WEDDING DAY :: SNEAK PEEK

Just over 2 weeks ago, my favourite loon and I tied the knot. We became husband and wife on the back deck of my mother's house surrounded by our families. It was such a lovely, happy, loved up day!

Ben hails from Australia, and we were so thrilled with the amount of his clan that flew over the ditch to make our day all the more special! We had a brunch wedding (including pancakes, as Ben proposed to me on a pancake!), spent the day with our family, then flew off to Disneyland in the evening (where we had an absolute blast and spent our days on sugar highs). Here are some of the details of the day:

Bridal party: Keeping it in the family! My maid of honour was my brother's girlfriend Caroline (who is going to be my sister-in-law next May), my bridesmaid was Rachael (Ben's sister, and my new sister-in-law), and my two wingwomen were my younger sisters Elizabeth and Tessa – all of them looked gorgeous in their sparkly champagne dresses! Ben's boys included his best man Steve (who is pretty much his brother since they were little lads), and my brother Andy. They looked very dapper in their suits.

Location: We knew we wanted a small wedding with our families, so what better place to do it than at my mum and step-dads beautiful home? They very kindly let us have the wedding there, and they did such a wonderful job of getting everything sorted for the big day. It was also fantastic being able to get ready, have the ceremony and the reception all in the same place! Auckland's fickle weather meant that all the tables were moved inside after the ceremony, but having the reception inside was still cozy and beautiful. The fam did such an amazing job of relocating everything while we were out getting our photos taken!

Food: The catering company we chose was absolutely amazing. First of all, the food was delish – nibbles included banana and pecan french toasties, mini toasted BLT's, potato rostis with smoked salmon and dill creme fraiche, and porcelain spoons containing greek yoghurt, granola and berries. Beverages (aside from champagne) were pomegranate raspberry lemonade, and apple and mint iced tea. Our entree was a mixed grill featuring chorizo, mushroom, cherry tomato and a quail's egg on sourdough toast. The main course was buttermilk pancakes with streaky bacon, banana and maple syrup with a blueberry compote. The food was divine, but the service from Hamish Stewart Catering was impeccable! They were the glue that held the day together and made it flow like the happy tears we all experienced!

Litte touches: Lace from both my mother's and my grandmother's wedding dresses were sewn into the inside of my dress. The pearls I wore belong to my mother. I made a special collar for our dog, Juno, that matched the bridemaid's dresses. As presents on the morning of the day, Ben and I unknowingly gave each other our favourite candy! I gave him an enormous box of red licorice, and he gave me a gorgeous porcelain vase filled with marshmellows. We wrote our own vows. At the end of the ceremony, it wasn't just the celebrant that pronounced us husband and wife – all of our guests did! My mother and I made the wedding cake, which was lemon deliciousness with a cream cheese icing. I surprised Ben with ice cream hearts that went with the wedding cake (we originally wanted an ice cream cake but it just wasn't feasible). All the table runners, napkin decorations, wood slices, buntings, signs and stationary were created for the wedding day.

I'm sure you'll see pictures of these things very soon when the rest of our wedding photos come through, which were taken by the ever talented duo of Coralee and Alex.

PSST... there are plenty more photos and details over on my extended wedding post – click here to check it out!