Amy and Michael

Michael and I met in London at a festival. He had a terrible moustache which naturally I stopped to give him grief about! Soon after our first encounter, Michael created an indoor netball team to slowly win me over and after six months of hard slog for him, it slowly formed into a romance!

I said yes to forever with Michael in my hometown of Christchurch on the big rock in Sumner. We were taking work photos for my fashion business Frowtribe and label Refined Rebellion, of which Michael is an unpaid and unfairly treated handyman for when he's not working as a carpenter! I turned around and he was down on one knee holding up a custom designed ring.

I had the best maid of honour money could buy, my best friend Anna who made the planning process a total breeze. She was like our wedding planner in New Zealand. Anna, with her sister who runs Moveable Feasts, helped coordinate all the styling, food and venue which was just incredible. We also had an amazing stylist that brought my vision to light. Sam, my bridesman has been a massive part of my journey. We met when we were 13 and have been inseparable ever since. After a bad break up in Christchurch, I told him I wanted to move to the UK as a passing comment. He called me back five minutes later saying “Ok, if we can travel Asia for a month first I’ll come and live with you in London”. We then travelled the world and cemented our strong bond. He was a good soundboard once I met my husband and helped me keep my crazy in check! After deciding he had to be a part of the hens and wedding we wanted him to reflect the girls but not look like the groomsmen so we opted for a more relaxed look complimenting the navy dresses of the bridesmaids. On the day he really embraced the role by holding my flowers and veil, topping up my champagne, getting his man bun tweaked, walking alongside the car with the door open as I couldn’t sit down with the boning in my dress and keeping the mood light!

The wedding day was very relaxed with all our closet friends and family. Everyone stayed at Mt Vernon Lodge, and we were set up on the lawn area overlooking Akaroa harbour and thankfully got to witness the skies clearing about 30 minutes before the ceremony making for the most perfect afternoon. I had my mum walk down the aisle with my brother before me and then me and my dad as all had played massive roles in my life. Having them all there was really one of the best parts of the day and it was very emotional but relaxed atmosphere. We had a beautiful ceremony on the grass, a special moment being the ring swaps as I had secretly designed a signate ring for my husband. After our photos, I put on one of two custom jackets that I had made - a leather with part of my vows and we danced into the party to uptown funk! We followed this with a three-course meal before we went out for some dusk photos and I made a spur of the moment decision to slip into a Camilla and Marc number with some white Nikes, new earrings and some lippy, and we partied the night away to a live band until about 3 am. The debrief on the lawn the following day was the perfect spot for a recovery session!

Our day was made as perfect as it was thanks to the amazing Sarah and her team at Moveable Feasts. They really are so much more than just a catering company. Sarah did everything from arranging the walk down the aisle to all the delicious food, organising the band worked in with the stylist and made the day such a breeze. I couldn’t recommend them enough! Also, we gave a brief to Sade from Bellbird Weddings and they absolutely nailed the unstaged, natural look and feel of the day.

My advice for the day is to make time for your husband. In the evening we had a sunset photo and it was the only five minutes we took to reflect on the day. A live band & an oversupply of wine really helps as well!