Dec 21, 2019

Merit & Steve's New Zealand Elopement

Today we're introducing Merit and Steve, a gorgeous couple with a cinema-worthy love story. These two eloped to a mountain top in New Zealand to tie the knot, with a very nice ride might we add ;) With the help of Warren and Steph from Mountain Weddings, Merit and Steve had the perfect intimate elopement with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Scroll down for their incredible photos!

THE DRESS "I was determined to find a dress that was a timeless classic. I knew the dress had to have long sleeves and a low back, not much detail at the front and rather simple, but a showstopper from behind. We went to four other boutiques and none of them had the range of styles that Samantha Wynne has. They had more lacy, mesh type sleeves, but I knew I wanted full fabric sleeves. I tried on quite a few dresses - some different styles just for fun, because why not...while we’re there. The way my dress just fit perfectly...it was body hugging in all the right places and the material was absolutely stunning."

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU KNEW IT WAS THE DRESS? "The first time, after I had just put it on, it was on top of the list straight away. The second time when my friends saw it and well, we definitely got the reassurance it was the right decision when Elly had tears in her eyes."

HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET? "I was 23. I had just arrived in Australia a few weeks before when I was sent to a rural location for a job and he worked at the same place. When I first saw Steve, he had a mohawk and 2 black eyes, pub was rundown and I was going to jump on the first bus out of there. My friend convinced me to give it another chance, plus Steve said there isn’t another bus going until next week (there was in fact a bus leaving the next day, clearly he had a plan). In his words I wanted to get to know her better, thought best way to do that is to warn her to check her bed for spiders, and as a true gentleman, offered my assistance with it. From there on, we just started to hang out a lot and our relationship just went from just being friends to dating and us going to his brother’s wedding and meeting his family."

THE PROPOSAL "Steve did all the planning. I had an inkling something was about to go down when he was measuring my ring on his finger, but didn’t know what or when. He decided to do it on my birthday. He sent me to a day spa for quite a few hours to get pampered, and had organised a surprise dinner with our close friends for afterwards at a nice restaurant and that is where he popped the question. Beforehand he had spoken with my dad in Estonia, who doesn’t speak English, and asked his permission. He had my brother in law translate the text for him and be his Skype buddy to help him out."

FAVOURITE MOMENT "When it came time to exchange rings his best man did a sketch from Lord of the Rings as Smeagol and refused to part from them calling them ‘My Precious’. This had our celebrant in tears for a few minutes and she had to compose herself so she could finish the ceremony."

THE VENUE "We knew we were going to elope, and as he had never seen snow I knew I wanted to find a place with some. With a little bit of assistance from Google...voila, the perfect getaway. We ended up on a mountain top in New Zealand in a helicopter!"

FAVOURITE DETAILS "Loved loved loved the colour of my flowers and my make up, which lasted through the blizzard. And the way train of my dress floated in the wind."

ADVICE FOR FUTURE BRIDES "Buy a dress from Samantha Wynne, the quality and design is second to none, and have a critical friend with you!!! You need an honest opinion. When finding vendors, watch their online portfolios and visit places that have similar dresses to the design you want, but also be openminded and not afraid to try different styles.

BEST WEDDING SPEND "I loved the whole experience and wouldn't change it for the world, but definitely didn't regret spending on my hair and makeup."