Jessica & willie
7 FEBRUARY, 2020
It’s one of those beautiful age-old tales where you grow up as family friends, then fall in love as adults – at the Riccarton Races.
While bride Jessica and groom Willie were travelling to a friend’s wedding in Ireland, they stopped off in Sardinia for a holiday. ‘It was my birthday so we hired a boat to explore the various islands. At one island we anchored, swam to shore, climbed a rocky hill and while looking out at the amazing view, Willie got down on one knee.’
Because Ashburton is home, they instinctively knew this was where they would marry. Internationally award-winning Trott’s Garden was a natural choice. ‘The gardens are beautiful and should be enjoyed on such occasions. Also, our guest list was getting long so a marquee wedding was key.’
The couple chose their date as it gave them the long Waitangi weekend to celebrate with their guests. Jessica was so keen on booking the venue that she emailed Toni May at Silk Estate while they were still in Italy, to make sure the date was available.
From this date onwards, Jessica says, ‘Toni’s skills and expertise left me completely relaxed and excited about our special day.’ Jessica chose Louise Anderson Bridal Design to help her decide on the perfect wedding gown. ‘It was a mixture of the dress chose me and that Louise is a genius … a fabric engineer. What I initially thought my wedding dress would look like was nothing like the amazing dress that eventuated – I could not have dreamed up such a stunning gown.’The dress was capped off with hair by DNA Hair Dressing and makeup by Caron Shanks. ‘The overall effect made me feel amazing,’ Jessica says.
The most memorable moment of their day for both of them was the ceremony. The ring bearers and flower girls walked in to ‘All You Need is Love’ by The Beatles, the bridesmaids to
Dire Straits’ ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and Jessica walked in to Van Morrison’s ‘Crazy Love’. Willie says, ‘When I saw the ring bearers, flower girls and bridesmaids walk down the aisle … I knew Jess was next – and she didn’t disappoint.’ Jessica adds, ‘When I stopped at the top of the aisle with Mum and Dad on each arm, I looked up to see Willie looking so handsome, and it’s etched into my memory.’
Willie and Jessica’s reception was everything they wished for and more. Festoon lights and a large LOVE sign created a party atmosphere outside for the guests, where they could enjoy drinks from the rum bar. There was also a ‘family tree’ – where photos of their families were hung beautifully from the branches of an ash tree, situated beside the beautiful old chapel. Under the canopy of this tree is also where Jessica’s favourite photo from the day was taken by Frank Visser.
‘Frank is superb at capturing these special moments, so it was hard to pick a favourite, but I would have to say it is Willie and me sitting on the chaise longue as we were surrounded by all of our family – past and present. Kim Chan did an amazing job making this dream into a reality. Her ideas were magical and inspiring.’ The guest list was just short of 200 people, so two marquees were utilised for the reception – one for dining, the other for dancing, and grand chandeliers were hung from the ceiling.
‘We were incredibly fortunate we had great weather for our wedding. We were totally amazed by the food produced by Chantelle Quinn and her team at Twentyfour Catering. Chantelle’s food, coupled with her organisation, was pure class.’ The newlyweds’ first dance, to Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’, was made even more poignant, as they had seen the British legend in concert in the week leading up to their wedding.
Two marquees were utilised for the reception – one for dining, the other for dancing, and grand chandeliers were hung from the ceiling.
TOP Jessica's side of the bridal party included bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, flowergirls and ring bearers. BOTTOM The look of love. Willie is dressed in Sparrows Menswear, and Jessica in her Louise Anderson Bridal Design gown. Their look is topped off in jewellery from Robilliards Showcase Jewellers. OPPOSITE The couple’s first dance was to Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’, played by seven-piece band The In Crowd. Power Entertainment was also on-site to provide sound for the ceremony and speeches at the reception.