A stunning wedding with all hands on deck

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If you fancy putting a personal touch on your day then today's real wedding of Rebekah and Richard should give you some great ideas. Despite being based in New Zealand they managed to do loads of work themselves -from making the cake and building marquee lights (yes, Richard is that kind of handy man to have around!). They also had lots help from most of their family and friends and everything came together beautifully on a sunny summer's day in Orange Tree House. Gillian and Tim from Gather and Tides Photography were there to capture every moment of the day and we're delighted to share it with you...

Beautiful Orange Tree House real wedding by Gather and Tides // onefabday.com

Lovebirds Richard and Rebekah's first date was back in March 2014, and from there the couple found they had one major common interest. Bride Rebekah remembers..."Richard and I were set up on a blind date by a family friend Esther. We went on our first date to the Crawfordsburn Inn, and by Christmas 2015 we were engaged. We talked about our desire to travel together (even on our first date!) and now we have moved to New Zealand to explore and start a new adventure." Richard and Rebekah returned to the pub where they'd had their first date for their proposal, where Richard had it all set up, and a bottle of Champagne on ice waiting to help them celebrate (he was obviously confident!).

Richard and Rebekah knew exactly what they wanted for their wedding, and had the entire day planned in just nine months. Rebekah tells us... "We really wanted to break away from formal traditional wedding celebrations and have a relaxed, summer, barbecue with family and friends. We both wanted to go for a summer “barn-like” look and the Orange Tree House really delivered on this point, the weather helped greatly too on the day! We opted for long trestle tables for that informal seating format."

The couple are both Christian, and with their faith so important to them it was vital for them both to have their faith incorporated into their ceremony vows, as Rebekah explains... "Pastor Jonny McLaughlin delivered a meaningful address during the ceremony with sound advice about our relationship with each other and with God."

The Orange Tree House was the first venue the couple visited, and they both fell in love as soon as they visited. Rebekah tells us..."it was perfect! The look of the stone building and the views of the sea and mountains made it so special." What made their day even more special was that the couple had help from almost every member of their families, including the vintage cars that brought the couple to the venue.

The whole family got involved with the wedding preparations, including Rebekah's grandmother, who had a really sweet treat for all their guests... "We served my Gran's homemade lemonade from the little tin van during the drinks reception. This was special as she does this for all of her grandchildren and the lemonade is the best around. It was served in glass jars and went down a treat on such a hot day."

Rebekah and Richard really brought a DIY feel to their day, with help coming from everyone. Rebekah recalls... "My mum is THE wedding planner and without her I would have been lost! We tried to make a lot of the things ourselves and my sister Andrea and a friend Jenny set up the cake and arranged it with the off cuts of flowers and fruit during the “room changeover”. I was so pleased with how they had arranged it; it was perfect!" Her sisters also set up the fabulous dessert table, she says... "Andrea and my other sister Claire made homemade meringues and marshmallows that were served on a desserts table for the evening guests; these looked and tasted amazing."

The bride and groom also helped out with making the decor, Rebekah says... "The R&R light bulb alphabet letters were made by Richard, he’s a joiner! We also had a log that people wrote on as a “guest book” that was designed by Richard, myself and my sister Andrea." Rebekah also made the stunning naked cake everyone enjoyed on the day.

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These wedding favour bags are filled to the brim with Malteasers – the perfect favour if your guests have a major sweet tooth!

Huge congratulations to you both, and thank you so much for sharing your special day with us. A big thank you also to Tim and Gillian from Gather and Tides for sharing their work with us. To see more of Gather and Tides' work, check out their website www.gatherandtides.com.