the hotel, he pretended to take pictures of the beautiful view but was actually setting up a camera to record everything - then popped the question! We always wanted to keep our wedding as a more casual party instead of some formal affair. We're not hugely sentimental people, but we chose to have our official wedding at Halls Beach, in Northcote, atop a small stretch of sand that overlooks the harbour. This is the same spot where we had our first-anniversary date, so we both thought it was fitting to legally tie the knot there ten years later. The celebration we put together for our loved ones was super laidback - more like a mini-festival, just for us, at the perfect DIY venue. We chose not to have a signing ceremony, assigned seating or a set menu; a close friend was our honorary "celebrant." It was the perfect occasion to have fun, dance, eat and drink with everyone special to us. For our first dance, we played our song ("Make it Better" by Anderson Paak). Real love means you should always work on it together, and he conveys that so well with his lovely voice."

Thanks to all the contributing vendors:

Venue: Waterfall Farm
Photography: Fay Carey Photographer
Catering: Roam Food Caravan