Nelson Wedding // Ashleigh and Chris

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

Chris studied accounting and finance and works in banking. I (Ashleigh) studied law and politics and work as a litigation solicitor for the UK Government. We currently live in London and reside in the South East in Peckham. We love the ‘villagey’ feel of Peckham. We relish our quiet weekends, visiting the local grocer, cheese shop, and florist. As a gift for his birthday, Chris took a sourdough course and has been turning out loaves ever since. Bread is often swapped with our neighbours for home-grown tomatoes and baking. My ‘therapy’ of choice is ceramics and I attend a weekly class at the local Kiln Rooms where I’m taught lessons in patience and slowing down. Our perfect weekend is one spent with good friends over a long lunch with a bottle or two of vino.

Tell us about your special day…was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling, and some of your favourite details…

We chose to get married in Nelson, my hometown, and a place Chris is also very fond of having spent many summers there over the years. To us, there is nothing better than home. We feel a strong connection to the Nelson Tasman region and we wanted to showcase it for our friends and family to enjoy. We chose Appleby House as a venue because of the vast open land it sits on. It was the perfect blank canvas, and we kept the sides of the Sperry tent up so as not to obstruct the view out to the ranges. We dressed the tent with grey-green foliage with mustard (my favourite colour) and white florals, including dried florals and twig elements to complement the surrounding landscape. Our wedding was a real joint effort. My amazing mum and dad (who live in Nelson) were our eyes and ears on the ground when we’re in the UK. Their support was invaluable. Chris’s family stayed on-site at the homestead and was a great helping hand on the day. Our friend was our celebrant, my childhood friends were our photographer and make-up artist, and my Maid of Honour designed our stationary. We were in trusted hands and it made the day all the more personal.    

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

There are many. A few that stand out for me are my dad’s tight grip on my arm when walking down the aisle making me feel steady and secure, reading my vows and seeing Chris’s face wet with happy tears, entering the marquee for the first time, and being blown away by how our florist had delivered our dream theme, the fantastic speeches, and during dinner looking around and seeing all of our guests laughing, smiling and enjoying themselves. Above all else, we remember the feeling of love and support from our friends and family. That was everything.