ASHLEIGH & PETE
ASHLEIGH DONOVAN and PETER METCALFE’s summery Tauranga celebration was planned in little over three months.
Ifirst laid eyes on Pete in an Auckland café. We had a brief exchange and I left with a skip in my step – as one does when they encounter such a handsome man! Later, I was holidaying in Waihi and who do I run into but Pete. Our paths aligned, and I knew it was meant to be.
Pete’s proposal was heartfelt and romantic. We were holidaying in the dreamy Maldives and had been walking around the sandbanks when we stumbled upon a table surrounded by candles in the shape of a heart. Pete then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Little did I know, he had a photographer to capture the moment for us to cherish forever.
We got married in January, after a three- and- a- half-month engagement. Some people called us crazy for trying to pull off a wedding in such a short amount of time, but everything fell into place. We got married at the Black Walnut Venue on the outskirts of Tauranga.
This was the first venue we looked at and we fell in love with the glasshouse and stunning scenery. I had seen photography of the venue from another wedding, so it was a must-visit. We loved it so much that we chose a date immediately. The ease of ceremony to reception, the beautiful glasshouse as a wet weather option, and the owners – Dan and Mandy, who have thought of everything – were all drawcards. The venue leant itself to a romantic, modern and sophisticated vibe, and minimal styling was required.
I wanted a modern, yet elegant dress, and Trish Peng was the amazing designer that made my dream come to life. She put her own spin on things and created a silk, spaghetti strap dress, with a low back and lace edging. I would wear my dress every day, even to the
supermarket if I could! Trish also created a two-metre detachable train as a statement piece.
My shoes were from Mi Piaci and I accessorised further with gorgeous gold earrings from Zoe and Morgan.
My four bridesmaids (my sister as Matron of Honour and three of my best girlfriends) wore sand- coloured, custom- designed wrap dresses from Bali, paired with tortoise shell earrings, soft eye makeup and a deep lip colour, completed by Lipstick and Co Hair and Makeup. My daughter was the flower girl and she walked down the aisle with my now sister-in-law! We girls stayed at the venue the night before the wedding and ate, drank and laughed. We began the wedding day with a champagne breakfast, and presented my mum, dad and bridesmaids with a special gift.
Pete and his groomsmen wore suits from Tarocash. He donned an amazing suit and the boys wore suspenders and bow ties. Pete gifted personalised hip flasks and cigars to his groomsmen, to enjoy on the day.
Shaye from On My Hand created the most beautiful and elegant bouquet I have ever seen, made up of fresh and dried flowers ( because my favourite flower, the Protea, was out of season) with pink, orange, white and greenery.
We opted to do a first look with my dad, and a dress reveal to the bridesmaids, which was captured by our photographer, Joel McDowell, and our videographer, Logan Dodds.
With the sun shining, the boys arrived in a 1965 Mustang bearing the plate ‘ASH-PETE’. It had been personalised for our wedding, which is so special to us. Our ceremony was everything we wanted – and more. Pete and I are very family- oriented and we
released a dozen white helium balloons during the ceremony, to symbolise the family members that had passed on. We also had doves released during our first kiss, which seemed like something out of a fairytale.
El Mono Loco provided a buffet- style dinner, creating a fun atmosphere amongst 128 of our family and friends. I loved this style as it created a fabulous atmosphere and it felt a bit like we were at a Greek wedding. Everyone loved the lamb with mint yoghurt and the pear, blue cheese and rocket salad. We served espresso martinis with the canapés and everyone enjoyed those too.
Our wedding cake was a two-tier chocolate mudcake, made by This Little Cakery. It was a hit because there were no leftovers – much to my disappointment.
Everyone knows that a wedding isn’t complete without the adage of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue – I was lucky to receive this from the best man during his speech in the form of his holey underwear, which he said I could borrow. Everyone was in fits of laughter, at my expense.
Our first dance surprised everyone; we got lessons and rocked to ‘Crazy In Love’ by Beyonce and Jay-Z. From there, our DJ played a mix of old-school hip hop and RnB bangers that got the party started.
We’re yet to organise our honeymoon. We’re thinking of going somewhere warm and dreamy in the near future, to escape the New Zealand winter.
Thinking back, the highlight of the day was looking into Pete’s eyes as we said our vows to each other. Marrying my best friend and being surrounded by so much love and support from our nearest and dearest made it the most memorable day of our lives!