Kate and Harry sound like they should have a show, guys. “We met when I moved into a flat in London with five other New Zealanders and a token English guy, who happened to be Harry. We hit it off pretty quickly and joined rooms (and rent) about two months later, before moving to Melbourne together nine months after that.”
Two-an-a-half years later they were planning New Zealand nuptials (thanks to the bride’s heritage), but “COVID-19 had other ideas, and we had to cancel about three weeks out from the day.” Their second and third dates had to be ditched too, due to Melbourne’s lockdowns, so you could say getting married wasn’t looking particularly good at this point. However, they decided to cancel it all and elope and we are here for it, friends. “We decided to move forward with the elopement, as the main feeling we both had when this began was how sad we were about not being married. We are so glad we went ahead with it.”
Their wedding on the Mornington Peninsula first appeared in the Real Wedding Special 2021 (You can purchase Vol. 8 here – use code DOUBLETROUBLE) and we are stoked to be sharing the gorgeous snaps from the legendary Ashleigh Haase online today. Start your scroll, peeps…
THE VENUE “We originally had planned a wedding at a winery in NZ (where I’m from). When we decided to move forward with having a wedding day here in Australia, we always knew we wanted the ceremony to be on St Andrews Beach. We spent the last weeks of lockdown searching for somewhere to have our ‘reception’ that had a big beautiful space for dining, enough space between bedrooms for us to both get ready and of course somewhere that would take our cavoodle Ned! It was the perfect house.”
MARRIAGE MEANS “It means there’s no going back! No, but seriously, it’s like there’s this invisible thread that now ties you together – you’re a small team, and nothing can really beat that. Harry and I will always support each other in everything we do, no matter what.”
REFERENCES “Instagram and Hello May – we found everything through both.”
LITTLE LOL “We had set up a Zoom link for our friends and family to watch from afar. It wasn’t until after the ceremony that we realised the video had flipped when we put the phone on the tripod so everyone was watching with their heads turned sideways! The sound was also drowned out by the waves in the background…all round a bit of a disaster, but the whole thing was pretty comical!”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “It was really nice to be able to spend the night before together with a couple of friends, and spend time with each other in the morning. We went to separate bedrooms to get ready before doing a first look a few hours later. It made the day so nice and relaxed, and we didn’t feel any pressure. We’re so glad we did it this way against the usual tradition. ”
STANDOUT VENDOR “Ash, our photographer, was amazing! She was so easy to get along with, and it felt like she was just part of the day. Her photos were stunning and the location she chose for sunset was epic. She definitely made our day!”
Looking for your own line-up of Vic vendors to make your day? Head on over to our directory to find the best of the best, including lens lady Ashleigh Haase.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Ashleigh Haase Florist Poppy Culture HQ Ceremony venue St Andrews Beach (Rye back beach) Reception venue Private holiday home Capri House Catering Some Guys Food Celebrant Naomi Korolew Rings Top Image Jewellers THE BRIDE Bridal gown designer Mariana Hardwick Veil Borrowed Robes Sleepy Dee Shoes Loeffler Randall Accessories Meadowlark Hair & Makeup Sophie Knox THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt, Trousers & Bow Tie The Bespoke Corner Cufflinks OTAA Shoes Charles Trywhitt Watch Rotary Barber Barbers of Elsternwick