Ceremony & Reception - Anna + Willy’s Home
Type of Event
Wedding
Location
Reception party - private residence, Gisborne
Anna and Willy got married at their beautifully restored weatherboard home in Gisborne. Making their dream of a country wedding on their new property a reality.
The Design Studio was engaged for Full Styling, Planning and On the Day Co-ordination to ensure that every element was taken care of. With a stunning clear marquee as our blank canvas, we were able to create the couples’ dream day to fit their vision. Being in Gisborne, we sourced & engaged vendors from around the North Island and created new relationships whilst doing so.
We spoke to Anna & Willy about their special day
What were your non-negotiables for the day?
When it came to choosing the non-negotiable aspects, we thought about the things that would leave lasting memories; so of course, the photographer was at the top of our list. It was really important to us to be able to look back on our photos and fall in love with them year after year. Catering and entertainment were close behind - both of which were important to us because we love food and we love to party!
How did you decide what to prioritise when it came to planning the wedding?
I’d taken some good advice from friends who had been married before me; don’t sweat the little stuff - and get a good wedding planner! We knew our non-negotiables, so we made sure we locked them in first and foremost. I’m a project manager - but I’d never planned a wedding before, so I did what I knew best and outsourced to someone who knew this world and could guide us in prioritising what was most important and could provide us with options. Having Lucy’s help made things so much easier, she provided advice that steered us in the right direction when it came to making sure the right things were prioritised, and I had so much trust in her because she knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it happen.
How did you decide what to prioritise when it came to planning the wedding?
Having the wedding at our home was a dream come true! It was the perfect back drop for what we envisioned our country wedding to be. Everything we needed for the day was easily hired, brought to site, set up and packed down and all managed by Lucy with out us having to stress about it. Don’t get me wrong - it was a lot of hard work getting the place up to scratch, but it was worth every second of time spent in the garden, mowing lawns and carefully manicuring the hedges. It was also really lovely to have our friends and family in a relaxed environment with out the formality of a wedding venue. We spent the afternoon having photos in and around the house while our guests played lawn games and lounged on the beautiful furniture we hired for the day. We had all the space in the world to celebrate and party with everyone well into the evening and didn't have to worry about noise or be conscious of time. It was pure bliss.
The Design Studio can travel nationwide. We work with our couples remotely and have close relationships with suppliers around the country. Where we can, we source local suppliers to support business in the area.
We usually require a site visit about 12 months out from your big day to scout out the venue and work through any details that may be an issue. this enables us to forsee any problems that may arise before the day and ask any questions that we need to.
-
Full Styling, Full Planning & On the Day Co-ordination – Truly Yours Design Studio
Catering – Jess’ Underground Kitchen
Photography – Bayly & Moore
Videography – Josiah Nevell Photography
Marquee, large hire & crockery – LL Hire
Furniture hire – Flock Events
Florals – Michele Coomey
Invitation suite - Paperweight
Candles – The Pretty Prop Shop
Napkins – Tble Linen
Cutlery – Royal Laboratorie
Makeup – NZ Makeup Girl - Krystal Hayward
Bathrooms - Lavish Loos
