Lia & Aran’s Wedding
Pigeon Bay Settlers Hall
Images by Robin + Andie
‘We met at a bar in Christchurch and danced the night away after a few espresso martinis.
‘Aran popped the question on his family farm looking out towards Stewart Island. We were on a walk with our daughter Hartley.
‘When it came to choosing my dress, shopping isn’t a favourite pastime of mine, so when my mum saw a dress advertised online, I was sold instantly. It was meant to be as it was almost a perfect fit when it arrived and I could not have loved it more.
‘We contacted photographers Robin + Andie to see if they had any available dates for the end of the wedding season, and we were in luck with 27 April. The three big things we needed for our big day – photographer, celebrant and reception venue, were all available and so the date stuck.
‘Our celebrant Megs, also a great friend of mine, planned the perfect ceremony of classy but relaxed vibes for us. Megs, being a Southland girl herself, found our rustic, country wedding very fitting and went above and beyond to add the final touches to our day. We wrote our own vows, with Aran’s following a song structure with metaphors to key music concepts.
‘Aran and I had our first look before the ceremony at Robinsons Bay Wharf. It was such a beautiful moment for us.
‘Our ceremony location at the Summit Road Air Strip, Pigeon Bay was stunning enough to have our bridal photos taken there overlooking Little Akaloa, and we continued down to the Pigeon Bay Wharf for some quite intimate photos of me and Aran before going to the reception.
‘We chose the Pigeon Bay Settlers Hall as our reception space because it holds nostalgic meaning for Aran’s mum and her sisters, who all attended dances and balls there in their younger days.
The hall has one of only two sprung dance floors in the South Island and with a great band like we had, Headrush, the floor was made just right for the night.’
Q&A
Did you have a budget and were you able to stick to it?
Yes, we set a budget that was relatively low in the scheme of weddings and we landed $2,000 over it which we were very happy with. Our budget required a lot of DIY and family input.
Advice for other couples?
Trust the process, it’s all worth it. Prioritise what’s important to you as a couple because you end up planning a lot of the day just for your guests, not yourself.
Who was your standout vendor?
Robin + Andie. Not only were they the best photographers we could have asked for, but they also made us so comfortable and were right into making our day feel like we were superstars.
