It was alongside people renewing passports and paying pesky parking fines that Catriona and Richie (first featured in Issue 16), who split their time between New Zealand and LA, first said their I do’s – at the Wellington Department of Internal Affairs, to be exact.
£Richie and I signed our marriage paperwork the year before the wedding in Wellington, New Zealand. We wanted to have a wedding celebration and decided to do it on the exact same day, a year later. This way we would only have one wedding anniversary! Because we were technically married, we felt we could be quite creative with our day and do whatever we felt like and didn’t need to follow any traditions.
That being said, Catriona opted to give a speech at the ceremony instead of traditional vows, while Richie (a musician) responded with a song he wrote himself. £Richie singing me his vows was my favourite memory of the day. He wrote an amazing song for me and it was pretty special because I’ve been asking him to write a song for me for years… I never thought he would so it was a lovely surprise, says the bride, who adds that Richie wasn’t the only performer at this destination celebration.
£During canapû?s, various friends and family members had short sets of acoustic music whilst guests mingled. After his speech, Richie got his brothers and a few others up to sing Silent Night’. After Richie sang our first dance song, the cover band Cassius took over – these guys are great and Richie plays in the band occasionally. DJ Andy Day then closed the night out.
Adding to that, the pair tells us that the eats were another awesome aspect of the day. £The food was phenomenal. So much thought went into creating the menu. It was so delicious, I ate everything twice. We worked with Chef Vaughan Mabee (of Jacks Point), and he incorporated our Californian life into the menu perfectly with dishes such as Baja fish tacos with black tortilla, avocado and salsa roja and housemade burrata with truffle and heirloom tomatoes, she tells us, raving about photographer Fiona as well.
£Our photographer Fiona Andersen was so awesome – she totally got our vibe and we didn’t really give her much time to get the photos and she still totally nailed it! A day that was built on non-traditions, it’s not surprising that Catriona favoured a contemporary non-wedding wedding dress by Oscar de la Renta. £I had gone to several bridal boutiques looking for my dress with friends and I realised I wanted something a little different. I looked and looked and then one day I decided to go and take a look in Neiman Marcus in the evening gowns department and there it was! I picked it on my own, I just knew I loved it and wanted it…I’m glad I trusted myself!
As for everything else, this celebration was overflowing good tunes, great people and, apparently, some really damn good booze. Or, so says the bride with this cheeky bit of advice. £Everything comes together so just enjoy it. The time goes so fast. Don’t believe your body when you feel like the champagnes aren’t affecting you, as once the adrenaline wears off… it’ll hit ya.
Catriona and Rich’s New Zealand wedding was originally featured in our Issue 16. Search for your nearest stockist via suburb or postcode here, or shop online with Mag Nation or via the HM online store here.
CREDITS Photographer Fiona Andersen Photography // Event planner, Stylist and Floristry One Fine Day // Stationery Paperless Post // Ceremony, reception and catering Jacks Point, NZ // Wine Amisfield // Beer Panhead Port Road Pilsner, Three Boys IPA and Tuatara Sauvinov // Food Truck Francescas // Marquee Stella // Sound hire Strawberry Sound Hire // Covers band Cassius // Rings Brilliant Earth // Bridal gown designer Oscar de la Renta // Shoes Isabella Anselmi // Accessories Karen Walker // Makeup Amy Hollier // Bridesmaid Dresses Miss Crabb // Suit The Kooples // Bow tie Crane brothers // Flower Pin Cinabre Paris // Shoes RM williams // Watch Tag Heuer // Barber Room 104 Grooming Lounge // Groomsmen suits Working Style // Flower girl outfits Little Trelise.