A GORGEOUS BACK GARDEN WEDDING - PALMERSTON NORTH, NZ
On a very hot weekend in February, I had the privilege of photographing Liana and Daniel’s beautiful back garden wedding in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It was a stunning day featuring horses, their super cute doggo, smoke bombs, golf carts and all the love in the world! If you are looking for some back garden wedding inspiration, keep reading!
Liana and Daniel met in high school, but it was only after they graduated when Liana realised that she actually really liked Daniel, and decided to make the first move. They clicked right away as soon as Liana decided to hunt him down one night at a local bar, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
LIANA & DANIEL’S ROCKSTAR VENDORS INCLUDE:
Venue: Ceremony at the bride’s mothers house, Reception at the Rangitikei Golf Club
Bride’s gown: Hera Couture
Bride’s shoes: JJ House
Bride’s accessories: Lovisa
Bridesmaids dresses & shoes: Vintage & Kmart
Groom’s suit & shoes: Hallenstieins & Number 1 Shoes
Celebrant: Imogen Atkins Marriage Celebrant
Hair & Makeup: Sarah Love Makeup
Rings: Stewart Dawson (Bride), Michael Hill (Groom)
Florist: Jenna Taylor
Catering: Andrew at Tasty Spit Roast Palmerston North
Music: Stew at Stews Disco
Videography: Byron Taylor
Hire: Party Up
THE PROPOSAL
Liana and Daniel went on their first overseas holiday to America for 3 and a half weeks in March 2019. They ticked off so many things off their bucket list, like Daniel shooting different types of guns, and Liana buying her first dressage tails. On one of the nights, Daniel booked them into the Eiffel Tower restaurant for dinner, which they got super lucky to end up in with the best view looking over the beautiful Las Vegas strip. Right when Liana said “I don’t think it could get much better than this”... it indeed did get better! Daniel PROPOSED!!!
THE BACK GARDEN WEDDING
When Liana’s mom purchased her property 4 years ago, she knew straight away that she wanted to get married there. Although her mom laughed at the idea at the time, it had this amazing peaceful atmosphere and she knew it would be perfect. After being engaged for almost 2 years while finishing up the property up to scratch, they chose to get married in the summer because it was the best time that her mom’s garden looked, with the best weather too. They prepared for their back garden wedding by planting lots of flowers that bloomed in February, taking great care of the garden and lawn to make it perfect, and even made flower baskets and dried rose petals from Liana’s mum's garden for the bridesmaids to throw.
We were all so impressed by how amazing the garden turned out - it was truly the most special wedding venue ever.
STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRY TALE
Having a back garden wedding allowed them to have their 2 horses - Charlie and Chaos, and their dog - Nala as part of their special day.
Liana wore a lace-fitted, backless dress that hugged her body so beautifully in all the right places, then swept out into a giant train. On her right wrist, she had her late grandmother’s watch on which was a lovely way to remember her and have her part of Liana’s special day.
Liana says “mums property means a lot to both of us as we put a lot of sweat and hard work into getting it up to scratch, it was a real family bonding effort for everyone and it was amazing to see how our back garden wedding turned out, making it so rewarding”
THE BRIDAL PARTY
Their wedding theme was rustic but with bling and glam. The reception venue was a beautiful building on top of a hill with glass windows on 3 sides and picturesque scenery, which they had horse shoes from Liana’s horse, Chaos on the tables for the reception as well as fairy lights behind the dance area that added to the atmosphere. The teal bridesmaid dresses paired with baby pink flowers and the wildflower florals added such a nice touch to the theme and tied in the whole look.
Liana says that the most memorable part of the bridal party was her dad’s speech. All the speeches were special in their own way, but her dad became very sick after the wedding, so getting a videographer to film the day was one of the best decisions they made.
After the party, buses were provided for the guests, where they had the best time riding back home with stripper poles, dance lights, and music. It was almost like a mini after party!
KIND WORDS
“I was standing waiting to get into the wedding expo in 2019 and I turned to the lady behind me and asked who her wedding photographer was and she said Cushla Marie Photography. I had been looking for a photographer for a while but just hadn't clicked with any of the websites. I knew when I saw Cushla’s work that she was very enthusiastic about her wedding photography and I liked that she didn't put a set time frame on how long she was there for on the day. She was happy to go with the flow and make the magic happen. She also offered a free engagement shoot as part of her package. This was so helpful in getting us used to being behind the camera and helped us to feel more relaxed on our big day.”
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