Artists Brunelle Dias and Hugo Primbs met as students in their first year of art school at AUT in Tāmaki Makaurau, and bonded over a shared love for painting. The couple have exhibited together and separately in shows across Aotearoa, and had been together six and a half years before getting engaged in the last few seconds of 2023.

Leading up to a New Year’s trip with friends in Whangārei, Hugo had spent months making Brunelle’s engagement ring, with help from his dad, Florian, a former silversmith. “I wanted to go into the New Year as an engaged couple and got a bit carried away with my pre-proposal speech to Brunelle. It was only when our friends in the other room shouted 'one minute ‘till midnight!' that I had to cut to the chase and actually get down on one knee and ask the question.”

After a few weeks enjoying their engagement, they were eager to start their new journey together. Hoping to catch some late summer weather, they set their wedding date for April 2024 – leaving them four months to get everything organised. 

THE VISION

“Our wedding day style was dictated by our small budget, the help we roped in from our talented and creative friends and family, and the location,” says Primbs. “Creating an intimate affair was important to us, and after scouting several community halls around the Rodney-Mahurangi area (most of which were either booked out or too difficult logistically), we decided to celebrate the reception at my childhood home in Port Albert where my dad lives.”

The ceremony was held in the small and charming Minniesdale Chapel on the coast of the Kaipara’s Oruawharo River, conveniently close to the reception location. 

Naturally, the couple’s artistic talents were evident throughout the wedding, including the invitations that Primbs had designed earlier in the year. “Surrounding the text were bits of seasonal fruit, autumnal foliage and vegetables of the harvest which he drew by hand. For our table decorations, we picked the same motifs to tie things together into our reception and home,” says Dias.

Everyone chipped in to transform Hugo’s dad’s Port Albert home into a beautiful wedding reception. They started with a huge fifteen-by-six metre tent on the front lawn, with clear sides so guests could enjoy the sunset. “We used Marquee City Hire, who delivered and set up the tent. They also provided us with tables, chairs, gas heaters and a small three-by-three metre dance floor – a surprisingly essential addition given the wet weather leading up to the party,” says Primbs. 

“We had a ton of fun decorating the reception the day before the wedding. Our families hung fairy lights in the marquee and set up the table with vintage crockery (a Hugo-initiative to source 130 dinner and dessert plates from numerous op shops, and cutlery borrowed from our church).

"Hugo also worked out that the cost of buying new fabric for tablecloths was slightly cheaper than hiring, so he headed off to buy 30 metres of calico to cover a horse-shoe setup, about 12 metres per table. As painters, we both liked the idea of utilising a material that we could repurpose and paint on in the future,” says Dias. 

“The centre of the tables were scattered with assorted flora found in the wedding invites like pumpkins, feijoas, crab apples, pears and also candles and flowers sitting on beautiful candelabras and tiny vases borrowed from the inventory of Hugo’s dad’s ceramics.” 

THE OUTFITS

Hugo’s equally talented mum, Anna, made Brunelle’s white silk two-piece gown. “She crafted a full A-Line skirt, an underskirt layered with cotton and silk, and an off-shoulder corset-bodice (with boning!) which fit me like a glove and held me in place the whole night.”

“The two-piece ensemble meant I could hike the sides of the skirt up later on when dancing. It was a seriously challenging dress to make - Anna painstakingly unpicked and re-sewed the smallest imperfections several times. The dress is a taonga which I will treasure and pass on to our children.”

Brunelle wore red satin heels and pearl earrings. Her bouquet was made by a family friend – red anthuriums to match her shoes. “I did my own makeup and hair. I layered two freshwater pearl necklaces and wove them into a headband to match my earrings.”

As well as making the bride’s dress, Anna also sewed a silk shirt to match Hugo’s suit, which he designed and had tailor-made in India.

“Last year we visited Mumbai where I had a suit made for a family wedding. Being half German, I really like the style of the Bavarian blazers and wanted something slightly more contemporary that drew from those roots. These patterns are strikingly similar to the traditional Indian ones – albeit slightly shorter and with an extra pair of pockets. So I had something of a hybrid between the two made in navy.

“I loved that suit so much that when Brunelle’s mum, Beverley, had to make an impromptu visit to India three weeks before the wedding, I Whatsapped the same tailor who had kept record of my measurements! They sewed me an identical 100% Italian wool suit, only in the traditional Bavarian dark grey and forest green, in a mere five days, which Beverley brought back with her. It felt so special to wear something made specifically for me that drew on my roots but also held a strong connection to Brunelle’s background too. I wore black patent leather shoes, also handmade in India.”

THE CEREMONY

The chapel was the perfect size for their 65 guests – although it was a tight squeeze sheltering everyone from the rain.

As Brunelle entered the chapel, her sister played a beautiful instrumental on guitar and Brunelle’s mum walked her down the aisle representing her late father.

The couple’s pastor, Jonathan Rankin, also made the ceremony special. “We highly recommend being married by someone who you consider a friend – it makes all the difference having a ceremony that’s personalised to you,” says Dias. 

“Both of my parents are avid choir singers, and with a couple of their choir friends they performed at the ceremony and the reception,” says Primbs. Also seeing as my dad made our gold wedding bands, we thought it only fitting that he be our ring bearer!”

After the ceremony, they drove around the Port Albert-Wellsford area in their faithful steed ("a ribbon-adorned, freshly rained upon and muddied Toyota Wish"). "Brunelle was famished so we stopped at a petrol station for a mince and cheese pie. It was nice to share that moment together before the beautiful chaos of the reception.”

THE RECEPTION

The couple entered the reception to one of their favourite Bowie tunes, Golden Years. 

But if their guests were expecting a show, no such luck. “The only tradition we were dead set against was the first dance. It felt too performative for us and we didn’t fancy having everyone watching us painfully shuffling around for three minutes,” says Primbs. 

“Brunelle’s mum strongly suggested having a dance floor set up for the reception as her family especially like to boogie to the wee hours. We were hesitant about making this extra purchase however, without it we would have been in ankle-deep mud come midnight!”

“Our families are big lovers of music and dancing and we couldn’t compromise on a dead beat DJ,” says Dias. “Our initial idea was to make our own playlist for the entire night, partly because we knew exactly what we wanted (an inclusive Mo-town, disco and the old jiving songs loved by all generations) and partly because we didn't think we had the budget for a DJ. However, after encouragement from my mum, we approached the only person we thought would fit the vibe - DJ Carlotta, also a mate from our shared artist studio Hansa. 

“She created the most incredible energy for our guests, covering genres that both sides of our families enjoy while staying true to her personal style. While Hugo and I didn’t have a first dance, we requested a whole lotta Bowie!”

Thinking of everything, Brunelle also made several playlists for either side of the DJ set; one for the reception, one during dinner and one for the after party - managed by both the brothers, Bradley and Oskar (also the MC), played through a borrowed PA system of Hugo’s uncle. 

THE MENU

After looking at a variety of options, the couple reached out to Paella Pan to cater their wedding. “We have enjoyed feasting on their spectacular paella at different markets and have a distinct memory of eating their fresh seafood paella at the NZ Folk Festival in the midst of Cyclone Gabrielle. With our wedding day approaching stormy weather, we knew Aaron and his team would deliver beautiful food, cooked on-site, rain or shine.”

Guests could choose between chicken and chorizo, seafood, and a vegan paella. For drinks, a selection of Prosecco, red, white and rosé wines, a variety of beers and mixers were on offer in an outdoor bathtub filled with ice, as well as a non-alcoholic punch.

They also requested that guests bring “a bottle of something to share” and ended up having plenty of drinks leftover at the end of the night - and plenty of paella left over for days after the wedding too. 

Their vintage-style baby yellow and lilac wedding cake was made by Brunelle’s close family friend Anushka, a patisserie chef who runs The Vanilla Pod. “It was a chocolate and cherry cake, doused with a whole bottle of cherry liqueur! Anushka and her husband Arnold - another seasoned hospitality pro - also put together a magnificent grazing table for our guests to enjoy before dinner.”

“We sourced quality cheeses, crackers, pickles and dips from discounted supermarkets and wholesalers. Alongside the cake we also served a tiramisu for dessert, made by Oskar.”

While the whole day was filled with special memories, “Brunelle’s cousin’s husband doing a shoe-y was definitely up there! The Aussies know how to party and we love ‘em dearly,” says Primbs. 

THE PHOTOGRAPHY

The couple also share their studio with photographer Crystal Chen, so it was a "no brainer" to ask her to take pictures at their wedding.

“Crystal specialises in film photography and although she hadn’t done wedding photography before, we trusted her completely and it happened to be something she was also interested in exploring. We wanted a natural, candid energy to be reflected in the pictures.”

THE BUDGET

“We had a small budget, so generally didn’t spend anywhere that we didn’t need to,” says Primbs. “We aimed for the whole wedding to cost about $10,000 but it was closer to $12,000 in the end. We paid for most of it from our savings, however, our parents helped us cover a generous chunk, including accommodating our overseas guests,” says Dias.

“We were so busy for four months straight while working, that the busy-ness did get to me a little. In hindsight, I wish I had more time before the wedding to have a moment to myself - and I am sure the same goes for Hugo. Being two artists funding our own wedding we had no choice but to be resourceful. We outsourced many of our costs to friends and family but this meant more logistical and organisational strain on all involved. 

"However, the sheer generosity and thoughtfulness of these people who truly went above and beyond to celebrate us, has left a lasting impression on our wedding day. We have so much faith and love for the community we surround ourselves with.”