Scott and Kimberley Ashton married at Grandview Gardens in Outram. They share their wonderful and exciting day with the ODT.
When and where did you meet? Scott's sister was in my year at high school. One day my best friend was talking to me about this guy who was cute and had the most amazing blue eyes. Later that day my twin sister and I were walking home from school, when a car full of guys drove past. The first thing I noticed was the guy in the front-passenger seat who had the most amazing blue eyes. They ended up pulling over to talk to me and my sister. It turned out he was the same guy my friend had been talking to me about earlier. We have been together happily ever since.
The proposal: We had been dating for around 5 years and a few days before Christmas we were doing the last of our shopping, when I saw a ring which I loved. We weren't shopping for engagement rings, but he said I should try it on. It was perfect so he bought it for me. He kept it at his mum's place for a few weeks to keep me guessing when it was going to happen. One day we went out for tea then down to the beach near my house. He popped out the ring finally and asked me to marry him!!
Where was the wedding? Grandview Gardens, Outram, near Dunedin
Why did you choose the venue? We wanted a garden wedding but needed a backup option in case of bad weather. My mum spent hours searching the internet for wedding venues with both indoor and outdoor sites. As soon as we went to visit Grandview Gardens we fell in love with the place. It has been done up into beautiful gardens, stone huts, a lake, and lots of other areas for wedding photos. It also has a large barn for the reception with a large stone fireplace.
The Dress: I found my dress on the essence website. I had tried one on that was very similar in Dunedin but I loved the one we found online so we ordered it from overseas.
The bridesmaids' dresses: Two of my three bridesmaids were pregnant (one was 8 and a-half months along) so I wanted to go with black dresses to be more slimming. I had them made by Tracey MacKenzie, from Elite Bridal Wear.
Tthe flowers: My mum's friend Rosalie-Graeme Scott makes floral arrangement so I was lucky enough to have her offer to do all my flowers. I had white calla lilies for all the bridal party.
The caterers: Just Essence catering, Carisbrook Hospitality Complex did the wedding catering including nibbles and a sit-down buffet menu. The food was amazing.
Highlight of the day: The highlight of the day was walking down the aisle and seeing Scott standing there with the biggest grin on his face. The whole day was perfect, including the weather!!
Your photographer and favourite photo: Lisa Reid from Outram was the photographer. She was amazing and I love all the photos. I have so many favourites, but I do love the one with me and Scott standing in front of a red truck and also of me and the bridesmaids sitting on the grass.
