Ashleigh + Troy
On January the 25th 2021 Ashleigh and Troy got married at their dream venue Markovina Vineyard Estate, in the gorgeous wine valley of Kumeu, Auckland. Ashleigh and I first met at a wedding where Ashleigh's brother was a groomsman. She was wearing a bright yellow dress and flower crown and she and Troy absolutely smashed it on the dancefloor so when she reached out to see if I was available to shoot her wedding I was ecstatic! I knew their day would be full of special moments, laughs, and a cracking dancefloor, and I wasn't disappointed!
I'm excited to bring you their magical day through this blog post. These two put so much thought into styling their day, you'll be blown away. I wish I was able to photograph this wedding in person but due to COVID travel restrictions my associate shooter Jonathan Suckling stepped in and I have had the pleasure of editing their wedding.
Take some time to read more about them and how they made their wedding celebrations unique to them.
PS. Check out Ashleigh's surprise reception dress made by her Nan!
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
It was 2014 when our love story first began, just 2 single twenty-somethings who met through mutual friends. After discovering our mutual interest in adventuring outdoors, eating delicious foods, and our love of animals it wasn't long before we moved in together and adopted our first fur baby Milly our gorgeous rescue cat. Board games are also a guilty pleasure of ours and we are quite competitive, to say the least! We absolutely love to travel and Troy actually proposed in the Grand Canyon, he had arranged a photographer to even capture the moment! There is also a picture of a very, very close call with a squirrel who also has a love for shiny objects, and almost stole my engagement ring soon after Troy had proposed!!
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling, and some of your favourite details…
We had a specific colour scheme that we wanted to follow a rustic/modern/winery wedding style to compliment the venue, Markovina. To tie into this theme we went with the deep red for the bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen's ties, and flowers. I loved the vines that Markovina has inside the reception area, this truly makes for some incredible photos from all angles! We also got some modern candle lanterns for the tables and I made the wedding favors which encapsulated the red/modern/winery theme.
Tell us about your main outfits:
The wedding dress or dresses were very special, as well as the veil. Both of the dresses and veil were handmade by Ashleigh's Granny. Ever since I was little I always knew I would want my Granny to make my wedding dress. Many, many hours went into making my dresses, including the 150+ handmade covered buttons!! Given the length of the train a second dress was essential in order to be able to do the first dance that we had learnt. Not only did she make two wedding dresses, but she also made both of the bridesmaids dresses. There were many outings to various suit shops to find the perfect suit for Troy, the suit, shirt and bow tie was from Rembrandt. Both the groomsmens suits were from Farmers with ties to match the bridesmaids.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
We had such a beautiful wedding, the whole day was a dream from start to finish. The ceremony was incredibly special and many happy tears were shed during very touching vows. One of the highlights of the day for us was getting to perform our first dance in front of our friends and family which we had learned (both never danced before, but keen dancing with the stars fans!) and have got some incredibly special photos of this that we will cherish forever.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
It's never too early to start planning! Enjoy every moment of the day, take it moment by moment, and truly be present within the day. Focus on what is important to you as a couple to make it a special memorable day, the beginning of the rest of your lives.
