Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in Wellington New Zealand in 2015 when Klarysse was in university and Dieter’s career in IT was taking off. Our connection and attraction was immediate on our first date as we shared a slice of cheesecake and spent several hours completely lost in conversation with each other.
Klarysse graduated university in 2017 and continued her studies in Auckland, while Dieter stayed back in Wellington renovating his home and taking care of our adopted Greyhound. Klarysse came home for holidays, and Dieter would visit Auckland in between. It was very telling for us to have this opportunity to work on our individual goals and have the unwavering support of each other along the way.
Dieter proposed on Valentine’s Day in 2020, because “it was so cliche that she’d have never seen it coming!”. Klarysse moved back to their home in Wellington in December that year, after several Covid lockdowns and finishing her degree.
We knew our engagement would be long, but we were completely fine with that. We wanted to take our time planning our wedding so that it really resonated with us as a couple. We knew we would get married one day, the ‘where and when’ was just the exciting and unknown part!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We were quite repelled by the idea of having a big wedding. We both don’t like being the centre of attention so an intimate wedding with our closest family and friends really resonated with us. We wanted a city feel for our venue and for the food to be the star of the show, so we googled ‘best restaurant in Auckland’ and Onslow popped up. Not only was the food absolutely stunning and highly rated, but the restaurant itself was tucked away in this beautifully kept historic grand hotel from the 1800s. It ticked every box; it was sophisticated, vintage, intimate and located in the heart of Auckland central.
How many guests did you have?
38.
Tell us about your outfits.
We both love modernised versions of old school concepts. Klarysse loves a thrifted find and purchased her dress from a reseller; the Winona mini and Joni skirt by Prea James which is 60’s inspired and perfectly suited for an intimate wedding dinner.
Dieter purchased his suit from Politix. He picked a well fitted suit with a satin shawl collar and paired it with a bow tie for a timeless and formal look.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We saw some advice online for wedding planning and the key message was to discuss with your partner the three main components of your wedding that are important to you both, and to focus your energy and budget on those. Our overlapping priorities for our wedding was to keep the guest list small, to have memorable food and an incredible photographer. We spent most of our time searching for the restaurant, curating our guest list and finding a photographer that resonated with our vision. All the remaining components of the wedding just fell into place after that.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We set up a livestream for the ceremony for a small handful of people that were invited to the wedding but couldn’t make it. We wanted to make sure our best friends and family from overseas could still participate, despite being unable to attend.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Try to avoid doing things you think are expected of you and incorporate more elements that reflect your style and general vibe as a couple. Weddings can sometimes feel like a routine, but you can totally ditch the things you don’t resonate with and opt for something that feels more suited to your personalities. There’s no rule book and your marriage papers will still be submitted even if you don’t do a first dance, we promise!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We can’t sing enough praises to our photographer Zara Staples. We found Zara a few months out from the wedding after things fell through with another vendor. We told her about ourselves as a couple, what we like to do altogether and shared our Pinterest board of wedding photos we liked. Zara incorporated the things we like to do in our shoot, like exploring cities and finding cute coffee shops! The photographs are absolutely stunning and exactly how we wanted to remember our wedding day.
We are also blown away by Onslow; the food and table service exceeded our expectations and our guests were raving about it for days afterwards. Onslow is such a tasteful and sophisticated restaurant with an experienced team and we look forward to celebrating our wedding anniversary there for years to come.
Photographer: Zara Staples @zarastaplesweddings | Planning: by the couple | Styling: Onslow @onslow.nz | Flora: Isadia @isadiafloral | Ceremony & Reception Location: Onslow @onslow.nz |
Celebrant: Erin Flemming | Hire: Hire n’ Chill Events (Plinths), @hirenchillevents & Auckland Sound Hire (Speaker) | Makeup & Hair: Klarysse did her own | Catering + Beverages: Onslow @onslow.nz |
Cake: Lang’s Little Bakery @langslittlebakery | Coffee Shop: Kai Cafe Bistro @kai_cafebistro | Accommodation: Pullman Hotel, Auckland Central @pullmanauckland | Dress: Prea James Winona Mini & Joni Skirt @preajames_bridal | Suit: Politix AU @politixmenswear | Engagement Ring: Pascoes NZ @pascoes_ | Wedding Rings: Family Heirlooms | Bride’s Shoes: Basque | Groom’s Shoes: Julius Marlow @juliusmarlow | Gloves: GleamelBridal Etsy shop