Catherine & Kyle

Catherine & Kyle called upon friends and family to help them create their beautiful summer wedding with a rustic-country theme…

Our dream summer wedding happened on 21 December 2019 at a lodge in Waiuku, a rural vintage town in the south of Auckland. The venue was perfect for our rustic-country themed wedding. The picturesque landscape surrounding the beautifully restored 113-year-old country house was made even more charming by our DIY setup.   

Everything from the ceremony and reception arrangements, decorations, dainty flower arrangements, wedding backdrop, cake arrangement, and wedding souvenirs were all prepared and organised by the mother of the groom with the help of family, church family, and friends. We wouldn’t have been able to pull off this DIY wedding without their help and support. It was made even more special with friends and family (bride’s side) who flew all the way from the Philippines to celebrate with us and also helped us set up everything before the wedding day. Truly, everything was a labour of love.    

We chose to have an unplugged wedding ceremony officiated by the groom’s father, who leads our Church. We wanted to give everyone a break from technology. It made the event more serene and intimate, as everyone had their eyes set on us. It was also a chance for our guests to reflect and contemplate the lovely New Zealand countryside scenery as their backdrop. 

It is no doubt that weather in New Zealand is oftentimes unpredictable. It was raining throughout the whole week leading up to our wedding day. Since it was an outdoor wedding, people encouraged us to have a plan B, but thankfully there was perfect weather despite the forecast.

Photos by Ralph Bella Photography

Venue: Connemara Country Lodge