VELELLA & MICHAEL | HEDGES ESTATE, WAIUKU

There is something to be said for classic and sophisticated. And this wedding was just that - and more! Delicious neutral colour pallete went beautifually with the stunning Hedges Estate venue. The day was filled with a number of personal touches, like jewelry made by Velella’s Mum and hydrangeas for the bouquets from her garden, which made everything as special and meaningful as it possibly could be.

Tell us about your venue and why did you choose it:

Hedges Estate was the perfect mix of everything - the forest for our ceremony, rolling hills for our photos and an incredible country villa for the reception. It was all the venues we had been looking at in one location, On top of that it was the perfect amount of DIY that we had been looking for.

Where did you purchase your dress and accessories from:

My dress was from Felicity’s bridal. Veil and shoe anklets were Made with Love and my incredible Mum made my earrings! Other than that I kept it simple and only wore my wedding rings :)

What were the highlights on the day:

I loved getting ready with my mum, sister and girlfriends! It was such a fun part, super relaxing while being pampered, what’s not to love! Then of course seeing Michael for the first time. We both LOVED our ceremony. We actually felt like we were present in that moment. It was also the most surreal part - realising they day is actually here and we are really doing it!

Where did you find your inspiration for your wedding day:

I really just took inspration from the venue, a mix of elegance, tradition and earthy tones. I wanted to keep it simple, little personal touches rather than on-trend themes.

We saved on…

Flowers - my mum and I dried loads ourselves, and she picked big beautiful hydrangeas from her garden in Kerikeri and brought them all the way down for us.

We splurged on…

The food! We are foodies and we wanted our guests to feel fed, enjoying good food and good wine! We did Family style plates on the tables. We love our family dinners, and potlucks with friends so it felt only fitting for our wedding to be just that!

Our love story began…

Seven years ago working together at a Café in Mairangi Bay. Michael actually hired me haha!

Do you have any tips for other brides & grooms?

Relax!!!!! The little things that you get caught up on complately disappear on the day. Plan, be organised, make a RUNSHEET but once they day comes, let it all go. No matter what, trust the support you have around you and just enjoy the incredible ride, it truly goes so fast!!

Tell us about the proposal…

Michael proposed at the start of our OE. Staying with my sister and her family in a tiny little town called Smither in Northen BC, Canada. It was the peek of summer and we spent the day at an amazing swimming hole that we had been to each time we had visited my sister over the years. A spot where two rivers meet!