It’s been a little while since we’ve featured the fabulous work of BENJAMIN & ELISE on the blog, and what better return than with this gorgeously fun school camp wedding of Leila & Jonny’s. These guys put so much time and love into making their dream day look like this ééò from having ééòcrafty Tuesdays’ with their friends creating things, to Jonny and his Dad making the tables for the reception! I love that their MC ééò one of their closest friends ééò embraced the whole ééòschool camp’ locality and turned up dressed as camp leader complete with socks, sandals and a clipboard and ensured all the ééòstudents’ were aware of the camp rules! Leila is wearing a gorgeous gown from one of our favourite designers RUE DE SEINE.
ééòWe wanted our wedding to be a celebration, not only of the two of us, but of all the people who fill our lives with love. Both of us grew up in the countryside surrounded in green fields and blue skies and we wanted this to be reflected in the location. With this in mind we decided to hunt down an old school camp that we could call home for a few days. With cabins onsite for people could stay in, a beautiful grove of trees by a river to say ééòI doééò under, an elevated field overlooking the paddocks ééò perfect for an outdoor dance floor ééò and a lovely old hall to feast in, we found the perfect spot in Hunua Falls, near where Jonny grew up. Laughter is also a massive part of who we are, so we wanted to make sure that there were smiles all round. We tried to bring in little tongue in cheek twists on the signs throughout the cabins, the hall and throughout the invitations. We also found an amazing celebrant called Yvette. She is all around awesome and made the ceremony perfect. It was the perfect balance laughter and more laughter!ééò
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL? Jonny proposed on the cliff tops of Uluwatu in Bali. When we first started dating Jonny was living in Bali so this is a place that is very special to us and one that we have spent many great memories. Over the last few years we have lived in Australia, Jonny part-time in Indonesia and now New Zealand. Although it was hard at times being away from each other in different countries it also made our relationship stronger as the time we did have together was really precious. Now that we are both living in New Zealand we can really appreciate seeing each other everyday. Well most days! We both have the same sense of humour so laughter is the key.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS? My dress is from New Zealand label Rue De Seine. I was really unsure of what I wanted for my dress. I had been to a few shops and felt really lost, but once I walked into Rue De Siene it felt really special. With such a beautiful mix of vintage pieces and their own lovely collection it was easy to find a dress that I loved. The beautiful vintage lace used for the bodice already feels like an heirloom piece to hand down.
ANY BUDGET OR DIY ELEMENTS? I grew up in an extremely creative family and have always loved making things. So when it came to our wedding day I was super excited to be given the chance to create the celebration of a life time! We made nearly everything ourselves or with the help of our wonderful friends and families. Jonny, his father and his friends made all of the wooden tables for the reception ééò definitely a bigger undertaking than originally thought! Every Tuesday night became Tassle Tuesday’s ééò dinner and wine with friends, scissors, paper and craft glue. Our lovely friend Chris Geoff made all of the hanging beams of lights that hung over the tables. We made white bunting for the fences outside, gold bunting for the roof inside, and coloured tassels for the outdoor dance floor. There were welcome banners for the entrance, outdoor signs made by my Dad, and lighthearted signs in all of the cabins. Needless to say Jonny is now very glad to have his evenings free from ééòcrafting’!! Haha All of our beautiful cakes were also made by our loved ones ééò they were certainly a MASSIVE hit on the day with big debates ensuing over which flavour was the best.
FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: Seeing how happy everyone was. Being surrounded by smiles and love from all the people that you hold dear. It was an amazing feeling!
Photographer BENJAMIN & ELISE / Cake FRIENDS & FAMILY / ééòLovers’ cake topper FROM THE OWL / Stag & Deer Ceramic Cake Topper MELABO WED / Florist LIBBY YOUNG / Stationery BRIDE & HER SISTER / Venue HUNUA FALLS CAMP FOREST / Bride’s gown RUE DE SEINE / Shoes MOOCHI / Hair piece THE WOLF CUB / Jewellery KAREN WALKER and MEADOWLARK / Hair PAM GRIBBLE / Make up FRECKLES & BLUSH / Bridesmaids Dresses LEANNE DAY / Grooms Attire CUSTOM MADE / Bowties TOPMAN / Caterer SAUCE CATERING / Rings NAVEYA AND SLOANE / Dressing Gowns SILK AND MORE / Music CONNOR NESTOR / Celebrant YVETTE REID
