Elevated nuptials
The Hilltop is a newly renovated gem overlooking Akaroa Harbour. This space, once a famous tavern, is now a modern, upmarket wedding and event venue. Recent bride Jess Karim shares with us the story of her big day.
Why did you choose The Hilltop?
When it came to wedding planning, we really wanted the day to represent us and our relationship, feel genuine and beautiful, and still be classy! We both have careers and lives that keep us very busy, and we knew we would rather outsource the stress than wear it ourselves, so we worked that luxury into the budget accordingly. We also knew we wanted a venue that was naturally beautiful, felt timeless and effortless, and didn’t require hours of setup. We reached out to The Hilltop team after seeing it on social media. We met with Chris Penny to discuss the ideas we had and the vision we were slowly pulling together. Chris completely saw the vision we had and jumped on board to bring it to life.
Tell us about the menu.
The beauty of The Hilltop x 5th Street collaboration is that they literally just brought their famous 5th Street menu up to The Hilltop. We collaborated with Chris to work up the best selection of small and large plates.
What was the inspiration or vision behind your wedding day?
We wanted to create the sense of a family dinner, where all our closest people are sitting together at one table. One family, one united group of people who have had our backs through all of life. Sharing stories, jokes, and good food together.
What were the joyful, unexpected memories?
The problem of being a planner and an overthinker is that it doesn’t leave much room for the unexpected! We are both big readers, and when we first met, we were coincidentally reading books about each other’s fields of work, without even knowing what the other did at that point. As wedding favours, we gifted each couple at the table a book that we had already read that made us think of them, or one we thought would inspire them.
Tell us about your dress.
I wore a stunning Hera Couture gown that the team at Paperswan helped me pick. I wanted two looks but did it affordably, so I put a lace cover on top for the ceremony, then removed it and went with an off-the-shoulder look for the reception. I also got a split added, along with some other alterations done by the incredible Sarah Stoute.
Anything else you’d like to add?
It was such a perfect day, unique to us; we often talk about how we would like to do it over again exactly the same way. Chris was just amazing at thinking of what needed to be done and simply doing it. He also kept our stress levels low on the day and solved problems as they came up. All the staff at The Hilltop were actually phenomenal.