We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Gemma Green, who shared her unforgettable wedding at the breathtaking Man O' War Vineyard on Waiheke Island - just a hop and a skip from Auckland CBD. With Gemma and her husband currently residing in Australia, we were keen to know how they found planning a destination wedding from across the ditch, sharing any words of wisdom to future brides hoping to do the same!

Gemma absolutely wowed in a stunning Karen Walker two piece gown, complemented by elegant Prada accessories. Let's delve into her beautiful wedding journey and the magic of tying the knot amidst the scenic beauty of New Zealand's favourite vineyard Island.......

Congratulations Gemma, what a beautiful wedding! We are so excited to talk to you about your stunning day. Firstly, who's idea was it to get hitched on Waiheke and at Man O War? Did you two have any previous connection to the Island?
I actually wanted to celebrate the wedding in Melbourne where we’ve lived for the last 8 years, however Adam was concerned that would mean lots of our friends and family in NZ wouldn’t be able to make it. So then, the choice was always Waiheke. It’s a beautiful place and we love a beach and a winery so why not go to the spot with the best on offer

How did you two meet? tell us a bit about yourselves 
We met in a bar! I was about to head off overseas in 2015 and was having a final blow out with my bestie in Auckland Viaduct. We were dancing and there were lots of guys.. but I spotted one across the room laughing at me. He caught my attention and so I kept going up to him. We spent the evening laughing and talking and didn’t leave each other’s side. A few days later, the night before I left for Europe, Adam took me out for dinner and gifted me a power bank for my phone as I was traveling. Too cute! Once I returned, we met up straight away and were inseparable. We decided to move to Melbourne in 2016 after 5 months together and have been loving life here with our little doggy Thomas ever since!

Did you do the wedding planning together and if so how was that?
We did! I loved that Adam was so interested and keen to be involved. I was never the girl who had “planned her wedding since she was 5” so it was lovely to go through the process together. There was lots of compromise and, to be honest, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows but we stood by each other and pushed through. Wedding planning is hard and it does take a toll especially in the last few weeks but we were each others' biggest support and that ultimately helped us get through and create an amazing day.

Did the location add any additional hurdles you hadn't factored in? 
Knowing that Man O War is super complicated to get to, I think we were prepared for the hurdles. We felt bad for our guests having to travel but the venue is so stunning, we knew it would be worth it. We hired busses and had heaps of information for people communicated through the wedding website to help ease the location pain point. On reflection, I think it would have been nice to have visited the venue more before the day, and viewed the onsite accomodation before we’d booked but we did our best with the information we had at the time. 
Did you use any planners or online tools in the lead up to your day?
I WISH! We got through a lot of heavy lifting at the start of the planning process, so we thought we would be fine without an official “wedding planner”. I also had a really strong vision with the styling so we were fairly comfortable with that. I listened to countless podcasts which helped significantly (The Kiwi Wedding Podcast, Manage My Wedding Podcast, The Wedding Edit, etc). Then I had a master spreadsheet with a tab for every part of the wedding which I referred back to a lot. Adam made a really professional budget spreadsheet so that’s how we kept track there. I just did not comprehend how stressful it would be in the final weeks leading up to it. That’s when I wished we'd had a planner. 

Photography:
Bek Smith Images
Florist:
Wildly Madly Deeply
Venue:
Man O War Vineyards
Hair & Makeup
The peach club
Brides dress:
Karen Walker Atelier
Shoes:
Prada
Bag & Bow: 
Prada
Tamborines:
Hey Lola

Where did you find inspiration? Your look was so refined and elegant.
Thanks! It all started with my favourite drink - a limoncello spritz - and escalated from there. I loved the limoncello colour palette

What drew you to your gown, had you tried many previously? 
I loooove my gown! The team at Karen Walker Atelier did an incredible job. I tried two boutiques in Melbourne, of which one was a strong contender as they had quite a few two piece options. I love a co-ord set so knew I wanted a two piece from the beginning. I also love the idea that I could wear the top again one day. However, this place in Melbourne did not do in house alterations, the lead times were crazy long (9-11 months) and I couldn’t even find where there dresses were made or where the fabric was sourced.

I loved that Karen Walker are really conscious of what they’re putting into the world and they have a whole sustainability code-of-conduct that you can easily find on their website. They were also really personable and offered gowns on the rack, with any alterations you want. I fell in love with the iconic bow on the back of the original gown and they designed the two-piece from there. I wanted a split in the skirt so I could move freely and show off my cute shoes. The second dress really caught me off guard when I tried it on. They made it into a mini for me and it was really babydoll cute - perfect for our first dance. I wouldn’t normally jump at a peplum style but their designs are flawless, stunning, original and I just felt so comfortable in both looks. Obsessed! Best part of the wedding planning process.

The accessories came in late in the process - they were a bit more last minute. Our flower girls had black velvet shoes and bows for their hair and then I found the black velvet Prada bow.. and shoes.. and bag. It all really escalated. I regret buying my Mach & Mach wedding shoes so early because I ended up adoring the Prada accessories and could have just worn the little Prada shoes all day instead. So maybe my advice to future brides is to hold tight and don’t rush into the accessories as you may change your mind closer to the day. You just never know! 

 Where did Adam find his suit and what was his style must haves for the day? 

Adam already had a tuxedo so just purchased a few nice things like a pleated shirt (which I altered with some nice black pearl flower shaped buttons he found!), patent shoes, engraved gold cufflinks. He couldn’t decide between a white or black bowtie. I liked the white and he liked black. He surprised me on the day, wearing his white bowtie for the ceremony and changed to his black one afterwards.

What were some of the most memorable moments from your wedding day? 

Definitely the vows. There was so much love radiating in that little chapel. One of my bridesmaids played some songs with her ukulele during the certificate signing and that was so special. Portraits was fun because it allowed us to have a breather between the chaos. I remember doing stretches with the girls on the grass and just giggling. Another bridesmaid sang Dreams by the Cranberries for our wedding entrance and all the guests were banging their tambourines while we ran in which was epic. Also the first dance was so fun - we did the routine from Dirty Dancing. It blew everyone away and then we really let loose after that was finished! So many amazing moments. 

How did you and your partner personalize your wedding to reflect your personalities?

So many nice touches. The guests were greeted with a limoncello sprits on arrival - my favourite cocktail and like a “lemonade for adults”. We had a family friend / waiheke local sing us down the aisle and play acoustic sets before and after the ceremony. Our beautiful friend Vanessa was our celebrant who has known Adam since school and I loved how personal and special that was. We avoided some wedding traditions that didn’t suit us. We chose linen signage because I love fabric and sewing. Every guest had a personalised tambourine to bang and make noise with. I love cake and Adam loves ice cream so we kept dessert simple and had exactly that! Served with espresso martinis, of course

Do you have any advice for couples planning their own destination weddings?

If you don’t have a wedding planner, at least get an on-the-day coordinator. It will help things run smoother. I really regret not doing this but all our guests still had a great time and had no clue that some things weren’t quite right. I just put in so much effort and some details were missed which is the nature of the day but I feel like that little bit of extra help would have made a significant impact to a seamless day. Listen to lots of podcasts so you’re as educated as you can be! Set a budget and double it HAHA just kidding but seriously you need to have a buffer because things do blow out in the lead up. 

How was your experience working with vendors and coordinating a wedding from afar? 

Our vendors were really amazing. We chose so well and were really lucky. It was probably sometimes tricky with the time difference but that was minor. Everyone was really good at communicating which is crucial when coming from afar. 

How is Married life going !?
Really beautiful! There is so much to be said about marriage and changing your name and all that but there’s no denying that making a huge commitment, and celebrating it, in front of everyone you love truly does make you feel more united, more like a team. Before the wedding, I was unsure about a name change but now I’m really excited to add Adam’s surname to mine. We are a team and we have created a wonderful life thus far - I am excited for our future :)

Congrats 
Gemma & Adam
xo

 but also wanted to incorporate green, so chose the mint with black trim napkin. The black trim then inspired accents of black / black bows galore. There was lots of instagram and Pinterest searches, looking through wedding journals and working with our incredible stationnaire, Tyne from Hey Lola Design. She really helped to bring everything together and I’m so glad we got our stationary done professionally. 

Photography:
Bek Smith Images
Florist:
Wildly Madly Deeply
Venue:
Man O War Vineyards
Hair & Makeup
The peach club

Brides dress:
Karen Walker Atelier
Shoes:
Prada
Bag & Bow: 
Prada