Stef and Fraser

Our Love Story

Fraser and I met in 2012 on the Gold Coast. My friends invited a group of guys around for a party at our apartment, one of those being Fraser. For around a year we courted each other, not forgetting that four months after meeting, Fraser took a job opportunity in Melbourne and I also decided to make the move, becoming his flatmate. Following a visit home to Christchurch, Fraser met me for Airport pick-up. He was waiting with flowers and asked me to be his Girlfriend. We now have two beautiful fur children, a darling girl on the way and our forever home being built. We have spent our twenties together partying and growing up and I love that about our story.

Our Proposal

Fraser proposed on our seven-year anniversary. A walk along the water would always follow dinner and on this occasion, I could see an archway and a candlelit, people-lined aisle with light-up letters that said Marry me. I turned to Fraser and said, Omg how cute someone is getting proposed to. The look on Fraser’s face said it all and those many faces were our closest friends waiting and ready to celebrate!

Our Wedding Planning

After being together for 10 years the most important things to us were having a good time and making it feel like one big party. It was to be a big celebration of our love and the life we have created.

Luckily, I am someone who likes to plan and knew what we wanted for our DIY day. I just had to piece together how we would achieve that. COVID did not help the process but it also gifted time to make adjustments along the way and our family and friends in Christchurch offered streams of support to help make our vision a reality. My mum was my foot soldier on the ground while I was over the ditch coming up with my crazy Ideas and my Aunty and Uncle spent the best part of a year preparing the grounds.

Our Wedding Day

The girls' morning was very relaxed. We enjoyed a champagne breakfast followed by hair and makeup and were ready early. We travelled in style to the venue with family friends driving us in their beautiful cars. On the other hand, the boys had a big night prior and were feeling very sorry for themselves! They managed to pull it together and were picked up by my cousin on a bus we had hired. Fraser was picked up and driven to the venue by my Dad in a friend's Rattler (V8 SuperCar) which they had a blast in.

Our ceremony was amazing and the perfect mix of hilarious & sweet. We watched our beer boys dance as they handed out beers and The Porter Duo sang us down our flower-lined aisle with all our loved ones sitting on hay bales. It was everything we imagined! If we’re totally honest, we didn't have a wet weather plan other than gumboots and umbrellas and the weather was set to turn, so we’re thankful that it held off!

After that, we took off for wedding party photos around the property. I had a little too much to drink during this time but it meant for some very memorable photos. We entered our reception with each member of the wedding party dancing their own entrance. Our MC set the humorous mood for the evening. We cut the cake during our entrance and a captivating, beautiful Haka performed by friends followed. Our closest ones shared speeches that split the tea on us! We shared dinner together and carried on with a few more speeches. After that, Mr Whippy rolled up with his lights and signature song, we stuffed ourselves with ice cream and moved on to the father-daughter dance. Dad and I should have practiced but it was funny to watch back later! The next beautiful moment for us was our first dance as husband and wife. As the drinks flowed and the sun went down it got a little chilly so we started a fire and continued to dance, laugh and drink into the wee hours of the morning together. We couldn't have asked for a more incredible day!

Our Favourite Moments

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of getting married on my Aunty and Uncle's Farm, with Mr Whippy and a Tipi. To arrive on the day and see that come true was so magical. The most memorable moment was walking down the aisle and seeing Fraser for the very first time. It put it into perspective that the day was here, all the hard work had been done, and we could celebrate our love exactly as we dreamt! His vows were also incredible for a man of few words he pulled it out of the bag on that one.

Our Advice

Write a list of what you want and then separate them into non-negotiable and negotiable.

Make your big purchases first and the rest will follow.

With a DIY wedding, allow others to help. It takes a village!

If you are on a budget we have two things; Canva is a useful tool for producing stationery and has templates available. Shop around if you have your heart set on a specific item, and do your research to ensure you’re paying the best price and that it’s like for like.

Stand out vendors

Tamara and Mark not only documented our day but helped us with timelines and planning. The other would have to be Bacon Brothers for amazing communication and making the whole process so easy on the day - especially when our venue was a paddock. The day wouldn’t have been possible without all of our vendors and I couldn't fault any of them. Everyone I have listed I would highly recommend.

Our Dream Team

Venue | Private Property

Tipi | Gather & Gold

Hire | Blackbird Hire, Rolleston Event Hire, Party Hire, Canterbury Portable Toilets

Catering | Bacon Brothers

Photography | Koru Photography

Celebrant | Keith Eleftheriou

Hair | Jess Denton Hair

Makeup | Stacey Banfield

Dress | White Lily Couture

Bridesmaid Outfits | White Fox Boutique

Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Hallensteins