GARDEN Party 24.02.2018
AMANDA MCKELLAR and ZANE TE RANGI’S lovely barn nuptials called for touches of rustic elegance.
Zane and I met at the races five years ago. We’d been with our friends all day and it wasn’t until the after party that we locked eyes; the rest is history. When he asked me to marry him three years later, I was overwhelmed with happiness. He proposed in Kings Park in Perth during a casual stroll to “admire the view”. He even caught the whole thing on camera!
We chose a summer wedding, as the weather tends to be more reliable and we both love the warmth and sunshine. Our ceremony was held at a private garden in Feilding and our reception was nearby at a family friend’s barn – the ideal spot to host our 275 guests.
We kept our décor simple, focusing on floral elements. I gave Cheryl of Floral Collaborative my floral budget and told her I wanted white flowers with plenty of greenery, and to use her creativity to design whatever she thought would look best – she did an amazing job. It also helped that our family friend Kylie is a wedding planner. She definitely had an eye for what we were after, bringing our vision to life. As an extra special personal touch, Zane designed and made all of our signage for the day; he’s an incredible artist.
I was originally going to wear a different gown, but it fell through at the last minute. So six weeks out from the wedding I hurriedly booked an appointment at the Bridal Studio in Palmerston North. The form-fitting lace gown by Hera Couture was the second dress I tried on, and I fell in love with it straight away. It was exactly what I’d envisioned walking down the aisle in. To finish the look I wore a cathedral length veil, drop earrings and my rings. My wonderful five bridesmaids all wore the same plum red gown from Evolution, as
it suited all their body shapes so well.
Zane sported a full Hallensteins outfit, with an oat linen suit, brown boots and a buttonhole for a pop of colour created by our florist. His five groomsmen all wore the same outfit, excluding the blazer.
Dinner was a buffet-style feast with meat from our family farm, accompanied by drinks from the caravan bar and our delicious threetier chocolate cake made by our friend Aorangi West.
It meant the absolute world to us having all our loved ones around us to celebrate our love. Having our Maoriculture and heritage interwoven throughout the day made it particularly meaningful. We were welcomed into the reception with a karanga and waiata and had family and friends perform a haka later in the evening. That night there was no need for any additional ‘party starters’ – Zane and I are the party starters! And with the help of our incredible DJ Dan Butters, everyone partied on until the early hours.