Behind the Scenes of a Sunset Wedding Ceremony in Kapiti

Sunset Ceremony in Kapiti, behind the scenes with Jessie & Jake

Hello beautiful brides to be! My name is Jessie and I am the voice and face behind the lifestyle blog Jessie & Jake. I blog about the life that my husband, Jake and I share. I started this blog as a creative outlet and online diary for planning our wedding. Not only are we partners in life, but we also work hand in hand as he is the one behind the camera capturing the moments you see on the blog.

Today I've teamed up with Kapiti Weddings as a bridal guest blogger to take you behind the scenes of our special day!

Destination: The Kapiti Coast was an easy choice for us. There is an abundance of backdrops for amazing photographs including beautiful mountain ridges, forests and also the west coast beach with views out to Kapiti Island. There are some stunning wedding venues on the Kapiti Coast and as soon as we looked at Sudbury we knew that it was the place we wanted to say our "I do's". It ticked all of our boxes with its range of different entertaining areas and spectacular scenery. We had the opportunity to create a personalised lounge and cocktail setting that reflected our personal style and tastes. Sudbury also has a gorgeous cottage offering the perfect place to get ready.

Photographer: One of the first things we booked for our wedding was the photographer. For Jake and I, this was an important aspect of our wedding. Photos are a snapshot of those special moments that you want to remember forever and are irreplaceable. After a lot of research we found the incredibly talented, Kate MacPherson. We loved her style and knew as soon as we met her, that she was the one we wanted to photograph us on our special day. She has a lovely personality and she instantly made us feel at ease. She truly was a dream to work with!

Sunset Ceremony: We definitely wanted a sunset ceremony. The lighting at this time is perfect, soft and romantic. We also decided to do our first look and bridal party photos before the ceremony. I cannot not recommend this to brides enough! I loved that we had some special time just by ourselves before the big event. It was one of those special moments that I will cherish forever. We also wanted our guests to be able to feel like part of the whole wedding as they would not be left standing around waiting while we took our photos. This meant we were able to mingle with our guests straight after the ceremony and then enjoy the food and dancing with our friends and family.

Favourite Memory: There were so many! However, I got the surprise of a lifetime when Jake serenaded me by singing Jack Martello - 'One and Only' (Adele Cover) as I walked down the aisle. I couldn't believe it! He always sings around the house and has an incredible voice but to have him sing me down the aisle was a heart stopper!

Advice For Those Planning Now: Do You!! By that I mean personalise your wedding and put in extra special touches to show off you as a couple. Remember the bride and groom are always right! It’s your special day not anyone else's. So make sure you are doing everything you want and don't rush it, take your time, relax...and most of all enjoy!

UncategorizedJenny Siaosi9 December 2016