DANIELLE AND BENJ: Real Elizabeth Kate Bride Wearing Serene Logan Wedding Dress

Every EK bride has a story to tell, and Danielle’s is one of those love stories that makes you smile from start to finish. From teenage crushes to a chance reunion (involving a pink inflatable flamingo!), her journey to the aisle with Benj has been years in the making. After a surprise proposal on the golden sands of Crantock Beach in Cornwall, Danielle began planning her timeless and elegant wedding day at the beautiful Dunedin Country House.

When it came to her dress, Danielle admits what she thought she wanted wasn’t what made her heart skip a beat. Instead, she found the one — a gown that gave her butterflies, with a veil that made her whole bridal look complete. We were so lucky to be part of her journey here at Elizabeth Kate, and in her own words, she shares the memories, advice, and little moments that made her day so magical.

How did you meet?

Mine and Benj’s ‘love’ story is definitely a long one so I’ll try make it short. I met Benj at 14 when me and my sister in law went to his house so she could do his sisters hair he sat in his bedroom pitch black, sweaty and probably playing fifa, we had a little romance at 16/17 which didn’t last long, we sometimes saw each other out and in and out of talking for the duration until he was at my brothers wedding where we rekindled at 21/22 because of a pink blow up flamingo so now that’s our animal haha.

Tell us about your proposal

Our proposal was at the crantock beach in Cornwall, we was on a little family get away and I did not expect it at all.

When did you get married?

We got married on the 1st august 2025.

Where did your wedding take place? (Venue + Location)

Our wedding took place at the beautiful Dunedin Country House, which was in a stunning little village called Patrington.

Tell us a little about the vibe or theme of your day (modern, romantic, boho, classic...)?

We wanted to go with the classy minimalistic vibe, the venue was beautiful before adding decor so we knew we didn’t have to do too much.

Tell us about the dress!

Oh my wedding dress, Logan from Serene it wasn’t what I originally wanted but what I thought I wanted wasn’t it at all. It was classy, flattering and the veil just topped the dress off it was just all round beautiful.

How did you know it was ‘the one’?

I am very picky(as everyone will say haha) and as soon as I saw myself in the mirror the feeling you get is just unmatched. You fall in love with it and you get butterflies and just know it’s the one.

Any special memory from your EK appointment you’d love to share?

Holly and Kim are the mum and daughter duo you watch in chick flicks, they are the most loveliest people and they listen to everything you’re trying to imagine for yourself, they are very patient with you and aren’t pushy when you're buying a dress, they are truly there to make your journey picking a dress as magical as they can

What was your favourite moment on the wedding day?

Oh god there’s so many I don’t think I could even pick just one, just the whole day and just finally seeing Benj at the end of the aisle. He’s definitely my comfort blanket and supporter and I just wanted to have a hug when I felt overwhelmed so it was nice to finally be with him haha

What advice would you give to brides planning now?

I would hand on heart say do what you and your future husband/wife want and not to worry about what other people will think as it’s not about them its about the two people getting married and that everything will turn out just how you want it!

Anything else you’d love future EK brides to know?

That EK is the wedding dress shop you NEED to help getting your dream dress, I have already recommended someone to go to EK for her wedding dress and she got one!!

Share the love – list your fave suppliers

• Calvin Lee Taylor our photographer which has given us the most amazing photos and videos!

• Sarah Richard’s bridal flowers because they were everything we pictured and more.

• Luna moon for decorating our venue and making our vision just look perfect.

• Dunedin for everything that they did for us, couldn’t thank them enough for anything they did working up to the wedding and on the wedding day, was truly our dream wedding.

• CLP studios she’s is absolutely amazing at what she does and she was just our makeup artist on the day she was making sure I was okay, when she saw I was getting overwhelmed she knew exactly what I needed and what to say, the most beautiful person.

• Zoe bainbridge our hair stylist - all our hairs looked just how I wanted them to look and lasted the whole night! Stephen donoghue music - he is absolutely exceptional!! He played cello and sax for our wedding and everyone was complimenting on how amazing he was, would recommend him for any occasion!!

Danielle’s wedding was a beautiful reminder that the right dress, the right partner, and the right mindset make all the difference. Her advice to brides-to-be? “Do what you and your future husband/wife want — it’s about you, not anyone else.” We couldn’t love that more. Danielle, thank you for letting us be part of your journey – you looked beyond breathtaking, and we’re so honoured you’re an EK bride forever!!!