A fabulous fiesta
Catherine Te Reo and Caleb Tamihere were married at the Kumeu Valley Estate on Friday, September 27, 2013.
Will you marry me? Caleb and I met as geeky teenagers through mutual friends at a house party. Eight years later, we embarked on our first big overseas trip together, backpacking through South and Central America. Caleb popped the question on Christmas Day in a Brazilian resort town called Búzios. Winter wonderland We wanted to get married on our 10th anniversary, which fell in September. Avoiding the peak wedding season meant we saved a lot of money, and I loved that the cooler weather allowed me to style my hair down and wear a dress with long sleeves! To eliminate the stress of rain ruining the big day, both the ceremony and reception took place indoors. Simple stationery Caleb created our stationery online, personalising our invitations by incorporating photos from our trip. A friend of ours designed a monogram from our initials, which we used on everything from our invitations to our menu. Setting the scene We wanted our guests to feel as though they had escaped on holiday for a day, so inspired by our backpacking trip, we embraced a South/Central American theme. Kumeu Valley’s barn was the perfect canvas – we decorated tables with bright-hued glass bottles and vibrant spring blooms, while festoon lights and white doily bunting added to the festive atmosphere. Blushing bride I had always wanted a dress that was classic, lowkey and comfortable – I fell in love with a range of Sera Lilly’s designs, but finally settled on a figure-hugging lace gown that featured a subtle train and long sleeves. At the last minute I opted to pin my long hair back with two white flowers, and accessorised with my favourite ruby stud earrings my nana had given me years before. Endless entertainment To kick off the fiesta, a three-piece mariachi band played straight after the ceremony. DJ Andy Flyboy – who exclusively uses 40s to 80s vinyl records – then took the stage, letting us boogie the night away to a set of upbeat tunes.
Feast for all
Our 80 guests indulged in a sit-down plated menu inspired by favourite meals from our travels – ceviche, tacos, Jamaican jerk chicken and plantain crisps. A two-tier lemon masterpiece acted as dessert – adorned with white ruffle icing, we paired it with sugary doughnuts as a decadent finish to the feast.
For our guests
As we travelled, we collected cute knick-knacks from local artisan markets we stumbled upon, finishing with an exotic array of bird whistles from Peru, dolls from Cuba and ceramic turtles from Mexico. We offered these as favours to guests, labelling each with the guest’s name alongside geographic coordinates – guests could punch the numbers into Google Maps to find out the exact street and building it came from.
Floral fantasia
Sienna Rose Flowers arranged vibrant clusters of peonies, chrysanthemums and billy balls into bouquets carried by myself and my bridesmaids – their vibrancy meant our celebration’s festive palette carried through to all our photos. Friends and I also made fabric flowers for our guests to wear as hairpins or boutonnieres – the creations meant everyone became part of our spirited theme, no matter what they showed up wearing on the day!
Perfect preparation
We rented a beautiful home two minutes from Muriwai Beach and 10 minutes from Kumeu Valley Estate. As well as providing a spot for the whole bridal party to have breakfast and get ready together, the house’s large windows and stunning pockets of natural light made it the ideal photo setting.
happy snaps
Instead of a standard photobooth, we invited people to snap a polaroid of themselves and peg it onto lengths of twine – many guests penned a heartfelt note on the back of the photo, meaning the collection now serves as a cherished guestbook.
Suited up
The boys struck a balance between formal and fun by offsetting their suits with patterned shirts and ties. Barkers’ use of navy cloth offered a casual alternative to the traditional black suit.
My advice for brides to be
Asking guests to leave their cameras at home was one of the best decisions we made. Not only did it allow our photographers to do their job properly, but it also meant people could relax and thoroughly enjoy the day’s events.