The details: 

Bride’s gown: Custom gown by Trish Peng

Hair: Inspired hair

Makeup: JMars Makeup

Bridesmaid Dress: White Runway

Groom’s Attire: Barkers

Location: Abbeville Estate

Catering: Great Catering Company

Photographer: Jesse and Jessie Weddings

Videographer: NZ Wedding Films

Flowers: Blush

Signage & Décor: Harlan Creative and Society of Loves

Lighting: La Lumiere

Cake: Cake by Kristen

DJ: DJ Cade

How did you meet?

In 2008 David and I met through a mutual friend on the bus home. We exchanged a friendly “bye” as David got off the bus a couple of stops before mine. Later that day I received a friend request on Bebo – the social media platform that was around before Facebook arrived. Who would’ve thought that 13 years later we would be tying the knot.

When and where did you get married?

The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of St Patrick & St Joseph, just as we had imagined growing up. The reception followed at Abbeville Estate where our clear marquee dreams came to life with the help of Twelve Tables and our other incredible vendors.

What was the theme/aesthetic of your big day?

It was really important to us that our wedding aesthetic will stand the test of time and we would look back in years to come and still be absolutely in love. We incorporated mainly whites, neutrals and greenery into our colour palette with a small amount of black to polish things off. We went for a pristine, timeless, clean-cut, classic yet modern aesthetic.

What was the biggest source of inspiration while planning your wedding?

Our love for the outdoors, the summer weather and natural lighting was a big source of inspiration for us. We come from a culture where weddings are grand and often held in large ballrooms to accommodate the numbers. It was important for us to create a wedding that was unique to our personalities while still incorporating our culture and traditions. This is why we went with a marquee wedding – it gave us the opportunity to create a space that accommodates our guests while providing us with endless opportunities to bring our vision to life.

The most memorable moment from your day:

There were so many memorable parts to our day that picking only one is almost impossible. Each moment represented something so special for us whether that was walking down the aisle and seeing David emotional at his first glance of me or saying our vows. Above all, we would say that the atmosphere and energy throughout the day would be the most memorable part. There was something very special about our wedding day which was filled with so much happiness, love, joy and culture and we couldn’t have dreamt of a more perfect day.

The biggest hit on the dance floor was:

We had a great balance of both Arabic and English music throughout the night which got all of our guests up and dancing the night away. The biggest hit would have to be the music we selected to make our grand entrance to our reception which was accompanied by a Middle Eastern hand drum called a doumbek, passed around and played by our family and friends. The first song was a special mix created for us followed by two hits (Yalla Habibi – Ragheb Alama, Seyi Shay, Costi, and, C’est La Vie – Khaled).

We honeymooned in: Queenstown. We had the most magical week relaxing, wining and dining.

Did you always have an idea in mind of what you wanted your dress to look like?

I approached the search for my wedding dress with an open mind as I knew that it was a possibility that I could fall in love with a dress I didn’t think I would. Despite trying on a variety of different dresses from different designers, hoping that I would find “the one”, I was left somewhat disappointed with not many options left. I quickly realised that I had a particular design in mind with a vision for specific fabrics and detailing, and, unfortunately, I couldn’t find all these details in one dress. 

I created a comprehensive mood board detailing all the specifics for my dream dress including fabric swatches, silhouettes and sketches in an attempt to put down my ideas on paper. I approached Trish for an initial consultation for a custom gown and I was blown away by how easy the process was. Trish carefully listened to my concept and was able to put together all of my ideas in one sketch. Seeing the sketch for the first time was both relieving and exciting at the same time. 

Picking the lace was my absolute favourite part of the process and from there the dress came together quite quickly. Trish and Ashleigh were the absolute best dream team and together we problem-solved along the way. My two favourite parts of my dress would have to be the detachable alternative straps which made dancing the night away all the more comfortable; and the combination of the single-layer lace deep v backline with the thin band cutting the waist which really showed off the beautiful layered lace I picked.