Martha and Gavin

Our Love Story

Gavin and I met at high school and were at the bus stop when he asked me out. Some lovely people had bets on our relationship only lasting a few weeks, but here we are! We grew up together and worked through life’s challenges as a team, always coming out the other side better thanks to strong communication and utmost love for each other. I’m a Tattoo Artist and Gavin a Tech and Engineer. We now have a home, two dogs, two cats and an array of tropical fish. We’ve never been better and are so grateful to have met so young and to have grown up together.

Our Proposal

We went away to Queenstown for our usual anniversary trip away in November. Went to the supermarket and grabbed some bits and pieces for a picnic. Plus a huge block of mozzarella cheese and headed down to the lake just behind the gardens. We skipped rocks, took bites of cheese from the block and as we were skipping stones, Gavin told me he found a good one, I turned around and he was on one knee! I said yes, and then we had to recreate the moment for a photo as I needed that perfect Instagram post.

Our Wedding Planning

It was important to us that the plans for our wedding day allowed us to be fully in the moment. We can both be quite ‘up in the air’ sometimes, so being present and capturing this time was most important.

Planning the day was easy-peasy thanks to a little hired help - our beautiful friend Anna who organised and planned our whole day. We highly recommend getting someone to help with planning and organising - it’s an absolute lifesaver and took so much stress off our shoulders.

Our Wedding Day

The day itself was just beautiful. We had 20+ degree weather, the sun was blaring and the breeze was just right. We cruised through the day. Everything was set up at my parents' house underneath the Maungatuas. There was still some leftover snow on the mountain from the completely random dumping we had a couple of days prior! We both spent the mornings at our parents’ homes, where we took time to open gifts that we got for each other. For Gavin, I got the Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle in lego. And for my gift, Gavin purchased a keyboard and learnt our favourite song so that he could play it for me on our wedding morning. He arrived at my parents' house and set up secretly and I was then told to head outside. We then came together at the altar.

Having an array of lawn games was the best idea, as guests entertained themselves while we were off for photos. We also had a candy floss cart which was open all day. So Bao, our caterers, were absolute standouts. Their service was impeccable and our guests could order whenever they wanted, have seconds and thirds and the food was delivered right to their table.

We had confetti canons for when I came back before the reception with a dress change! It made for the best photos and a fabulous experience! We danced the night away, hugging our loved ones any chance we got.

Our Advice

From an emotional standpoint - Breathe. Take time for special moments individually and together so that you can remember every moment and stay present. It can be a very hectic day, so taking the time to feel, breathe and ground yourself is so important.

On a practical level, If you’re second-guessing having a videographer for your day, please do it. It is so incredibly special to have your day captured on film. Your biggest investment should be your photography and your videography, to accurately portray the story of your day. You won’t regret it!