Anna’s fairytale came true when she said “I do” to Peter at Larnach Castle in Dunedin. The iconic setting inspired their entire celebration, which was the perfect mix of elegant details and intimate moments. Anna tells us about their day…

“Our entire wedding was inspired by and styled around Larnach Castle. I am a Dunedin girl and was a flowergirl at Larnach Castle when I was seven, where I told my parents - I’m going to get married here one day! I think Larnach Castle always represented the epitome of that fairytale - girl meets a handsome prince and gets married at a castle. It’s such a beautiful, timeless and elegant location and the grounds are just stunning. I was lucky that Peter knew it was my dream venue and was happy to get married there.

“I had a vision of a sort of black tie ball meets Great Gatsby style party, which lead to a very classic black and white theme with copious amounts of flowers, crystal and Champagne. “

“I always thought my dress would be the easiest decision and it really wasn’t. I struggled to find something I loved. I’m a real accessories girl - of the opinion more is more - so I expected the dress I would wear would either be a real princess tulle dress or a lacey/sequinned affair. But I couldn’t find anything that I loved that also looked good on my body type/shape.

“After buying a dress from Auckland that I liked and felt OK in, I went to an appointment in Christchurch and was shown another dress. I remember thinking and saying: ‘I would never choose that dress in a million years. It’s everything I’m not - it’s plain with no embellishment, and its strapless’ (which I always said I didn’t want).

“The minute I put it on I fell in love. It fit me perfectly and suited my body shape like it was made for me. While simple, the fabric and the cut were classic and elegant and it meant that I could go OTT on the accessories without looking tacky. Given I hated the strapless look Izy pulled out a variety of sleeves and it was too hard to choose so my mother and I decided I needed ceremony sleeves, reception sleeves and dancing sleeves!

“My brother and sister gifted my beautiful pearl earrings from Gucci, and my parents gave me three strands of pearl necklaces. Such beautiful gifts I will wear forever and they were real highlights of the overall look.”

“Peter's groomsmen are all from overseas so they spent some quality time in lead up and the morning of the wedding at the barbers, driving around in a beautiful green vintage Porsche, and drinking whisky. “

“Unfortunately on the big day it rained and the wedding was outside. While it probably wasn’t ideal for our guests it really didn’t matter to us in the moment, and it’s made for stunning photos!

“The highlight for me was my entrance. We drove in and around to the back of the castle and then we emerged through the castle and down the castle stairs - it felt like a real fairytale entrance. I loved walking up the aisle and seeing Peter, and all the beautiful flowers!

“Our ceremony was magical and we incorporated a cherished Irish ring blessing. Our families all individually held our rings and infused them with good thoughts, hopes and blessings.”

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“The post ceremony Champagne tower in the stained glass cupola was truly beautiful and one of my favourite parts of our day!”

“Loved ones featured throughout our day - for us both this was key. My sister was one of my bridesmaids and Peter's best man was his brother. My brother did a reading and we made sure that our parents all had roles throughout the day so everyone was included. A cousin of mine is a bagpiper so he welcomed everyone and piped everyone into the ballroom. Friends made our cake, did my hair and makeup, did readings and made speeches. “

“I included a lot of DIY in the reception decor, and I really enjoyed this aspect in the lead up to the wedding. I created the table setting designs, designed the menus, made place setting cards, made the wedding favours and my mother and I had a ball collecting crystal from all over NZ in secondhand shops and online.

“Our Candy Bar was a huge highlight for our guests. We ordered around 40kg of candy (which we thought was way too much) and had only about 2kg left the next day!”

“The best part of the day was seeing how truly excited and happy everyone was for us - there were so many smiling and happy faces. It was our dream day.”