Kate and Jon

Tell us about your love story? In 2014, I took up a work transfer opportunity to move from Christchurch to London, and Jon worked in the London office. I'd been in London for one day when we met in my new store. It wasn't long before Jon added me on Facebook, and offered to show me around London, knowing I knew no one else in the city. Obviously, Jon was blue-eyed and blonde with a smile to die for, so accepted the offer and in the middle of winter on a brisk Sunday evening, we went to the Christmas Markets on Southbank and enjoyed a cider under the stars. Honestly, we didn't even really know it was a date until we both got to the end of the night, and desperately wanted to kiss each other - Six years on, and the rest is history.

What do you both do for work? We work weddings! As well as all events, owners and directors of Event Goals.

What do you like to do in your spare time? We love spending time with friends, taking big long walks in the forest, sipping a beer while watching the sunset, weekend trips away and planning our next overseas adventure. We also love a simple morning, waking up and sitting together on the sofa having our morning tea and coffee and just chatting about nothing. The best!

How did the proposal go down? It was simple, but perfect for us. Jon suggested, like he often would, on a late May Saturday afternoon that we should head up onto the hills for a walk and try to capture one of those amazing Christchurch sunsets. I love, more than anything, a sunset - So of course, said yes! We grabbed our winter coats (it was freezing), a couple of cold drinks and off we went. At the top, looking out over the hills down into Lyttelton, we soon realised it was not going to be a night for a sunset, but that didn't stop him. He just stood up, got down on one knee and asked that long-awaited question, "will you marry me?". I couldn't quite believe it, it was a yes from me! It was well planned, in true Jon fashion, as we were travelling back to the UK a week later, so we were able to celebrate with all of our friends and family here in New Zealand first, and then everyone in England - simply perfect.

What was most important to you when it came to celebrating your marriage? Being surrounded by friends and family, and of course our dog Lulu! We wanted the day to reflect us. It was simple and fun with a hint of class and tradition.

How did you find the planning process? This will come as no surprise, but it was very easy for us. We knew everything we wanted, which vendors we wanted to be involved and just sorted it all out as soon as we got engaged. The rest of it fell into place as it's what we do best! We felt lucky that we enjoyed it so much and we knew we were good at it - there are so many moving parts and people to keep updated and we know how overwhelming it can be for others - we just loved it.

Talk us through the day? The girls and I spent the night before at the venue, so woke up and had the most amazing breakfast cooked by Marina and Andrew, the owners of Harpers Homestead. After that, we were straight into hair and makeup as there were seven of us to get through. Jon and the boys met over lunch with both families and enjoyed a couple of beers before getting themselves dressed and ready. By 2 pm, the groom, groomsmen and families had arrived and the bubbles were flowing throughout. The girls and I were eagerly awaiting the arrival of all our guests, we watched patiently out the window and tried to spot everyone. At 3 pm Jon and the groomsmen walked down the aisle to his favourite song, Stay Together by Six60. Such a great touch! Us girls got ready to head down the aisle feeling nervous but excited. The ceremony went off without a hitch, apart from when I told Jon I would love him "today, tomorrow and yesterday", rather than "forever". It made for a few laughs which was the exact vibe we wanted throughout the whole day. We then moved into celebrations and congratulations. The photos with our bridal party were a highlight for us, especially as Jon got to have some rare bonding time with his best mates from the UK. It was truly incredible to have all those guys and girls around us. We moved through to the front of the property to crack into the alfresco style dining with an array of food and courses in a relaxed grazing style. We had a taco station, food bowls, a giant bottomless platter, and of course a gelato truck, just to name a few. We had some awesome speeches from a few special people in our lives. Our mates and family from the UK that couldn't make the wedding sent us a few video messages that were put together by Jon's Mum and best man Harry - these were a mixture of hilarious and very emotional. We loved it! A quick cutting of the cake and we were into the party side of proceedings. Assembly Required were their usual amazing selves. The drinks were flowing, the dancing was questionable and lots of laughs were had. We said goodbye to everyone as they headed back to Christchurch on the Bentley Buses provided. The day finished with a nightcap before bed with our bridal party. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

What Special/Unique moments come to mind of the day? There are so many, but a favourite moment was towards the end of the night, the band was wrapping up and we had one more song. It's become a tradition within our group of friends that on the final song the bride and groom get lifted up on friends shoulders and dance together from above. It was hilarious, but also the best moment - everyone was singing Robbie Williams 'Angel' at the top of their lungs, while Jon and I balanced on our poor friends’ shoulders (sorry!) and lapped up every minute of this special day.

Did anything stand out as totally not going to plan? Honestly, no. We were very lucky to have our day go exactly as we had hoped. No hiccups and nothing I felt was disappointing.

What would your top pieces of advice be to pass on to couples? Do it your way. It doesn't matter if someone else did something another way, or you've seen that everyone cuts the cake - If you don't like cake, don't have cake! It's your special day and you need to make sure it's what you want. We wanted a first dance, but not on our own. So we invited all of our guests to join us in our first dance, and it was magical! It's great to get inspired by others, but make sure it really is unique to you both and the things you love.

How did you use your experience to help plan your day? This one is easy. I knew from the moment I said yes that I wanted someone on the day to be coordinating and setting up everything for me. I didn't want to worry about it, I didn't want to have my family or bridal party worry about it. I wanted everyone to enjoy the wedding day. So, I reached out to a friend and industry expert, Lucy from Bleu Studio. Lucy has the most amazing selection of hire products (which we used too) and an incredible eye for styling. She has also been working events for a long time. I coordinated her wedding for her in August 2018 and knew she would be the best person to return the favour on my day. She was amazing (as always) and I would recommend to everyone getting married to have someone look after all the setup and coordination on the day.