Matt + Laura | Whatawhata

This cosy backyard wedding was so speacial to be a part of! It was relaxing from the get go and we loved supplying all of the furniture plus some wee extras for Matt & Laura.

When we started the little venture of Love Club Hire, making friends was the absolutely last thing I thought could happen - especially with clients! But I am bloody lucky to have been surprised - the lovely Laura recently started her own new business (Skin Depot - check her out!) and came to me as she didn’t know where to get started. It was been my greatest pleasure helping her with her business, but also getting to know her as a friend. Such a pleasant surprise!

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

My parents had moved four houses up the road from us (in Whatawhata, Hamilton) the Christmas before. It came with a beautiful, manicured garden - it was begging for a wedding to be held there and fitted with the intimate theme of how we wanted our wedding to be. We were able to choose any day & date we liked and it meant we could use the set up for the next couple of days when everyone was still around.

Tell us about the proposal…

After four years of not so subtle hinting from me, Matt fell on a knee one regular day at home. I said yes before he could change his mind

What were the highlights on the day?

Surprisingly for us, the ceremony was the highlight, it was unrehearsed, raw and real. We had lots of laughs, including when people got over excited while I was walking down the isle and threw the confetti then- it was the best, you couldn’t have planned it, makes for great memories and everyone commented on how relaxed it was. There is something super special about having your nearest and dearest in one place together, vowing to support you in the journey of marriage.

Where did you find your inspiration for your wedding day?

We had a pretty clear idea of what we did and didn’t want our day to be like (there is beauty in getting married a bit older!) the trickiest part was finding the right vendors that could bring our vision to light. Matt let me mostly have free range, and I ran big picture things by him. Instagram is great for being able to follow the vendors you like by seeing a photo they feature in. My three year old ‘secret’ Pinterest board finally got put to use! I avoided regular wedding magazines but did flick through a few Together magazines.

Our love story began…

Online! We are a true life Tinder match! Farm boy, meets city gal- the rest is history.

We saved on….

Having a small wedding, with no bridal party and being able to use my parents place meant we unintentionally kept costs down but wasn’t the motivation to do it that way.

Do you have any tips for other brides & grooms?

You don’t have to do all the things! It is very easy to see pictures and lists of what you ‘should’ be doing and when, family & friends will also try and be helpful with opinions of how things could be done. Realistically you only need a celebrant and each other, the rest of the day can be anything you dream of. Also, I’d say get a few quotes for things if the quality is the same, as it’s hard to know what is realistic if you haven’t done it before.

Love Club’s wine barrels & wooden round platter

We splurged on….

Nothing was spared, we were lucky enough to have our dream day with everything we wanted. I did spend quite a bit of time sourcing the right vendors with the right prices which I think helped