The Blog

Richard and Leteisha had a stunning wedding at the Mission Estate Winery in Napier, New Zealand. Their friends and family graced the event and we captured amazing moments throughout the whole day. I asked Leteisha what it takes to pull off a successful and stress-free wedding as the bride. Read the interview below to get tips on how to chose the right people to help plan your wedding, to make sure you stay calm and relaxed on  your big day.

How and why did you choose Mission Estate for your venue? 

Richard and I are both from Hawke’s Bay and immediately fell in love with The Mission when we viewed it as a potential wedding location. It was a stress free option where they take care of the catering and we could have the ceremony and reception in one location. We both love the scenery and the food at The Mission! Plus there are multiple photo opportunities there which was a great bonus. 

Who was your hair dresser? How did you choose her?

Kimberley Pedrseen – she’s our family hairdresser so it was a no brainer for me! 

Who was your make up artist? How did you choose her?

Josie Brenstrum – Josie has immaculate attention to detail. I thoroughly searched online for a makeup artist who created a “natural look” with good quality products. I was so grateful Josie said she would be our makeup go to! She helped a lot on the day with plenty of things which were out of her scope. I am so appreciative of her help and expertise. 

How did you choose your dress and where did you buy it from? And what about the suit?

Calla bridal in Newmarket, Auckland. Elle at CB was incredibly helpful and had plenty of great options to offer. She made me feel gorgeous in every dress we tried. Calla Bridal were great with our move to Australia as well – offering me to send any updated measurements through via email. As soon as I put on this dress it was my favourite. I went back again and tried it on in front of few friends with some other dresses as well and we were all sold on it. I just had the feeling that it was the perfect one for me! 

Richard’s suit was tailor made in Mount Gambier, South Australia at a small sewing shop. This enabled him to have the style, colour and fit that he wanted. The shop is called Sew Unique. 

Can you describe your experience with Anais Photography? Did you think that the engagement shoot was a good thing?

The engagement photo shoot was a great opportunity to see how Anais worked, how she communicated and really what we could expect of her on our wedding day. It was great to have a comparison of “pre-wedding” vs “wedding” photos as well. Anais was professional, creative and approachable which kept us at ease. On the day Anais was relaxed and helpful which made a lot of things run smoothly. She produced fantastic photos for us! 

Do you have any advice to give to the brides who are organising their wedding?

Like so many other brides say, be relaxed on your big day. I can attribute so much of the success from our day to the planning that happened for the months prior. 

How did you feel on your wedding day? What emotion went through you?

There were so many elements to the wedding day and I had multiple different emotions through the stages. With the wedding prep I was relaxed and just cruised along. When we arrived at The Mission I was full of excitement! I couldn’t wait to see how Richard and Charlie looked. Then just before I was about to step out to walk down the aisle I was overwhelmed with happiness, nervousness, excitement (plus a few tears). As soon as I saw Richard I was relaxed and everything was how I’d always dreamed it would be! We had a fantastic day together and with our family and friends. 

How do you live you post wedding life as a couple?