Gabby and Mark
Mark and I met through mutual friends in 2014. I was living in Wellington at the time and he was flatting with a few friends that I had met in Thailand. I came down to Christchurch to visit them and to give snowboarding a go, which is when I was first introduced to Mark. It wasn't until my visit the following year that we had some serious sparks! After way too much wine and lots of laughs, we hit it off and things took off from there!
We love being outdoors. Whether it's camping, kayaking, hiking/walking, we love exploring and adventuring around. We also really enjoy getting out and about and checking out new restaurants, bars and cafes, so naturally, we planned a stopover in Hawaii for my 30th birthday before the madness of the holidays as we made our way back to Texas in 2018 for Christmas with my family. Mark had prearranged birthday goodies and a bottle of bubbles in our hotel room on arrival and had planned a few surprise activities for "my birthday" a few days into our trip. We went kayaking through a rainforest which eventually led out to the sea and found a secluded beach where we decided to stop and enjoy. I asked Mark to take a picture with me and he decided to set the GoPro on a timer. When I turned around to pose for the picture he was on his knee! I shouted some swear words out of shock and happiness and it was an absolute yes! It was the ring of my dreams and it had already been engraved with the place and date, so there was no going back from there. We finished the day with parasailing and went back to the hotel, where they were also aware of the proposal plans and placed another celebratory bottle of bubbles and goodies in our room - Just bloody fantastic!
I originally tried my luck at the incredible wedding giveaway that Christchurch Weddings was having back in February. Following that, I followed along on Lucy’s recommendations and blog posts. One in particular which really stood out me, "If I was to get married again, here's how it would go down". It really resonated with me how Lucy said: "Nobody ever regrets having a smaller wedding". She made some amazingly valid points which I took on board and in the background, she was great at responding to any general questions or wedding chat and was just a friendly person to have on the other side of the phone that assured us when it came to celebrating our marriage to make sure we did exactly what we wanted to do. Our day was by no means traditional and maybe not to everyone's liking but we did what suited us. We went back and forth about what kind of wedding we would have and we knew that whatever it was, it would be small and intimate. We would have absolutely loved to have our immediate families with us but with Mark originally being from the UK, me the US, and NZ being home, the thought was a logistical nightmare. We love the outdoors and Wanaka is our favourite place so it was an easy decision and a clear no brainer for us! At the end of the day, I hope that any future brides and grooms do exactly what they want, no matter what that entails.
Finding the right photographer was key for us. Once we finally booked Sophie, the rest flowed pretty easy. One reason we decided to go against one of the many companies that offer the "all in one" packages down south is that we wanted to pick each vendor that suited our needs and our preferences. We feel like we nailed it!
We woke up in the most amazing accommodation with the most incredible views over Lake Wanaka. We had breakfast and bubbles, prepped platters for later in the day, and chilled out. I did my own hair and I was so lucky to have the amazing Stacey Banfield as my makeup artist. Once her and Soph arrived we created the real separation between Mark and I in the house. Mark and my dad were enjoying some beers on their balcony while the girls and I jammed to some tunes, drinking bubbles and doing our girly things. Once we were both ready, Soph set up Mark outside overlooking the lake and I did the good ol' shoulder tap for the first look. He got a bit emotional, we hugged had a few tears and were just so loved up! We then drove to the helicopter hangar jamming out to Tom Petty in a packed out car and soaked in the good views in good company! We checked in to Aspiring Helicopters and took off just a few minutes later landing on Lookout Hill and saying our "I Do's" there overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains! We explored, drank more bubbles, and explored some more. * Shout out to our Pilot, Andrew from Aspiring Helicopters who basically turned into a mountain goat when a gust of wind took my hat down the cliff edge! He managed to save it, we all laughed in disbelief and cheered at his mad skills!
We landed at a second stop to fulfil my dreams of a snow-capped mountain where we lost Soph knee-deep in snow and had a snow fight. This stop was unbelievable and I think everyone was equally in awe. We ended the day with our beautiful vendors coming back to our accommodation to join us for pizza, cake and once again, more bubbles! It was our perfect day!
The simplicity of some of the things we chose were some of the most special moments of our day. No fancy, mass catered dinner, but damn good takeaway pizzas and easy DIY platters. The helicopter ride - It was my first time in one so I didn't know what to expect and holy smokes it was so much fun! The splurge on the perfect accommodation. The best of the best vendors by our side! I'd say the whole day was unique to us and it was all very special!
Our top piece of advice to pass on to future couples is to ‘do you’. Don't have a wedding to please others. It's your day, your rules. And just enjoy the moments because it's finished in a blink!
All of our vendors were standouts. Literally. Sophie and Stacey are simply just the best at what they do and they made me feel as if I had my girlfriends with me on the day - My stand-in bridesmaids! And Sharyn was just an absolute hoot and we knew that she would provide the laughs and great company! Cody was wonderful to deal with and was equally as excited about our day which was very cool- we cannot wait to see the great work that he has created for us.
Vendor List
Elopement Location | Lookout Hill & Black Peak, Wanaka
Accommodation | Release Wanaka
Helicopter | Aspiring Helicopters
Photographer | Sophie Isabella
Videographer | Cody Bryce Creative
Florals | Blooms of Barker
Celebrant | Sharyn Payne
Makeup | Stacey Banfield
Dress | Purchased from ASOS, then completely altered (unrecognizable) to reflect a tailor-made dress for me! Minh from Pretty Things was incredible at customizing!!
Brides Accessories | Nicole Fendel, Lack of Color
Grooms Attire | Cutler & Co, Three Wise Men, Barkers
Rings | His, Good Gold - Hers (wedding band) Etsy
Cakes/Desserts | White Rabbit Cakes