Melissa and Murray

Our Love Story

Murray and I knew each other 16 years ago and got around in the same group of friends. In 2020 I was separated and after going through huge change my girlfriend took me to the Tai Tapu Hotel one night for dinner and I recalled that Murray used to own it - I wondered if he still did. I had actually never been there, but we arrived and sat at the bar to eat as the restaurant was full and blow me down, Murray served me. We tried our best to chat but he was busy so handed me his card. After too many vinos, I text him that night. He replied but I was in a transition stage of life so thought it better to wait. Murray messaged me again, then on the day before lockdown I was moving out of my house and I heard from Murray again. The third time charm, I replied! From then on we were in regular contact until we could finally see each other. It was easy, it was fun, we got on so well, laughed all the time and became inseparable..

Seven months later, Murray proposed! After dinner with my family one night in Nelson he asked my Grandad and my Mum if he could marry me when my divorce was through. This was definitely not where either of us thought we would be but we knew how in love and happy we are and I said YES. As you can imagine this was a huge deal with Murray being 50 and never previously married so he coped a lot of slack, but overall everyone was incredibly happy for us.

Our Wedding Details

We wanted to prioritise a fun and light-hearted day that reflected us and everyone involved nailed that. Murray also lost his Dad a few years ago and with his Mum being unwell it was important to have her present. She visited Murray in the morning and helped the boys get ready which was so special to them.

We discussed when we should get married and decided on it being a year later.

I went to Brides of Merivale nervous because I really didn’t want to spend a lot and as I got to the third gown I looked down and it was a “Miss Chloe” my daughter's name and it was half the price I had seen on others so I knew that was the one. Rochelle was just amazing, arranging arms to be added to my dress and taking great care of myself and the dress. She was genuinely excited to be a part of our experience.

We were lucky actually as between us we had the best contacts so it was really special having all the people involved in making a wedding come together being people we know. It was the best feeling seeing everyone's smiles and how happy they were for us. Our venue manager, Jackie, was incredible and so organised, nothing was ever a problem and she came up with things I may have forgotten. Khaled the chef created the most delicious menu that everyone is still raving about. The wedding cars came from a local patron of The Tap and one from a groomsman.

Murray has done the most amazing job bringing new life to the Tai Tapu Hotel since he took full ownership four years ago and the landscaping he did for our wedding with Textured Plants was just perfect. We are so excited to now have a massive area that’s private and simply beautiful with the river and surrounding Tai Tapu hills.

A week before the wedding it finally hit me that the day was coming. A few changes started to happen with guests due to covid which limited our seating so we made the hard, but quick decision to have people come after dinner celebrations. Thankfully, people do understand working through these times throws its challenges. I did have our guest sign reprinted then when more couldn’t come I gave up and Jackie just guided people to their seats. The sign still looked pretty!

The day before, I cleaned the function room as I am an active relaxer but it was also exciting watching the marquee go up and some of the florals & lighting being hung from the top of the marquee. Adams (Celebrant) Mum, Dad and baby daughter even popped in, which was also special.

Murray's groomsmen are long-time friends and it was so nice seeing them scrub up, many were very surprised! They did they looked great in navy especially since Murray is a white fox. The help from Y.D in Riccarton was amazing they were awesome and did a fantastic deal. The bridesmaids were my younger sister and my soul sister and gosh they looked beautiful in their Shona Joy dresses. Blonde hair with that colour dress was just stunning and the florals matched perfectly.

My gorgeous Mum gave me away and our ceremony was filled with laughter as our Celebrant, Adam spoke. Hearing our family and friends so happy was amazing. It was nice to have something to celebrate in such a hard world right now. We both wrote our vows and even though Murray couldn’t finish his it was so special and meaningful.

Choosing a heli-adventure was amazing and with Murray being friends with our pilot, having him fly us to the spot he knew would be best was so wonderful. On our return, he did two swoops over the venue providing spectacular entertainment, especially for the guests looking up from the clear marquee.

Our cake was so delicious and gorgeous. The Cake Eating Company just created exactly what we wanted. It was 3 tiers with Vanilla, Chocolate and Sticky Date on the top which is Murray's favourite.

Another highlight was the band. Assembly Required played for us and boy did people boogie it was so great to see. The Tai Tap have bands play there on their gorgeous big back lawn during the Summer on Sundays and we knew them from that.

We still reminisce over how perfect our day was and that everything ran so smoothly. A lot of comments received back affirmed how fun it was even though we still followed a relatively traditional timeline and style. It was such a fun and happy day.

Our Advice

If it’s an option, working with someone like Fallon from The Little Hire Company is worth its weight in gold. It was definitely the best thing we did! Prioritising budget towards a great photographer to capture amazing photos is so important as the day flies by and you can miss a lot. Oh, and make sure you put an RSVP on your invite - I am such an organised person so no idea how I missed that!

Our Dream Team

Call us biased, but we are clearly screaming from the rooftops about our venue, the Tai Tapu Hotel. Overall, every single one of our vendors impressed us and we were so grateful to have them all.

Venue + Catering | Tai Tapu Hotel

Photographer | Sophie Isabella

Floral, Hire + Styling | The Little Hire Company

Marquee | Event Hire

Planner | Melissa and Jackie - Venue Manager

Celebrant | Adam Percival

Hair | Danielle Hall

Makeup | Stacey Banfield & Jess

Nails | Miss Bliss

Tan + Facials | Flexi Beauty Lincoln

Dress | Brides of Merivale

Bridesmaids Outfits | Shona Joy & Novo Shoes