Timeless Taranaki Wedding by the sea

19 Jun

February 2025

When high school friendships turn into forever love stories, you know it’s going to be a special kind of wedding day. Ashleigh and Trent’s timeless celebration at Ahu Ahu Villas in New Plymouth, Taranaki was full of romance, and fun that only comes from being surrounded by your favourite people.

Their wedding was one of those beautifully relaxed, fun-filled days that reminded me why I love being a wedding florist here in Taranaki. With a dreamy black and white flower palette, stunning coastal views, and thoughtful planning that prioritised time with guests (love the signing of the register earlier), this Taranaki wedding was a perfect reflection of the couple’s love story and their deep roots in the region.

Read on to see how their day unfolded

Tell us a bit about yourselves and how you met?

We met as teenagers growing up in New Plymouth. We were friends through high school but drifted apart when we both moved away to study. We caught up again in 2020 when Ashleigh moved to Auckland for work, but this time there was more of a romantic spark!

Were there any important details that were special to you as a couple, you wanted to incorporate in some way?

One of the most important things to us was that we got to spend as much time with our guests as possible. A lot of them had travelled to attend the wedding and we really wanted to be present and enjoy the day. We did a first look and all of our wedding party and family photos prior to the ceremony so that we could attend the cocktail hour and not have to leave for photos. We also signed the paperwork before the ceremony!

What was your vision for the day and how did you choose your style?

We wanted our day to feel timeless and romantic. We chose the classic black and white colour scheme so that the greenery of the venue and the ocean backdrop could really shine.

Ahu Ahu Villa’s is such an incredible spot for your wedding.

How did you find and select your venue? What were you looking for in a venue?

When it came to choosing our venue, Trent only had one request. It had to be near the beach! We both grew up in New Plymouth and spent a lot of our spare time at the beach with friends so it really made sense to both of us. We loved the relaxed feel of Ahu Ahu Villas and the scenery made for less work in the decorating department! We also loved that we could have our closest friends and family all stay the weekend with us.

How did you go about choosing the vendors you booked?

A lot of the vendors we found through social media and recommendations from other vendors! Once we had a few locked in, we made the most of their extensive knowledge of Taranaki wedding vendors. All of them had previously worked together and so we knew that they would be able to create the most seamless day for us.

The planning process: Did you love it? What was your plan of attack? eg, Budgets, making decisions, choose who to invite as guests?

The planning process was definitely daunting to start with! We had no idea how much to budget or what things cost for a wedding so it felt like we were flying blind for the first few months. But everything fell into place beautifully. One thing that really helped us with wedding planning was having our priorities set from day one. We both wanted the focus to be on everyone having a great experience of the day and having all our special moments captured as they happened. From this we knew to prioritise our photographer and videographer, our catering and bar staff!

Was there one key moment in your day that you will never forget?

Reading our own vows to each other that we had written. This was such a special moment in the ceremony and there was not a dry eye in sight (including us!). It felt like such a fairytale moment where the whole world melted away and it was just the two of us sharing this time together. Promising each other a lifetime of love and happiness.

What’s some advice you would give to couples, reading this, planning their day?

Take the time to get sunset photos! You won't want to leave the party and it will feel like something you could forgo to save time, but our favourite photos were taken on the beach during golden hour. It also gives you a few moments alone as newly weds (with the photographer following behind). It was great to really soak in the excitement and also talk to each other without everyone else around.

Another top tip for couples planning their wedding day, get a day of coordinator! A lot of celebrants now offer this as an additional service and we honestly could not recommend this enough. Our celebrant and coordinator, Beth Haveswood, was a superstar. She arrived in the morning to make sure everything was set up and would run smoothly. She also seamlessly managed the whole day and we never had to worry about a thing. It's worth every dollar, if not more!

Looking back on your day, is there anything you would do differently?

There is not a thing we would change about our day, it was perfect! The only thing I wish I could change was making sure I ate the canapés during cocktail hour! Our guests raved about the food and we were so busy socialising we forgot to eat.