Waiheke Island Wedding By Joanna Wickham

By Magnolia Rouge

Jo Wickham is honestly one of the nicest people you will meet and having alongside you as photographer on your wedding day as Rebecca and Brian did, would be such a privilege. Since first setting eyes on it, Rebecca always knew Mudbrick was where she wanted to get married. It's perfect combination of gorgeous scenery, beautiful gardens and exquisite food ticked all the boxes. Beside that for a groom with a passion for fine wine it was an obvious choice. It also offered their guests the chance to escape the city and make a weekend of it.

How did you meet? Internet dating! We were both at a stage where our friends were all in relationships and big nights out every weekend were becoming a thing of the past so we decided to have a crack at the cyber world of dating. Once we met, we discovered we were in the University halls of residence in the same year and had several mutual friends.

Tell us about your proposal: We had planned a trip to Queenstown (the location of our very first weekend away as a couple) and after a lovely dinner, Brian suggested we pick up hot chocolates and take a walk along the lake front. It was a case of third time lucky as the weather had foiled two previous attempts at a romantic walk.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Another case of third time lucky. I bought two dresses from a website in the USA but around three months out from the wedding decided that nothing could compare with what had been my dream dress from the very beginning - the Aspen by Jenny Packham.

Any DIY/Budget elements? I made around 60 soy candles in vintage cut crystal glasses to go on the tables at Mudbrick. We also downloaded printable programmes, table numbers and a seating chart from Etsy and printed them out ourselves.

Favourite detail of the day: The handsome groom, the beautiful flowers, my dream dress, my gorgeous bridesmaids, the dashing groomsmen, the delicious cake, the awesome music, the delectable food, I could go on . . . .

What advice would you give out to a couple planning their wedding? Be organised (we set up a google document which was great, we could both access and amend it from home, work etc), focus on a few things that are most important to you both and make sure they are perfect, but most importantly make it fun!