Hawke's Bay wedding at The Mission Estate - Chelsea and Tal

Chelsea and Tal’s Hawke’s Bay wedding was what I’d describe as classic with a contemporary twist. Small texture details in the strapless Astra Bridal dress, sharp modern black suiting and a historic wedding venue with circa-right-now flora like Hydrangeas and Eucalypts made me want to know more about their pair’s love story and wedding planning process…

How did you meet and was there a moment or a time when either of you just knew 'this is the one'?
We met in Tal's car, and as unromantic as that sounds, it's quite fitting. With our long commutes and weekend travel we've grown a strong relationship with great communication from all the time in a car we spend together!

It was an instant attraction and we got along great from the start, but we weren't quite ready for a serious relationship yet. Despite our best efforts to be 'just friends' and to no one's surprise we started dating and from that point we knew it was forever.

Tell us about the proposal and what did it feel like?
Tal proposed to me at the Napier Botanical Gardens in Hawke’s Bay, in the middle of the hydrangeas - my favourite flower. This was also a nod to his Dad who had proposed to his Mum at the Napier Botanical Gardens. Having not been able to meet Tal's Dad, I always love the small ways he brings in his memory. The proposal itself was perfect, and not at all surprising as that was the most nervous I've ever seen Tal, yet still made me burst into tears of joy.

Describe the sort of wedding you both wanted - the priorities, the look, feel and style.
Being someone who loves weddings, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted and we managed to organise most of the 'bigger' things within a couple of weeks of being engaged. Not wanting it to be just 'my' day, I made sure that Tal had lots of input into everything to truly reflect us. We wanted to be able to have a wedding that was so well put together, yet still relaxed enough for everyone to enjoy. We were very lucky to have so many talented people around us who could contribute to our day - it's so nice looking back at it all to know how much effort everyone had put in for us, it made the day feel so much more loving and joyful. Once we had the venue, it was much easier to tie everything together style-wise as the Mission is such a great base to work from.

We wanted to ensure our guests had a great time and spend as much time as possible with them. Lots of people had to travel and a few we hadn't seen in a while. This meant we tried to keep our guest list small, to our closest family and friends, and to have the majority of our photos before the ceremony so we didn't have to disappear for too long later. When we did pop out for photos, the Mission was set up so that there was plenty of space for guests to chill out and lots of amazing food and wine as well.

Some people get a bit nervous about the photography experience. Can you give us some insight into how you found it?

Firstly, I think an important aspect is to figure out how important the photography is to you. For us, we knew it was the best way to remember the day and it was a high priority. We've always loved going into peoples homes and seeing their photos on the walls and getting a sense of all the joy and love there.

Having a photographer we were comfortable with was also important. Knowing that Eva had shot Tal's brother's wedding in Hawke’s Bay took a huge weight off as their photos were incredible (especially as his wife was ‘Bride of the Year’). If you start with a great photographer, this plays a big part in setting the tone for the rest of the day so you can have fun, be relaxed and enjoy some time with your husband or wife and closest friends while having photos taken. Just have fun with it and don't take yourself too seriously. Eva was excellent at taking away our nerves with her constant hype!

We also found that having an experienced Hawke’s Bay photographer made everything run smoothly. There wasn't time wasted trying to find locations or poses. She made excellent quick decisions when the weather changed. Even the small things like knowing when Tal and I should sneak off for 5 minutes alone together just made our whole day run so well. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, and you can see it in the photos!

What was the best part of your day?
My favourite part was the ‘First Look’ when we met before the ceremony. I couldn't wait for Tal to see me all dressed up. I also knew from that point we'd get to spend the rest of the day together and enjoy everything we had worked on.

Tal's favourite part was waiting for me to walk down the aisle. Even though we had had seen each other, it was still just as exciting waiting with anticipation to get married.

Why did you choose The Mission Estate for your Hawke’s Bay wedding and what did you love about the venue?
When we first started planning, I was trying to keep costs reasonable (I am an accountant after all!) and was tossing around the idea of a backyard wedding. Knowing how detail orientated I am, Tal knew that I would be far too focused on making sure everything ran smoothly on the day, rather than just enjoying myself. He insisted that we just check out a couple of wineries 'just to see'. As soon as we turned down the tree lined drive of The Mission, I knew it was the place. It was so beautiful and elegant, yet welcoming and relaxed. It was great working with the venue manager, Erin, as she had so much knowledge and good recommendations of vendors too. Once we booked The Mission, it immediately took such a big weight off my shoulders as I knew so much would be taken care of for us.
The Mission was great for a Hawke’s Bay wedding as it had everything we needed, such excellent photo locations and a beautiful area for the ceremony which the staff know how to set up so well. The staff themselves were incredible and definitely went above and beyond. The food was also incredible and all our guests went away very happy.

What are your top three tips for couples planning a wedding?
1. Be as organised as you can leading up to the day, delegate as much as possible, and on the day accept everything that happens as there's nothing more you can change at that point. Don't have a lot of responsibilities to worry about on the day. Be focused on having fun.

2. Get a good photographer! It will set the mood of the day, you'll be enjoying yourself the whole time and you know you'll have these memories to cherish afterwards.

3. A tip from Tal (as the groom in the position of not doing too much in the planning process): make sure you look after the responsibilities you do get, and take care of your fiancée. She will be stressed so do everything you can to take off that pressure and make her feel supported.

A huge thanks to Chelsea and Tal for letting me share their beautiful Hawke’s Bay wedding at The Mission Estate, and of course to all the other vendors who helped make the day look so beautiful and run so smoothly…

Photographers: Eva Bradley & Andrew Caldwell

Venue: The Mission Estate Winery, Napier, Hawke’s Bay.

Dress: Astra Bridal, Wellington

Veil: Samantha Stokes

Hair: Rachel Haworth (Bride’s colour by Leroy)

Makeup: Anna Scott

Flowers: Bev McMillan

Cake: Rebecca Smedley

Celebrant: Andrew Riley - Elim Church

Groom’s suits: Roman Daniels / Hallensteins

Bridesmaids dresses: Hello Molly

Transport: Armstrongs (Mercedes) & Bayswater Vehicles (Range Rover)

Rings: Michael Hill

Reception Styling: A Touch of Elegance

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