Rochelle and Dillon’s Wedding
Kingsdown Manor
Images by Laura Johns Photography
‘We met in a bar 15 years ago. I was out dancing the night away, and Dillon was in the middle of an “anti-girlfriend pact” he had made with his mates. In his words, the pact shattered the moment he laid eyes on me. From the moment we were introduced, we’ve been inseparable.
‘We got engaged in Bali. We had talked about getting engaged for years but never looked into it further. The day before we departed for Bali, Dillon decided to buy a ring and started planning a proposal. With only backpacks, he managed to sneak the ring past me. On our second-to-last day, we had a full day planned at the elephant sanctuary and booked a sunset dinner at the Rock Bar in Ayana, Bali. This was our special booking to see the last sunset out in Bali before returning to New Zealand. Long story short, the whole day turned into a disaster. The 90-minute van ride back turned into a four-hour trip, and we missed the dinner reservation.
‘I was in a complete mood, and decided to enjoy my last night in the pool drinking lychee mojitos and Dillon was left stressing as his planned proposal had been ruined. He finally convinced me to go for a beach walk, set up the tripod and filmed the whole thing; I thought he was taking sunset photos, and Dillon simply dropped on one knee.
‘The ceremony was beautiful, intimate, short and sweet, just the way we wanted it, and our reception was an intimate affair – low key with beautiful florals and a slightly more casual vibe.
‘For a long time, we put off planning our wedding. With our busy careers and the demands of raising a young family, it simply wasn’t a priority for us. It lingered on the back burner until a dear friend, Bailey from Scene & Co. offered her wedding planning services. We decided to take her up on the offer, trusting her expertise and understanding of our style. Once we got our planner together with our talented florist and our incredible photographer, we felt a sense of relief. We happily handed over the reins of the wedding planning to them, allowing it to be a delightful surprise for us on the big day. All we needed to do was choose our attire and the rings and create a guest list; the rest was in their capable hands.
‘In a wonderful twist, we only informed our friends and family a few weeks before the wedding. On the day itself, it was nothing short of a dream come true. Scene & Co. and the vendor team executed everything flawlessly, capturing our essence perfectly. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, filled with little surprises that made the day even more special. It truly was the best day of our lives, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.’
