Our names are Coll and Shelley and we live in the heart of Central Otago, in a little place called Chatto Creek. Coll is a farm manager aged 40. He is orignally from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. He has been in New Zealand for 17 years. My name is Shelley-Mae, (33). I am a stonemason. I grew up on a sheep farm in a south coast town called Tuatapere.
WHEN AND WHERE DID WE MEET?
We met online. Crazy I know, but hey don't knock it until you try it! Coll was living in Te Anau at the time and I was in Wanaka. We spoke on the phone for about a week until I drove down to meet him and he took me to lunch. That was December 11, 2011, exactly three years and one day before the day we got married.
THE PROPOSAL:
The night before duckshooting, we were getting ready to go to our local pub and I was racing around because I was running behind time. I ran into the lounge where Coll was down on one knee. It stopped me in my tracks. He had chosen the ring himself and the moment was beautiful.
WHERE WAS THE WEDDING?
In Omakau at The Homestead on Racecourse. It is a brand-new venue, owned by Judy McNeil and Andrew May. Ours was the first wedding to be held at the venue as its official opening was only the weekend beforehand. We could still smell the fresh paint, so to speak! It was truly amazing at the venue. It has everything there for the day so we had the ceremony in the beautiful landscaped gardens, wedding reception in the newly converted woolshed and we spent our first night together as husband and wife in the Homestead accommodation.
WHY DID WE CHOOSE THE VENUE?
Coll and I love this area. We first moved here together after seeing each other for only 6mths. Coll moved from Te Anau and I moved from Wanaka. It feels like home to us here. When I was looking for venues I met Judy and she told me of her plan to open her own wedding venue(that was in February last year). The venue wasn't much more than an old smelly woolshed but we fell in love with Judy's vision to turn it into the beautiful wedding venue it is today. It was even more special that we as locals were the first couple to get married there.
THE DRESS:
I bought the dress from Tracey McKenzie at Elite Bridal in Dunedin.I wanted something quite simple and elegant. Tracey asked if I liked lace(but I wasn't very keen) and she brought out the most stunning dress that I have ever seen. I fell in love with it instantly. Someone had said to me that when I find the right dress I will just know. I'm not one to get emotional over a dress but I cried when I saw myself in this one!
THE BRIDESMAIDS'DRESSES:
I got the girls' dresses from 4Everafter Bridal in Invercargill, from Sarah McBurney. They were floor-length gowns that were so flattering and elegant. They were in amethyst. The girls looked absolutley gorgeous and they felt super-gorgeous too!!
THE FLOWERS:
I got my flowers done by Admire Florist in Alexandra, by Mel Millar. She did the most amazing job and completely captured what I wanted from my flowers. Because Coll is Scottish I wanted to have the Scottish thistle in my bouquet. We used sea holly and white roses with a touch of green fern and silver dollar. My mum is Australian so I wanted to honour every part of where my family comes from: thistle for the Scots, fern for the Kiwis and silver dollar for the Aussies. The bridesmaids had wrist corsages of similar flowers, and all the buttonholes for the men and our parents where the same theme. All flowers were tied with hessian and twine. I loved it!
THE CATERERS:
The catering was done by Wanaka Catering, led by and owned by Nichola Laird. The canapes on the lawn were really yummy and the main was just perfect. It was served "home style", which was a really good way as no one had to wait. We had so many wonderful comments on the food and the staff were so helpful and friendly.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
How do I pick just a few: the weather for a start, as it had rained the night before. The clouds cleared about 10am to show off a truly beautiful Central Otago day. Being the proudest daughter having my dad walk me down the aisle. Seeing my handsome groom waiting for me and absolutely flooring him with his bride! (I'm a stonemason and he has never seen me look so ladylike in all the time we have been together. The look and smile he gave me was the most special moment between us. The whole day! All our family and guests are still talking about the day.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER:
Charly Harvey was our photographer, working under the name Charly Rose Photography. I met Charly some few years ago down in Tuatapere, where we were working in the shearing sheds together. I consider Charly to be a good friend and it was really special that she could take our wedding photos! She has done an amazing job capturing the intimate moments of our day. She was fun and energetic all day and it was a fun time doing the photos. I called Charly in at the last minute and it was a really stress-free day. I also was very lucky to have my cousin take some photos as well. She is a professional photographer in Australia. My favourite photo is of Coll and I having our first drink together after the ceremony with a bottle of whisky in the foreground on the bar . . . classic!!
