magnolia rouge

Vintage Inspiration shoot by Nisha Ravji

May // 23

I’ve had this lovely styled shoot by Nisha Ravji sitting in my drafts for weeks and I honestly thought I’d already posted it. Not sure where my head is these days!! So without further delay I’ll leave the gorgeous Nisha to share the inspiration with you…

“The inspiration for this shoot actually came from a store in Pukekohe I stumbled across while roaming the main street – Vintage Love. I was absolutely blown away by the beautiful furniture, and fantastic french rustic feel the store had. I felt like I had come across a goldmine of styling and my mind set to work to find a location that would complement the beautiful accessories in Vintage Love. We eventually settled on an overgrown farm in north Waikato that would have the perfect light for us just as the sun went down and I hate to say it, but the drought played a big part in the pale colour palette before us which was supreme.

Alex our beautiful bride had just the look we wanted and was so easy going to work with, the dress and veil is actually her own and from designer Christina Rossi. Her hair and makeup was done by Veronica at Blue Dahlia Makeup Artistry. The flowers were put together by Chontelle at Flowers on Woodhouse who went with a decidedly country look to match our farm setting. The cake is chocolate vanilla bean layered and filled with fresh cream from the talented Sylvie at Roamingtaste. The furniture, props and accessories are all from Vintage Love.

Photography | Nisha Ravji, Prop Hire | Vintage love, Florals | Flowers on Woodhouse

Hair & Make-up | Blue Dahlia Makeup Artistry, Cake | Roamingtaste

Nisha Ravji is a member of our directory

Romantic Auckland wedding by Danelle Bohane

May // 23

I’m am thrilled to be featuring the wedding of Jessica Sim on the blog today. A talented fashion and wedding photographer in her own right, she chose the amazing Danelle Bohane to capture her big day. This incredible wedding was featured in the latest issue of Magnolia Rouge Magazine.

As a photographer herself, Jess knew the importance of a striking venue. After stumbling across Abbeville online, it was the only place the couple wanted to visit and they instantly fell in love with it. With heritage-listed buildings, beautiful gardens and its own vintage chapel, it had the ease of being able to hold everything from ceremony to reception all in one place.

The proposal: “It was very sweet. Rowan planned a surprise weekend getaway. He whisked me off to Waiheke Island and we stayed in a lovely clifftop house. It was a beautiful sunny day and after a yummy breakfast and walk around the island I found him waiting on the clifftop. He got down on one knee and popped the question. I very excitedly said yes and we celebrated with champagne and a gorgeous dinner.”

The dress: “I knew I wanted something comfortable to wear, and I’m not really one to dress up too much so I felt like something with a romantic Bohemian vibe would work for me. I went to a bridal show and I saw my John Zimmermann gown sashay down the runway and it just felt right. I went to try it on, and John remade it for me in a peach tone and it moulded perfectly to my frame. It was a dream to wear!”

The flowers: “Oh they were so dreamy! I wanted a rustic, handpicked feel with soft tones, and Naomi from Leaf & Honey captured it perfectly. They were my favourite detail of the day and filled our home for days afterwards too.”

Special moment: “The vows were our favourite moment. We couldn’t keep our eyes off each other and sharing that moment together is something we will never forget.”

Photography | Danelle Bohane SECOND SHOOTER Joe Tiddy FLORIST Leaf & Honey CAKE Carol Hogg

STATIONERY DIY VENUE Abbeville Estate BRIDE’S DRESS John Zimmermann BRIDE’S SHOES Pulp

BRIDE’S HAIR & MAKE-UP Carolyn Haslett BRIDESMAIDS’ HAIR & MAKE-UP Stacy Lee Ghin

GROOM’S ATTIRE Barkers CATERERS The Great Catering Company JEWELLERY Lovisa

Danelle Bohane & Leaf & Honey are both members of our directory

Bridal Accessories shoot by Laura Murray Photography

May // 22

How is your week going? We’re having some crazy wild weather around here… drove home in the most insane electrical and rain storm yesterday. Although obviously it pales in comparison to what is happening in Oklahoma right now. It’s so hard to fathom a disaster on that scale… literally having everything you own and know of reduced to nothing. Events like this really show the strength of human resolve (not to mention the strength of Mother Nature!) and it very very quickly becomes abundantly clear what the most important things in life are… human lives not things. My heart goes out to everyone affected and I wish them all the best for the coming difficult weeks.

Today’s feature from the lovely Laura Murray Photography is something a little different with this gorgeous shoot of bridal accessories. Styled by A Vintage Affair Rentals, there are lots of lovely ideas for you brides to be!

Our idea for this shoot was to create something simple yet beautiful. Boleros are my favorite way to dress up a basic gown — the lace and feminine detailing is the perfect accessory. And fresh flowers in the hair is a style I never tire of. We also showcased a diamond hair piece that make long, loose curls a fancier look.

Photography | Laura Murray Photography, Styling | A Vintage Affair Rentals, Boleros & Diamond headpiece | Blue Gowns

Florals | Bare Root Flora, Model | Kat McCleary

Inspiration Board: Blushing Beauty

May // 21

I was honoured to guest post over on The Perfect Palette a couple of weeks ago with the Blushing Beauty inspiration board. I love these soft romantic tones for a wedding, it’s such a timeless look.

Photos from top left; Bride | Caroline Tran, Gold glass | Edyta Szyszlo, Shoes | Sara Hasstedt, Placesetting | Anne Robert

Mansion | Rylee Hitchner, Bride | Caroline Tran, Cookies on a stick | Vicky Starz

Cake | Gigi-Mamma Cakes, photo by Chelsey Boatright, Bride with headpiece | KT Merry

Tuscan wedding by Carmen & Ingo Photography

May // 20

I have a cracker of a wedding for you this Monday morning… I hardly know where to begin with it! There is just so much prettiness here I think it might be my all time longest photo post!! If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Carmen & Ingo from Germany (who shot this incredibly Indian wedding), and not only that, we’ve also become good friends through this crazy online world! And what’s even more exciting is that they’re heading this way next summer so if you’re in the market for a photographer well you could have some German superstars alongside you on your big day. Get in touch with them if you’re interested.

From Carmen & Ingo… “We are super excited about this wedding. Not only because we were shooting the wedding of fellow photographers, also because it was a destination wedding in beautuful Italy. When Angelika and Artur first contacted us with the idea of having the wedding in Tuscany, we knew that it would be outstanding. It was 41° Celsius when we arrived in Montecatini Terme, and it was not forecasted to get any “cooler” for the Saturday wedding. So we got prepared for a new temperature record to shoot in. And it was!

During our location scouting on Friday, we met with Angelika and Artur and seeing this amazing location Villa Sermolli in Buggiano Castello made us almost sleepless that night. It is simply an amazing place to get married. The day started very laid-back with their friends and family getting ready in the wonderful rooms of the villa. Everything was already well-decorated and set-up for the party to start. It is unbelievable how much time these guys, together with friends and family, put into all the wonderful details and DIY projects. A very emotional and personal ceremony officiated by Angelika’s brother-in-law made for a perfect start for the very intimate wedding party. The time flew by actually in the garden with some little games, canapés and drinks. We could not wait to head out in the area around the Villa to do some couple shots with this gorgeous looking couple during the best light of the day. Have a special look at the outstanding wedding dress, which was made by Angelika’s cousin herself. It was breathtakingky beautiful. We had simply the best light for a shoot. We love those soft colors in Tuscany — the trees, the olive gardens and old Italian streets and houses.”