HAPPY DAYS

EMMELINE LEE and JULIUS GOH incorporated statement colours, lush foliage and a touch of tradition into their Auckland winter nuptials.

Julius and I met in high school when I was 14 and he was 15. Eight years later during a trip to Sydney, he proposed!

We fell in love with the garden area at Kumeu Valley Estate. Its natural beauty meant little needed to be done to dress the space; we simply added an arch with simple florals and placed rugs up the aisle in a stylish nod to the winter season. I chose a colour palette of grey and burgundy. We kept the styling simple, layering the tables with grey linens, olive branches and clusters of white candles in varying heights. Floral Designs by Iris created the bouquets and floral arrangements; proteas were my flower of choice for the feature bloom.

We also held a traditional Chinese tea ceremony where we served tea to our grandparents, parents, uncles and aunties. In return, they gifted us jewellery and money in red envelopes.

Before getting engaged, I already had a specific style of gown I knew I loved. I visited Secret Lace Bridal Boutique and chose a beautiful Rue De Seine dress which featured thin straps with a V-neck, a cinched waist and a delicate lace jacket over the top. I was lucky enough to find my veil in an op shop during a girls’ weekend in Wellington!

I wanted the girls to love their dresses, so I let them choose whatever style they liked, in a shade of grey, blush or burgundy. The boys wore tailored suits from Devonche, paired with black shirts, black bow ties and colourful socks! Julius wore a white shirt as his point of difference.

Towards the end of the night I made a surprise performance with two of my bridesmaids, dedicating one of my favourite songs to Julius. He always asks me to sing for him and I don’t do it often, so I thought it would be an added special gift for our wedding day.