Claire and Brad’s gorgeous New Zealand wedding is one of those celebrations that is just beyond dreamy. Inspired by lace, elegance, English tea parties and summer, Claire planned a stunning vintage chic wedding with whimsical touches in a sophisticated color palette of white, cream and ivory with hints of soft powder blue. They chose our Cartoccio letterpress wedding invitations, printed in xanadu ink on our ivory cotton paper, to tie in with their chic and elegant affair. Claire wore a 1920s inspired dress from Phillipa Lepley Couture and the bridesmaids wore vintage style dresses from Whistles. The guys donned slim line powder blue suits that felt incredibly fashionable and only slightly like Las Vegas (in a good way). Claire and Brad met while attending university and Brad’s father officiated at their ceremony. A sweet love story paired with a neutral color palette and pretty vintage touches make this wedding an affair to remember.

We had a few questions for Claire after planning and designing such a beautiful wedding…

What advice do you have for brides still planning their weddings?
Let things go when you need to, don’t over research, trust your gut instincts with decision making and try to agree on things together where you can – we got quite creative in the end. A mood board is your friend, try to keep true to the original vision – it’s all too tempting to go in different directions. Sometimes less is more. Don’t scrimp on the things that are really important to you, prioritize your top five and save on the rest. Make sure you feel entirely comfortable with every aspect of your dress so you don’t fiddle on the day. Savor every part of the process and the buzz, it goes so quickly towards the end…keep taking 5…stepping back to soak it all in.

What surprised you most about your wedding?
Brad singing ‘It Had to be You’ as the intro to his speech…first time I’ve seen/heard him sing in public…he would have been so far out of his comfort zone. That meant a lot.

What’s your favorite memory from your day?
There was no one point in particular, the whole day was magic. The speeches have stayed with me. Everyone who spoke trumped each other, I was blown away with the thought and story behind each

Thank you so much for sharing, Claire, and a huge congratulations from all of us here at Bella Figura! We wish you all the best and a lifetime of happiness in the years ahead.

Vendors -
Dress: Phillipa Lepley Couture, style Summertime (A stunning backless silk slipper gown lined in silk slipper satin with feather Chantilly lace overlay. Silk satin ties and tail to the shoulder. Satin sash low slung on waist.)
Accessories: House of Waris earrings
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Hair/makeup: Maza White (makeup), Natasha Radonich (hair)
Bridesmaid dresses: Whistles
Photography: Kate MacPherson
Flowers: Flowers on Franklin
Cake: City Cake Company
Catering: Mantells
Entertainment: Blackbird Strings

{Photos by Kate MacPherson.}