Some people grow up dreaming of the big day when they can plant a juicy one on their newly minted other half. Maia (who runs the wellbeing page Wellbeing with Maia, and co-hosts on the Girls that Invest podcast) and Julian Svadlenak-Gardiner did not.
“My mum is a bit of a hippie, and we lived quite an alternative lifestyle growing up,” Maia says. “We were brought up vegetarian and that alone, being Māori, was different.” Julian wasn’t particularly fussed on it either – “I didn’t think I needed to wear a ring on my finger or a special legal agreement to know I’m truly committed to my partner,” he says.
Things changed for Maia in her mid-20s, when she saw jewellery designer Courtney Marama’s pounamu engagement rings. “It seems silly, but it got me thinking about marriage,” she explains, “and I realised I wanted a dose of ‘tradition’ and do the whole husband-and-wife thing.” And after speaking about marriage with Maia, Julian realised he wanted to take that next step too. So after three years together, Julian popped the question.
The moment came when the pair were going out for dinner at their favourite restaurant, Ulo’s Kitchen, followed by a walk on the beach in Whāingaroa (Raglan). He’d had the ring for a while by this point, but hadn’t set any proposal plans in stone. But he had an inkling that evening might just be the right one.
“So I put the ring in my pocket and off we went,” he says. While they were strolling across sand, approaching the spot where they had their first date and kiss, the sky lit up at sunset. “That’s when I knew it was the right moment, so I went ahead and asked the big question,” he says. “And to be honest, I truly love being able to call her my wife now.”
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The vision
When it came to planning the wedding, Maia had some experience to draw on. “I went to four weddings the year before, two of which I was a bridesmaid in, so I had an idea of how I wanted to approach wedding planning,” she says. “But we both underestimated what was involved.” Fortunately, Maia’s sister was a huge help in the wedding planning department. “She’s my best friend, and we leaned on her a lot,” Maia says. “I think she was more stressed about the details than we were.”
Both Maia and Julian knew they wanted something natural and relaxed – in terms of both the vibes and the visuals. “My vision for the wedding’s style was an earthy, natural palette featuring shades of olive, sage, and forest green, complemented by deep browns, beiges, and hints of terracotta,” Maia says. The setting helped: “Our ceremony was held outside in an oak grove,” Julian explains, “which gave a wonderful feeling of being out in nature with sunshine filtering through the canopy of trees.”
The venue
While the pair eventually found the perfect place to complement their earthy wedding, it wasn’t easy. “Initially, we thought about having the ceremony at a public reserve in Whāingaroa, because Maia really wanted to be by the water and the reception somewhere else,” Julian explains. “But we decided in the end that it would be logistically much simpler to have them both at the same place.”
The next challenge was finding a place that would take their booking with the low numbers they were planning on. Most places they liked had a minimum headcount of 60 or 100 people, which was much more than what they wanted. Eventually, they found Woodlands Estate. “They have some absolutely lovely gardens that offer multiple beautiful spots for the ceremony, as well as both indoor and outdoor options for the reception,” says Julian. The gardens were in full bloom, showcasing vibrant greens and stunning beauty,” Maia adds.
The outfits
It was important for both Maia and Julian to represent their heritage on the big day. “We come from two cultural backgrounds,” Maia says. “I’m Māori (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Kahungunu) and Julian is Austrian, so we had a lovely mixture of cultural elements from both sides. It was important for both of us to reflect that.”
Their outfits were a big part of this. “During the ceremony, I wore my whānau korowai that was made by my great great-grandmother,” Maia says. “It is a true taonga for our whānau. It was special to be cloaked by my tūpuna during a significant moment in my life.”
She also wore pounamu earrings gifted by her mum, before an earring change for the ceremony, switching to the the Inanga Rua Karaka pounamu earrings and necklace (from Show Off Raglan) that Julian had gifted her during their first look – the moment the pair shared their outfits with each other, before anyone else. It’s something they’d recommend to everyone, Julian says. “It was a really special moment for us to have some one-on-one time together before going and spending the day with our guests.”
When it came to the dress, Maia chose a Jenny Yoo number from Astral Bridal. “It's cliche, but as soon as I put the dress on I knew it was ‘the dress’, and so did my mum and sister. No alterations were needed, it fit perfectly straight off the rack,” she says. And while she went into the dress consultation thinking she wouldn’t actually get a dress, because they were out of her price range, “Fortunately, my mum gifted me the dress of my dreams,” she says. “I wanted to feel beautiful, sexy and elegant and I felt exactly that.”
When it came to Julian’s outfit, he celebrated his heritage by wearing Trachten – traditional Austrian clothing – which, for men, includes the essential Lederhosen. “I was born and raised in Vienna, and am ethnically Germanic, Slavic, and British,” he says. So, when his parents were in Austria to visit family, they went to a classic Trachten shop in the city centre and gave him a video call to pick the right pieces. “Fortunately, I already had a set,” he says, “so I could give them the right measurements and it ended up fitting well on the wedding day.”
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The rings
Since Courtney Marama’s pounamu engagement rings were the thing that sparked Maia’s interest in getting married, it was only fitting that both her engagement and wedding rings were made by the jeweller too. “I knew I wouldn’t say yes to anything other than a Courtney Marama ring,” she says. The wahine Māori sources her own stones in Aotearoa, and uses ethical Aotearoa gold. “It really ticked all of my boxes. I called her my ring lady far before Julian even bought a ring from her.”
Julian went for a wedding ring made from tungsten and deer antler, by Temple and Grace. “I wanted something practical and resilient that I wouldn’t need to worry much about getting damaged or tarnished, so settled on tungsten for the metal,” he says. “I then picked antler as a complementary material, as it spoke to me of my central European ancestry and love of the Austrian forests that I grew up around.”
The event
The pair had a small, intimate wedding, “which was difficult being Māori with a big whānau,” Maia says. “I would have loved to have had my whole whānau celebrate alongside us, however, we didn’t have the budget and were saving for our European honeymoon.”
Music played a big part in the day. Maia walked down the aisle to the song The Way I Love You by Michal Leah, which she chose two days before the big day. Then, after the ceremony, “we walked back up the aisle to none other than Crazy In Love by Mrs Beyonce Carter-Knowles,” Maia says. “Maia’s favourite artist of all time,” Julian adds.
For their first dance, they went with An der schönen blauen Donau: “one of THE Austrian classic waltz songs,” says Julian. “I really wanted to incorporate that part of my background into the day,” he continues, noting that Maia did very well on the waltz – considering she only learnt it a couple weeks before the wedding.
Meanwhile, Maia’s background was reflected in the ceremony with a karakia and small mihi to open proceedings. Later, her whānau did a waiata, and her brothers performed the haka during the speeches at dinner, something Julian joined in on.
The food
This was the one area Maia and Julian weren’t entirely sold on. “While the food itself was tasty, our catering was a bit of a disappointment.” The issues arose when – despite the pair choosing a buffet style and paying for extra portions so everyone had enough to eat – they later heard that portions had been kept quite strict by staff, and some guests were told they wouldn’t be able to have more of a specific dish. “I need to note that none of our guests are gluttons that eat more than they should, but simply wanted to enjoy a bit more of some good food,” says Julian. “Food is a big thing for both of us and we wanted to make sure that everyone had enough and we provided for everyone’s needs.”
Their woes continued at the bar. “When it came closer to the end of the night, the bar staff began closing the bar, as is normal,” Julian says. “However, when Maia (the bride!) went up to get herself a final drink they simply declined, telling her the bar had closed a few minutes ago. Again we were rather disappointed that the staff from the catering company did not provide the service we expected for the day.”
The cost
The pair initially considered eloping to save on cash, but as they were both the first in their immediate whānau to get married, they ultimately decided to celebrate surrounded by loved ones. “We budgeted $15,000 and went over (as you do with weddings) and ended up spending around $17-18,00. Catering, including an open bar, was approximately $12,000. So our wedding was roughly $30,000,” says Maia.
“We were really fortunate to receive support from my parents, who paid for the catering” adds Julian, “and we also received koha – gifts which can but don’t have to be monetary – from whānau and friends which reduced our costs.”
Maia says that she had to come to terms with spending nearly $30,000 on a single day – not including any other events, like the engagement, bachelorette/stag events, or their mini-moon/honeymoon. “I never dreamt about my wedding day – I dreamt about travelling the world – so adjusting to that expense was challenging for both of us,” she says. “Still, I loved our day and am incredibly happy we chose to invest in it because the memories are truly priceless. Ultimately, we realised we could always make more money, but we could never reclaim those moments. This has become even more meaningful now, as we’ve sadly lost two family members since our wedding day.”
Recommendations
Maia notes that if you’re planning your own wedding without a wedding planner, be prepared to make it your main focus for the year. “In 2023, I had the most hectic year of my life – balancing work, study, and personal commitments – which often detracted from enjoying wedding planning,” she says. “At times, it felt like just another task on my to-do list. To truly savour the experience, reduce your workload as much as you can in the lead-up to your wedding so you can enjoy it.”
Julian’s recommendation? A first look between just the bride and groom. “It was a really special moment for us to have some one-on-one time together,” he says, “before going and spending the day with our guests.”
The pair are also adamant about investing in good photos. “Get good photographers, they are worth every dollar,” Maia says. The photographer they used was Phoenix Casuarina, who also worked with her husband Adam. “Honestly, we were pretty vague with our brief,” says Maia. “I think it went along the lines of natural and candid, which now I realise is not much to go off.” But not only did Phoenix and Adam make the pair feel truly comfortable, they “exceeded our expectations and truly captured the magic of our special day,” Maia says. “We will treasure them forever.”
Their final word of advice: don’t get caught up in the small details. “Stay present and savour every moment,” Maia says. “It might sound cliché, but it’s true: the day flies by faster than you expect, so make the most of it and truly enjoy it.”
