Jan 24, 2024- Celebrating the Martell's

August 21, 2026

Jan 24, 2024- Celebrating the Martell's

The day we partied.

We started the evening with a cocktail hour. It allowed everyone to rock up to the venue, have some small bites and drinks, and mix and mingle with everyone. There were lawn games out, my brother in laws sang during it (the most talented people ever!!!), and the weather was perfect.

My brother in laws setting the mood with the best music for mocktail hour

It allowed us all a lot of time to get pictures, especially with THE most amazing view! I was also grateful that it allowed us some time to be with our guests because I feel like days like this you don't get that time but we did. So we got to welcome everyone, sit and chat. It was the best start to the night.

Laitin and I walked in to the venue once everyone was seated and we were welcomed in as the Martell's. We did our first dance as soon as we walked in. Our song was "Sexy Eyes" by Dr Hook and it was special because my brother in laws sang and played guitar so it was all live and my father in law joined on the piano! It was so freaking cool to say we had family perform our first dance.

Here's a view of our set up. Our venue provided everything. They made everything look so nice. Aunty Vanya got vases and did the flower arrangements for the centerpieces. It was simple and perfect for us.

Aunty Vanya also did Laitin and I's table up. She made it look so pretty. I was so chill with this part and hadn't put much or if any thought into the decorations, so I was so grateful to her doing all of that for me. She got us a neon sign saying "The Martells" and I loved it. The table looked amazing.

I had this hope to get a wooden sign made up with our name on it for guests to sign but for us to be able to have it as a decoration where we live so it was special that my uncle was able to make it happen hehe! Guests signed it and now we get to keep it forever. I was obsessed with it, it turned out way better than I could have ever imagined.

I saw this idea on pinterest for the seating chart. So, Laitin and I DIYd it hehe. Laitin and I found the mirror, then he free handed "our favourites" and I made up all the papers on canva for each table and then mum and dad got the "wax stamp" stickers on amazon. Was feeling proud cos I really didn't put much into the creative parts of the wedding so this was cool to do.

Dad and I's father and daughter dance! His friend performed, that was cool. We couldn't decide on a song so he told Uncle Kelly to pick and so I couldn't say what the song was that we danced to lol.

This photo was taken while dad and I did our dance. What was so special about this, was that Sheldyn's wedding photographer captured a similar photo of Kellyn and I with mum, watching Shel and dad doing their father daughter dance. So I thought it was just special that both of our photographers found it a moment to capture. So I really love this.

Laitin and his mum's son and mum dance!

Laitin, his brothers, dad and some of the nieces and nephews helped with an instrumental number done by the Martells. That was so cool!

This was one of our favorite moments of the night! It wasn't planned, so it was just a nice unexpected part of the night. Laitin's brother got up and said they wanted to do a haka to congratulate us and what not, and it was a haka that's pretty big for the community they grew up in so a big group of his closest mates, his other brother, and even some of my family members/close friends got up to do this haka and it was so special. I think what warmed my heart is the amount of friends that Laitin has who just truly love him, and we could feel it in this haka. Definitely one of the best parts to the night.

My two cousins performed a hula! With my brother in laws accompanying them. What was cool was this was kind of a last minute ask but my brother in laws made it happen. I was so grateful to them for being so willing and able to participate where they could in the wedding. So grateful to have so much talent in our family.

Okay so funny little thing, Laitin doesn't like cake lol. So, when we were planning the "cake cutting" part of the night, we were like what are we going to do!? Laitin likes pie, so we decided on a banoffee winner winner pie! It was perfect, omg! This is a fave of ours, so we were so stoked we got to have this for our "pie cutting" hehe.

My brother in laws accompanied again lol, for the pie cutting! My two cousins sung "Let's stay together" while we cut the pie. Then, other guests got up to dance along. That was really lovely.

Okay and we have so much documentation of this but I'll insert just one for the lols. Everyone had dessert, so we didn't account for enough pie for everyone, it was mainly just for Laitin and I but our pie was demolished by the end of the night haha! Everyone was snacking on it, dishing them up some, sharing the same fork to get a bite of it haha. It was unexpected but it was such a crack up memory for the night. We love how everyone loved it just as much as we did haha.