Tandem Photography Blog

It was our last wedding of the season… and a fantastic ending to the very busy 7 months we had just had. Kirsty and Ben enjoyed perfect weather for their Autumn wedding on April 21st at Stonebridge in Geraldine.

We headed down nice and early to check out our locations which where all new to us…. we had plenty to work with. Ben and the boys and Kirsty and the girls were getting ready at cottages across town from each other. I was loving the white wooden window frames of the quaint cottage Kirsty was getting ready in, lots of lovely soft light being thrown around for us. We were all holding our breath in the house as it was discovered Kirsty’s dress needed an emergency alteration….a bit of ingenuity and it all came together!

A very sexy Maserati took Kirsty and her dad down to Stonebridge (jealous!)

The bagpipers piped Amy, Sharlene and Kirsty down the aisle and Ben took a big breath at the front of the aisle as he took a glimpse of his soon to be wife coming out of the door. The ceremony was beautiful and the surrounds of Stonebridge create a magical setting. There was lots of smiles and giggles and loving looks (perfect stuff for us!) Love the photo of Kirsty and Ben walking back down the aisle…nice one Ben!

We had a brief stop at Stonebridge for a few photos in the forest and by the pond. The light was disappearing already, we had to move fast! Then we headed down the road to a great property Kirsty had lined up , there was heaps to play with here. As the light disappeared we finished with some night shots in the Maserati, love it!

Great to see you again Peter, Fiona, Amy, Adam and the rest of the troops

Enjoy and congratulations Kirsty and Ben!

Jenny and Scott had the perfect Autumn day for their wedding on April 14th. LOVE Autumn, oh so pretty!

Scott and the boys got ready in Riccarton, joined by many family members the motels were pretty much booked out by those attending the wedding. Whilst Jenny and the girls got ready over at Jenny’s parents home in Tai Tapu. The house enjoys a fantastic outlook over fields and out to the Port Hills, which created a wonderful setting for us. I had a little fun creating some rustic detail shots on the fence posts and knotted trees too. The little flowergirl took a lot of convincing to look at the camera,….but there was plenty of magic moments as she just did her own free spirited 2 year old thing!

The ceremony was held at the lovely little All Saints church in Prebbleton, Jenny couldn’t stop beaming her gorgeous smile once she was out the car and about to walk down the aisle.  The ceremony went beautifully and before we knew it Mr and Mrs Dawson were walking back down the aisle.

Without any delay we headed straight to Trents Vineyard for photos. The guests were all transported by Red Bus…. the driver turned out to be a client of ours from 5 years ago! We spent a little time with the bridal party before shooting the group and family photos… then it was time to take Jenny and Scott for a bit of time with just the two of them. Trents presents a treasure trove of locations for and we are always looking for and achieving new things every time we shoot here. Autumn is so pretty with the lovely colours and low light. We used every last scrap of light and had Jenny and Scott back at the door to walk into their reception a little early much to the MC’s delight! (At 5:57pm!)

Hope you enjoy these and we look forward to showing the rest off to you soon Jenny and Scott!

We headed up to Hanmer for Julia and Jethuel’s Braemar Lodge wedding.

When arriving to photograph the girls I was immediately struck by the lovely warm vibe between the girls (all whom are Julia’s sisters except “honoury” sister Ruth). Everyone was chilled and relaxed, people come in and out of the suite and Julia was just cruisy and ready for the day.

Check out the cool pic of the rings …. Jethuel’s ring creates an infinity symbol in the foreground…. cool ha??

The boys got ready in one of Hanmer’s many holiday homes, and then for a little thrill before the ceremony were picked up by helicopter and whisked away to the alpine ridges of the Hanmer. The girls peeked out excitedly from behind the curtain at the boys as they flew away and then as they landed an hour later the nerves bolted in for Julia.

Julia looked stunning in her dress and blew everyone (especially Jeth) away as she walked down the aisle. The ceremony went beautifully under the sunny day Julia and Jeth been given.

A little drama happened midway through the family photos as Julia was stung by a bee! Brave as can be Julia ignored the pain pretty impressively!

We headed off on location and as the light had now lowered and softened the landscape was just looking just gorgeous. Julia and Jeth snuggled, cuddled and kissed while we made the most of the landscape and light.

There was just enough time for a quick stop at the old hospital…. I’d had my eyes on this location for a few years and had been looking forward to shooting here. Love the diversity between the locations with the gritty textured brick and the autumn leaves.

The scene back at Braemar lodge was looking stunning. Mountains, candles, lavender, champagne…. And everyone was having a great time.

Congratulations Julia and Jeth…. And thanks for choosing us to share your day.

Aleisha & Nick were married at Melton Estate on the 17th of March.

We always love to shoot in new locations… and this one was a real gem! River bed, wind tormented twisted trees, long wispy grass. It was perfect! Sarah and Ashton had their location photos before the ceremony that’s been popular this year! We had lots of fun on the shoot, and there was lots of great panoramic shots to be had. There was a lovely intimate ceremony at Melton Estate, and finished up with some cool shots in the vineyards.

Enjoy! And we look forward to seeing you real soon Sarah and Ashton.

Autumn is such an incredible time to photograph – what a great time of year to get married, the colours, the light – magical!

Anna and Andrews wedding was the second of two Easter weekend weddings, the photography kicked off at Wilsons Mill Gardens which is a stunning Venue in Ohoka. Having lots of time for location photography made for a fantastic, relaxed and very fun shoot . We started around the gardens at Wilsons Mill, headed out to the beach, into the Arts Centre…and finally out at Darjon vineyard. Now that’s a diverse photo shoot!!

Anna and Andrew came to see us earlier this week to view their photos and were blown away – here’s some of the reasons….

4th September 2010.

Not a day anyone in Christchurch will ever forget.

For John and Anita one thing was certain, and that was despite the chaos that presented itself in the early hours in the form of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, they were going to be married and that in this day of uncertainty, their love for each other was certain. More today than ever.

The day presented itself in such a different light as everything we had planned for changed and the day had to simply evolve as allowed. The chapel wedding turned into an outdoor wedding, a welcome change for guests as we were being constantly shaken with aftershocks throughout the day. And upon this, Mother Nature shined down with beams of sunlight and warmth for this first weekend of spring.

Anita had dreamed of a Spring wedding filled with daffodils, yellow roses, bright green foliage of new life, and a crispness in the air so she could cuddle in closer to her new husband. We felt this was what we would focus our shoot on and spent most of our photography time in the small adjoining garden next to College House. It was surreal here, we were in a bubble – there was no destruction and chaos here – instead two newlyweds snuggling, kissing and enjoying their wedding day with the scent of daffodils wafting through the air.

The grounds of college house gave us concrete and contrast that we had originally planned to shoot in the city. And we decided to grab a few shots in the chapel… as Neil perched at the top of a rickety staircase a 5.4 aftershock rolled in. A timely reminder of what we had been dealt that day – luckily 5 minutes in the chapel was enough to get some gorgeous shots.

As we entered the reception there was an atmosphere that was the friendliest, warmest atmosphere anyone could ever wish for. Laughter filled the air, guests were piled onto couches and sat on the floor as the original reception room could no longer be used. There was barely a dry eye as Anita’s dad spoke of the apple of his eye. Tears of laughter rolled down cheeks as Johns brother rattled out the jokes and stories of John. John was definitely the level headed one of the three brothers when growing up!

Mother nature had helped remind us all of what is truly important – laughter, friends, family and love.

We drove home and reflected on the day… more aftershocks rolled in, as we sat at a traffic light we could see other cars bouncing on the road and billboards sway. Everyone in Christchurch had been awake since 4:35am, it had been a long day! When we arrived to see our own children after the day we cuddled them and didn’t want to let go, after all they are our love.

And love means everything.

Tish & Matt were married on 10/10/10 in the private grounds of their family. While everyone was getting ready we kept looking out of the window watching the clouds moving in wondering if this was going to be a outdoor or indoor wedding. Close to the ceremony time the call was made to have the ceremony indoors, which led to a group of people moving tables, chairs and flowers to accommodate this. However 1 minute before the start and our gorgeous bride waiting in the car the weather cleared which meant we were on for an outdoor ceremony. So the boys were back moving everything outside again…. Perfect timing!!

Following a beautiful intimate ceremony along with family we then headed off to Spencer park, one of our favourite locations for a good mix of beach, park and forest. The weather was keeping us on our toes with the odd splash of rain, but this just added to the shots with  umbrellas featuring in the shots. For a contrast with Spencer park we were lucky enough to gain access to the Isaac Theatre to make use of the fantastic interiors. What a great day!

We had a lot of fun shooting Rebekah & Brendon’s big day back on 30th Oct 2010.

To start with their bridal car of choice was a huge great big truck and a rare collectable one at that, and quite fitting as Brendon spends most of his time behind the wheel of one. Along with the truck they also had two classic mussle cars which escorted Rebekah down the road towards the ceremony.

Rebekah & Brendon were married in a fantastic private garden, the sun was out and the sky was blue with a few white clouds.. perfect! Following a beautiful ceremony we headed out to a location I had only seen a few photographs of before and was quite excited to see this secret spot. After driving for a while we arrived at a farm, driving down a little track we got to it. It was a fairly big house which hadn’t been lived in for years, except for sheep, cats and mice. This place was a photographers dream from the run down and over grown outside to the eerie and fairly untouched inside.. Amazing place.

For some contrast to this great place we headed off down to a stone beach which gave us a great contrast in the images we got. Then we headed off to Melton Estate for their reception with close friends and family.

A truly great day!

Tandem were back in Tekapo for the 9th October. This time all the snow had gone and we were given a nice clear day with a little bit of cloud. Joleen & Ross had made the trip with their gorgeous girls all the way from Australia to be married in the Church of the Good Shepherd. The girls were also on full form running around and jumping in front of the camera for us during the preparation which kept us on our toes!

The ceremony went smoothly and with the lake in the back ground it provided the perfect backdrop. After the ceremony and all the hug and kisses from family, we headed off down to the edge of the lake to make the most of the bright turquoise water which obviously gave us those stunning landscape images you would expect. For some contrast to the turquoise lake we headed into the forest which offered a soft green and textured setting.

Joleen & Ross were having their reception in Timaru which meant we had a drive to do, so it made good sense to stop for a game of rugby in Fairly on the way…. That’s right… Rugby!  Ross grew up in Fairly and played many a game at the local club grounds, We had never actually photographed a bride and groom playing rugby before so we new we were up for something different. We got to Timaru later in the day to be greeted by all the guests who had made the trip over earlier.

As Sarah and I drove back to Christchurch after Amy and Adams wedding, we were buzzing… what a great day and an awesome shoot it had been!

Amy and Adam were married at a private residence just outside of Ashburton. As Amy loves her horses she decided to arrive on horseback – something new to me! My heart stopped momentarily as Amy’s horse was a little scared by the unfamiliar white dress and threatened to send her flying, but Amy kept her cool so perfectly and all was fine. She arrived in great style to their ceremony at the family  garden which was a perfect location. The softest sprinkling of rain was still in the air, but we all hardly even noticed it.

We had such a lot of fun on location, everything was inspiring and their was so much tenderness and love between the newlyweds. We were lucky to have many properties to choose from so went to a field of crops which was so tall we nearly lost the bridesmaids! Then to a fantastic old relic – an old train station that had now become a garden shed… to a chicken coop and to some awesome modern silos at a turkey farm!! Just as we finished our location shoot the skies went black and heavens opened.

Back at the Marque the family and friends cheered loudly as the newlyweds arrived – it was sure to be a great night!

Check out some of our favourite shots…..

Emma & Rods big day was at Pemberton out a Prebbleton.  Pemberton is a place that we have been to several times and always get something completely different each time, it must be the garden changing through the seasons.

The weather was teasing us again for this wedding, first a bit of rain then some sun and back to the rain, this was all going on during the preparation so nobody new if it was to be in the garden or inside. However as we got closer to the start of the ceremony the weather cleared and there we had it……. blue sky! The ceremony was outside….. Yes!! In fact the weather ended up getting quite hot.

We went to Halswell Quarry for their location, so we had a lot of fun using the hard textured lines of the rock along with getting some cool backlit images. We also on our return to Pemberton  used their amazing gardens while the guests had moved inside.

Have a look at some of our favourites and as always give us some comments!

A great wedding with a real fun bridal party, Megan & Richard had the fantastic Melton Estate as their venue for both ceremony and reception. During the girls and boys preparation we had lots to cover along with the flower girl and page boy running around everywhere which kept us on our toes.

We had a light shower of rain just before the ceremony so Richard made the tough decision to have the ceremony outside with the vineyard as the background. To be honest I don’t think anyone really noticed the rain once Megan arrived as she looked gorgeous.

Longbeach Estate just outside of Ashburton is a incredible venue steeped in history and full of family significance  for Jason. When I first met with Rach and Jase they shared some of the stories with me and I have to say I was quietly blown away! The Longbeach Chapel actually was moved from Prebbelton way back in 1873…… that’s a long way when you are travelling by Ox!!

Anyway, enough history…. but if you are passing through Ashburton you really should check out Longbeach Estate. Very cool.

Rachael looked stunning. Jason was grinning from ear to ear and then some. The many little ones involved in the bridal party gave us endless fun little candid shots. And I don’t think I have ever seen so many umbrellas at a wedding. It rained and rained on November 5th so Rach and Jase had to snuggle extra close when we braved the outside during a brief but icy cold reprieve from the rain. Lucky for us there was a great location onsite, a very old woolshed, it too steeped in history.

Inside the marque the drinks were flowing and the laughs getting louder. The party had just begun!

Enjoy……

Well summer is here….. Judging by Sara & Ryan’s wedding anyway!  Thats right the weather really turned it on for the 26th November. Sara & Ryan had their big day at Melton Estate, which is a place we have visited quite a bit lately. Sara and girls had the Classic Villa in Christchurch for their preparation which offered us some great shots including a beautiful “classic” corridor.

It’s hard to believe that Erin was nervous about having her photo taken – she was looking stunning through our lense on 26th November! Blair and the boys also looked fantastic (awesome shoes Blair!!) and Erin and the girls looked stunning.

Erin was so keen to get up the aisle that she was actually early to the ceremony, yep 10 minutes before start time Erin was ready to go and peeking through the hedge to catch a glimpse of her future husband!

The day was hot and any shade that could be found was welcome by the guests, Rosemount is a beautiful garden location and there was plenty of room for the kids to run around.

The beach made for a fantastic location –  we were getting some incredible reflections from the wet sand and Blair and Erin were happy to get just a little sandy to get the results which really paid off for them.

When we got back to Rosemount we had just enough time left to get a few great shots in the trees – a perfect finish to a lovely shoot.

Congratulations Erin and Blair!!

This was all about locations…. Sue-Mei & David were actually married back in February in Singapore, but wanted to take advantage of our beautiful country for their wedding photographs. With several locations planned from up on the port hills, forested areas and down on the beach we took off just before Christmas. We originally had ordered blue sky with white fluffy clouds but unfortunately they were out of stock…. However we think we got something completely different than expected with the low cloud….Check out one of my favorite shots of Sue-Mei holding the fabric (Black & White)

Hope you enjoy!

Nicole & John were married just before Christmas on the 18th Dec.  And what a hot day it was!…. I think my car outside temperature gage said 35c at one point. John coming from Glasgow had his groomsmen fly out from Scotland to be part of the big day, they told me that it was -16c when they left so needless to say they were feeling the heat especially in full Scottish kilt attire!

With 30+ Australians over for the wedding of Trudi and Chris there was no question that the day just had to be sunny. And despite the reports earlier in the week to be to the contrary, the day came out just perfect.

It struck me almost immediately during the girls getting ready just how close the family is – and that is such a pleasure to photograph. Trudi has moved over to NZ for the love of her life but has a big family in Australia including her three sisters who were her bridesmaids. Everyone was laughing, smiling, having fun, and doting on Trudi. It was just perfect. Meanwhile Chris and the guys got ready at Merivale Manor, which is a fantastic central spot with a lovely character, the air on this side of town was relaxed and Chris was eager to get down the aisle.

Before we knew it the ceremony was upon us – in St Joesphs Church – a Church significantly shaken by the earthquake but still quite beautiful inside. Finally it was done, Mr and Mrs Irvine!!

We all headed to the Groynes for some location photography, a lovely spot filled with gorgeous trees, long grass, lakes, ducks, and a few hidden gems! Oh and the bright day made for some great backlit and sunflare shots which we just love. We finished our location shoot in the vines at Omarino Wine Park.

We’ve seen a lot of speeches in my time… but it has to be said that these must have been the funniest of all time. The Best Mans speech was just brilliant  - Chris’s best kept secrets were out for all to hear! We have to confess a few tears of laughter sneaked out during the shoot too!!

A great day – Congratulations Trudi and Chris.

What a beautiful day!

We photographed Ariana & Kevin only just a few days before for their engagement shoot as they had just come over from Brisbane, It was easy to see even then just how much love they have for each other.

On the big day itself we had a great time with the preparation of both the boys and girls, we watched the anticipation grow and grow as we got closer to the ceremony time. The ceremony was held a Marian College Chapel, a first for us. It went ahead with Ariana being a little bit traditionally late, which keep Kevin on his toes.

Their reception was being held at Rossendale so it made to good sense to take advantage of the diverse backgrounds of Halswell Quarry which is only 5 minutes around the corner. Entering the quarry mouth we were able to get some amazing shots that showed the harsh lines of the rock with the beauty of the newly weds… Nice contrast! Within the quarry we also headed down to the native reserve area which has heaps of long grass! Always a favourite of ours  

Ranmali and Yasith enjoyed an intimate day with close family and friends on January 21st at Mona Vale. The BIG wedding will be held in Sri Lanka later this year… so this made for a relaxed occasion.  After the shortest ceremony I have ever seen we went on location…. and had only shot a handful of frames before the heavens opened. So we used the opportunity to make the most of the beautiful interior at Mona Vale, that gorgeous grand staircase looked so fitting with Ranmali’s elegant look

We had luck on our side later as the rain stopped for us and Ranmali and Yasith were happy to brave the cold as we headed out just near Sign of the Takahe. We love the contrast of Ranmali’s orange saree against the sky – very cool!! Although the sunset they had hoped for didn’t come, this gave us something else, those moody dramatic skies we love! We also love the passion between Ranmali and Yasith – this made for a gorgeous shoot. 

This was Megan & Phil’s big day…. The 22nd Jan 2011.

They chose Mona Vale for their Ceremony & Reception, which is in close proximity to Christchurch along with it being a beautiful building and gardens,  so we were sure to get some great shots. While all types of weather has something to offer we had nice slightly over cast skies which gave us a lovely soft light to work with.

The preparation took place and we were at both sides covering all the details and fun going on during this time. With the run up to the ceremony we headed out to beat Megan to Mona Vale. Megan arrived via punt (gondola for those Italians) and managed to get to shore safe and sound with the help of her bridesmaids.  Following a seamless and intimate ceremony we covered all the different family combinations.

Our location of choice was SOL, Knowing we had Mona Vale gardens to work with just before entering the reception we wanted  something that would give us the contrast in imagery we always look for. So SOL gave us that gritty urban look of red bricks, doorways…. even a shipping container being used as a tunnel to bypass a earthquake damaged building…Cool!

Getting back to Mona Vale, we discovered a rather large marquee within the grounds that was empty, Have a look at this image.. I love the lines running down toward our couple.

Enjoy these images and don’t forget to give us some feedback!

Mel and Brent were married on 5th February within the Cave Memorial Church, which is about a 20 minute drive outside of Timaru. This church is one of the most stunning church’s we have photographed in, all made out of stone and wood and apparently no nails!

The ceremony also started off a little different from the norm with the boys and girls all dancing down the aisle which shall we say woke the guests up! After a lovely ceremony we headed off into the country for a waterfall that Mel & Brent knew of, The only way to get the wedding party to it was by 4×4 driving up the river which was great fun. We did several different shots around this area making full use of the waterfall before heading to Timaru to use our next location on the beach. A fantastic and memorable day!

Enjoy the below!

Leah & Nick were married on the 12th Feb at St Michael’s church on the corner of Lichfield and Durham st. This beautiful church had just been renovated on the outside, just hope its okay since the recent earthquake.

We were around Darfield, Whitecliffs, Hororata and Glentunnel for Megan & Chris’s big day. Megan & Chris had originally planned to get married in the Hororata church which is a church that we’d seen many times driving south to other weddings and thought… that would be nice to shoot in! Sadly September 4th’s 7.1 earthquake put a stop to this… such a great shame.  However just across the road Hororata has a second church, much smaller but very beautiful none the less, this became the church for Megan & Chris.

Letitia & Shannon were married on the 19th February St Pauls Church in Tai Tapu, A fantastic little stone church!

Nicky & Brad were married on the 25th of Feb just 20 minutes south of Ashburton at the remote Longbeach estate.  We headed towards Ashburton early morning with the rain coming down hard and wondered how the day was going to pan out, fortunately the weather lifted in the afternoon so we could make the most of this really cool location.

Natasha & Daniel’s big day was on the 5th March at a private residence on Selwyn road west of Christchurch. Natasha preparation was actually at the same address of where the ceremony was taking place which made it nice and convenient, while the boys were getting ready in town at their home. When the boys arrived 30 minutes before the ceremony, Natasha and the girls along with her dad and brother went for a drive to avoid being seen by Daniel and guests which were starting to arrive.

Laura & Adrian were married in Rangiora on the 4th March. Laura got ready at her family home in Rangiora which happened to be only a 5 minute walk from the church while Adrian got ready at the their home down on pines beach a location we would be going back to after the ceremony. The ceremony went ahead on time with lots of beautiful moments for us to capture. When they headed out of the church as Mr & Mrs we went through all the different family combinations before heading back to Pines Beach, this is something quite special for Laura & Adrian to have their photos done here, they live there, they got engaged there and its truly a fantastic place! We took the whole bridal party down through the forest heading towards the beach while grabbing the odd shot along the way. Once we got the beach we did an array of shots before heading back to the cars. Laura & Adrian had their reception out at Darjon Vineyard, when we arrived the guests were already rexlaxing outside by the vines.

What a fantastic day, Here are some of our favorites

Wow, What a day! Awesome couple, spectacular scenery, and lots of fun!

Alice and Blake were married on the 11th of March in Wanaka at a private residence. We couldn’t believe our luck with the weather when the day started with drizzle and fog and ended with a clear sky and a warm 23 degrees. Alice and her 4 bridesmaids got ready in the Wanaka township and were enjoying a lovely relaxed day. Meanwhile Blake and the guys were preparing for the day down the road at Alice and Blake’s cottage which surrounded by farm buildings making for some fun shots of all the guys. Usually it is pretty conventional that the bride leaves at the last minute before the ceremony whilst the groom awaits…. but there was a twist with Alice and Blake’s wedding as Alice wanted to watch her future husband arrive so was there first and peeked through the window as Blake was also the pilot for the day, arrived by helicopter. The squeals of excitement as the boys flew in were just perfect! With views from Alice’s parents house that are nothing short of incredible there was a perfect backdrop in what was a very touching and heartfelt ceremony. A photographers dream – we saw tears, laughter, hugs, from families and friends that are filled with love and respect for each other – it was simply beautiful. Our location shoot was a lot of fun, we headed of in a convoy of 3 choppers first to a quaint shed… Alice’s dad surprised everyone by joining us at the shoot. Which was great as he brought along his Chevvy adding another element to some fun shots we did on the road here…. of course Alice’s dad really just didn’t want to miss a moment of the day with his gorgeous daughter! We took off again to Mount Roy (with dad Lloyd joining us).  It truely doesn’t get much better than this, what a vista (aren’t we spoilt in NZ?) and more incredible shots were captured of course! Then it was back for reception were the guests were relaxing, laughing and simply enjoying the celebration.

We felt very privileged to be part of a day that was beautiful in so many ways – but most notably just the true love and adoration you have for each other. Congratulations Alice and Blake!

Jody and Darren were married on March 11th over at Langdale vineyard. We started the day with the preparation around Christchurch, originally Jody was getting ready at the Heritage Hotel in Cathedral Square but obviously got moved thanks to the earthquake. Instead we were in a great contemporary new house… such a contrast with heaps of options. Once the boys had done their prep they headed off to Langdale with a quick stop in a heavily graffitied area for some portraits, this gave us a fantastic urban gritty look.

Just before the ceremony started, rain decided to show up so the ceremony was moved inside. The ceremony went ahead with all the flower girls and page boys walking up to the alter first (all 7 or 8 of them!) This led to some lovely candid shots.

Jo & Lee had their big day at Trents vineyard, a venue which we love and have been to so many times. We started our shoot with the girls and boys getting ready, when we arrived the boys were looking quite relaxed and the girls were in the middle of hair and make-up…..  quite relaxed as well. We got heaps of beautiful candid shots as the emotions starting running.

Tania and Gary had their big day on the 12th of March. Because of the Earthquake Tania and Gary had to go from Plan A to Plan B and C and then all the way back to Plan A again (almost) – by the week of the wedding Newbery Lodge had the go ahead, and that was a happy day for Tania and Gary. In the end their big day  ran perfectly after all the trials in the weeks that preceded it! And to top if off we had a gorgeous Autumn day to play with!

Both Bride and Groom were very relaxed which made for great candid shots of them getting ready. Tania had a long drive – what used to be a half hour trip now needed an hour an a half because of the state of the Christchurch roads, whilst Gary and his Best Man enjoyed a 5 minute trip just around the corner!

The garden at Newbery Lodge made for a fantastic intimate ceremony location and after their vows and ring exchange Tania and Gary shared their first gift as husband and wife with the exchange of a red rose – what a lovely touch!

We headed up to Victoria Park with the bridal party for our shoot, where we enjoyed some great light, great city views, fantastic long wispy grass and also shot some great images on the bush trails…. Gary and Tania were relaxed and had lots of fun together on the shoot.

The photos finished up back at Newbery Lodge with a handful of shots inside before leaving the lovely newlyweds to celebrate with their guests some more! Congratulations Mr and Mrs Bailey on an awesome day.

So there we are shooting and getting all excited over the big red circle on the wall in the cafe, we are shooting in this angle, then that angle – “just one more” we’d say knowing we really intended to shoot and shoot for as long as we could – and Anne-Marie and Richard tell us we simply must have a coffee…., ahhh Flat white, please? It feels a little strange to have a coffee during a wedding. But it actually worked – sitting at the table while Anne-Marie and Richard snuggled and laughed, ate brownies, and even flaunting the occasional milk moustache – these were the things that created some fantastic moments for us.

This was just such a fun day and a fun shoot.

So, to back-track a little, Sarah joined the boys at home before the prep – a couple of mix ups with suits and shirts meant things were a little hectic! But all was well in the end and Anne-Marie had put the time on Richards new watch forward just to guarantee that they would be there in plenty of time! The girls were relaxed and enjoying the day when I arrived, the apartment was bustling with activity and Anne-Marie was simply glowing with excitement.

On the week of the wedding Anne-Marie and Richard had to change both their Church and Reception venue as their original venues which had been earthquake damaged weren’t going to be repaired in time after all. St Andrew’s Church in Merivale was to be the Church were they married in the end, what a gorgeous ceremony – filled with beautiful candid moments of both bride and groom and their guests.

Okay, so back to the cafe (which happens to be Anne-Marie and Richards regular haunt) – what a great spot, and it’s always a lot fun to shoot somewhere new. Thank you to Carl from Crafted Coffee for being so wonderfully accommodating and making this happen.

So we had a long drive to the reception and had chosen to go to the beach for our second location which wasn’t to far of our route to get to the reception, a gorgeous Autumn day presented us with blue skies, lovely reflections and sun flare  on the wet sand… we were loving it and just wanted to keep shooting!

The reception was at Rosemount in Ohoka, and we were able to use every last scrap of light and stole Anne-Marie and Richard away for 5 more minutes to get some photos in the trees behind Rosemount.

More fun and laughter (tears too) were to be captured in the truly beautiful speeches. These were words straight from the heart – lucky we have cameras to hide behind as tears started welling up in my eyes when Richard spoke of his love for Anne-Marie.

Anne-Marie and Richard are guaranteed to have a life full of fun and laughter. This was such a beautiful day and we can’t wait to share the rest of your photos with you!

Kathryn & Chris were married on the 2nd of April……..well they were meant to be at least. February’s earthquake sadly knocked out their church and reception venue. So Kathryn and Chris were calling everyone involved with their big day to coordinate a new date. They found their new venue,  a favorite of ours… Rossendale and the date was just to move 1 day, the 1st April…. Phew we were free as well!

So the day unfolded with the boys and girls going through the preparation, the boys appeared relaxed with just a hint of nerves creeping in as time went on. The girls were all full of laughs and giggles as we moved around catching all the candid moments. We especially love the shots of Kathryn in front of the garage door, think its fair to say the camera loves you!

They had their ceremony outside under a beautiful tree, which also had a couple of fantails playing in the branches. The ceremony was filled with lots of special moments as the formalities took place. After the ceremony Mr & Mrs Peat and party headed over to Halswell quarry for some cool shots, we spent quite a while there using not just the quarry but the gardens and the reserve for a great variety of images. Arriving back at Rossendale, we had time to head into the vineyard along with using their mustang (very cool car!) before heading into the reception.

Have a look at the below images and let us know what you think!

The 9th of April was a gorgeous Autumn day, and we were thrilled!

Lauren and Paul are a gorgeous couple and Lauren REALLY wanted pretty light for the day. Most of the morning the day looked a little drab, 11:30am… still cloud, then there it was just after midday… the sun burst through. And at this time of year we just love a bit of sun. So that by the time we are on location we can get some beautiful backlit  and sun flare images.

There was plenty of quirky little details for the big day, Paul’s stripey socks wrapped with paper saying “for cold feet”, Lauren’s fabulous hot pink shoes, gorgeous decorations throughout the ceremony and reception, which was all held at Trents …. oh and I can’t forget the adorable cake toppers, check out the second to last photo and you’ll see. Yep, Lauren has an impeccable eye for detail, and we love it!

The ceremony was beautiful, loved hearing the minister talking about the stages of love… the honeymoon stage where your other half can do no wrong, then the next stage where your other half can do nothing right, and then middle aged love – true love he called it. There were lots of loving glances and hand squeezes exchanged not only between Lauren and Paul but amongst the many couples who had joined Lauren and Paul for their big day.

Our locations were all there, at Trents. What a gorgeous venue and it really must be impossible to exhaust the photo opportunites there. The horses came to pose for all of about 30 seconds before turning their bums on the camera, luckily 30 seconds was enough! It was a fun shoot AND filled with pretty light. Autumn is a wonderful time to get married as we were also still on location just as the sun disappeared (at 6) which is an incredible time to shoot.

During the reception we had a guest register with a difference to work on… Lauren had picked up two blackboards which guests would write their message of congratulations on and then we would photograph them with their message. After the speeches we finished the shoot with a few night shots…. a perfect finish to a great day.

Congratulations! Enjoy these images……

There is no escaping the fact that every season there will be weddings where it rains, and for Amy and James wedding on April the 16th we had plenty of the wet stuff! But hey – all went well anyway and everyone had an awesome day!

Amy and James met playing Rugby – so it was only fitting that the boys were watching the rugby during their preparations…. there was lots of joking around with the boys, who had all come over from the UK. They got ready right in the city, well as close as you can get to the CBD at the moment, and conveniently just around the corner from the Speights Ale House where we decided to go for some great casual shots of them.

Over with the girls Amy (a kiwi girl) kept a close watch on the weather outside and the bridesmaids laughed, joked and helped keep the nerves at ease for Amy. Emotions start to run when Amy gifted her bridesmaids some gorgeous jewellery. Everything was running like clockwork for getting the girls over to Rossendale on time and off we went after a few portraits of the gorgeous bride.

Back at Rossendale James was now eagerly awaiting Amy (and nerves were kicking in here too) they were married by Julie Lassen who was as always smiling away in all the shots (thanks Julie). The ceremony included some lovely light hearted readings which were enjoyed by all and it has to be said that Amy and James were thrilled to hear “you may kiss the bride”.

The rain gave us the shortest reprieve so we were able to get some shots in the vines and then just around the corner at Halswell Quarry – we were stoked to be able to get some outdoor shots, which were really important to Amy and James. Just at the end of the shoot Mother Nature reminded us of her power again with a 5.3 shake which brought rockslide’s thundering down in the quarry. It was time to get out of there!

Perfect timing as the light had fallen and it was pretty chilly, time for the celebration back at Rossendale to continue as Amy and James entered the room as Mr and Mrs Burnside. It sure looked to be fantastic night that was just beginning.

We were back to one of our favourite spots for Nicole & Noel’s big day on the 18th April…. We were in Lake Tekapo! Nicole & Noel had made the special trip over from just outside San Francisco in California to not only to get married, but also to see our beautiful country.

Lisa & Jorgen had their big day on the 23rd of April over at Clearwater. The day started off for us covering the preparation on both sides. The boys were getting ready at one of the groomsmen’s house while the girls were using one of the villa’s within the Clearwater resort. The girls villa was buzzing with energy as they all went through the different stages of hair & makup, while the boys were relaxing with a few beers (quite a common thing!). Jorgen and the groomsmen arrived at Clearwater in plenty of time allowing for some cool shots of them before they stood at the alter. This was all going on while the girls were having their finishing touches done and Lisa stepped into her dress.

Talitha and Alex had a gorgeous Autumn wedding, the colours were vibrant and lovely and Talitha looked absolutely incredible…. as you can see here!!

The day was wet. Very wet. They say that rain on your wedding day is good luck and if that is true Talitha and Alex are going to have a life filled with good luck!

Talitha got ready for the wedding at her parents house where everyone was relaxed and anticipating the ceremony ahead. We were joined by a little 4 month old baby (Talitha’s nephew) who is just gorgeous and I loved seeing the wee fella being juggled between bridesmaids, bride and grandparents throughout the day.  Meanwhile Alex and the boys were getting ready just round the corner and I think it’s fair to say that Alex was pretty keen to get to there since he was already dressed and ready to go two hours before the service!

Talitha and Alex had spent a lot of time trying to find the right venue for the service, they really wanted to get married in a lovely stone Church and with so many damaged in the earthquakes, the options had become more and more limited with each aftershock. They decided on St Martins Anglican Church in Spreydon which is a lovely church and great for photography as we have plenty of space to move around and get all the different angles which we love. By the end of the ceremony it was raining sideways outside, but presented with the options Talitha said “lets just rough it”. We were impressed. Talitha really wanted the Autumn theme to carry through in the photos and in order to get these colours in the photos Hagley Park was still the best option for us.

The rain was so heavy that the air appeared misty and helped us create a ethereal look in these images. Umbrellas featured in most of the shots – they needed too or bride and groom would be soaked through! Aaargh, we had planned to get some shelter in the band rotunda – it was newly red stickered! We managed to grab a little shelter under some dense foliage which was great for some more intimate shots as we whisked the umbrellas away for the shortest moment.

It was time to warm up during the journey to Clearwater which was our second location and where the reception was to be held. By this time the rained had eased to a fine shower… and it was now dark! But this presented some more interesting opportunities that we only see at this time of the year.

This was an exciting and fun shoot, Talitha and Alex you are a gorgeous couple. Congratulations!!

We were back again in Lake Tekapo on the 12th May for Joana & Jim’s special day with the ceremony being held in the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd. This was a shoot with a little bit of a difference, We’d never actually started our coverage at 7am before! Which in the middle of May meant it was pitch black outside. This made for a wonderful opportunity to get the sunrise and use the sun while it was low in the sky (checkout the bridesmaid reaching for the wedding dress below). Joana & Jim both had their preparation in Peppers resort with their apartments being 10 seconds apart. Once the girls were  ready to go and the boys were all suited up they met at Joana’s apartment for the next stage of the day…. The games… Thats right games, Joana and the girls had put together a series of challenges for the boys which carried a penalty if they didn’t meet the requirements. Jim and the boys did very well! Following the games Jim & Joana had tea ceremonies with both sets of parents before heading down to the Church of the Good Shepherd to be married.

The ceremony went ahead with in this little quaint church with their family (17 people in total) being present. Once Mr & Mrs Yen had sealed it all with a kiss and of course a signature we exited the Church for some photographs. Now I forgot to say earlier that we had planned to use a helicopter for the location shoot, but unfortunately despite having beautiful blue skies it was far too windy…. no matter though, we had heaps of great options around Lake Tekapo & Lake Alexandrina to work with and got some gorgeous photos.

Have a look at the below shots, enjoy!

Phoebe and Tim were married on the 11th June at the Cashmere Hills Presbyterian Church.

A white wedding in a winter wonderland.

And here it is, the first wedding of a new season!

A gorgeous spring day… in fact we really couldn’t have asked for better weather despite a little chill in the air. Patrick was getting ready at a friends house and we had some great sheds, fences and paddocks to work with… whilst Alana and the girls were preparing at home. Alana’s daughter Isabella was junior bridesmaid for the day and was very very proud of her mum who looked just stunning. Alana’s dress was finished perfectly with some killer blue heels and the bridesmaids wore Annah Stretton chameleon dresses which looked just fabulous. Ok boys – so you all looked sharp too!

Alana and Patrick were married at the St Peters and Paul Catholic Church in Halswell. After the ceremony and family photos we really had to fly to get some amazing location photos as time was limited…. it was great for us that Lana and Pat were just as committed to making it all happen and even at one stage Lana could be seen running up the hill, yep running in her wedding dress and 3 inch heels. Now that’s commitment for you!

So we did whole shoot at Halswell Quarry. We were lucky that the blossoms were looking at their very best as the Japanese garden just looks stunning at this time of year. So there was vistas, drama, romance, gritty stone walls, native grasses…. we had an awesome shoot. As the sun went lower, it sure got cold… everyone welcomed climbing into the cadilacs for the trip over to Sharvin lodge were the day’s celebrations continued.

Congratulations Lana and Pat….enjoy!

Wow… What a great start to the season!

Fenia and Mark were married on a stunning October day in Oxford. With family from Oxford and many memories from the area this was the perfect location for Fenia and Mark. Oxford Town Hall was filled with friends and family, as well as lots of cheeky little people  who were looking very cute through our cameras. After knowing each other for many years, it was a lovely ceremony that finally saw Fenia and Mark become husband and wife. We were also loving the shiny floorboards… check out that reflection!!

Lots of hugs and kisses later, the kids ran round and round, the blossoms swirled in the wind and sun continued to shine bright.

We went to just one location. So it needed to be stunning.

Fenia had many memories of Ashley Gorge and loved it for it’s beauty, so that was our destination. It was now time to relax and enjoy the day, the newlyweds had a great time snuggling in front of the camera and we captured some awesome landscape images for them.

Congratulations Fenia and Mark …. enjoy the photos and enjoy your life together!!

We were back in the amazing surroundings of Terrace Downs last month for the wedding of Becky & Nathan.

Sally and Richard experienced true love at first sight only a year ago…. and on 28th October had a gorgeous wedding at Melton Estate.

Sal and Rich didn’t have an easy road with their planning as their venue was changed just weeks prior to the big day, it worked out perfectly at Melton Estate, and they were able to enjoy having the amazing Tracey from Melton Estate attend to their every need (you sure know how to look after people Tracey!!)

The boys got ready at a nearby motel and we were able to use a rustic property of a friendly neighbour for some cool shots. Meanwhile we photographed the girls getting ready at home, everyone was relaxed and as soon as I walked in the door I could see that the girls were all the closest of friends all loving sharing in Sally’s special day, chilling to a special selection of tunes and drinking bubbles. Sal had an incredible vintage style dress from Elizabeth Wenborn, full of lace, layers and frills… just divine! And it’s fair to say she couldn’t wait a minute longer to put her dress on and go and see her almost husband.

Since Sally is a preschool teacher she wanted to include some of the little ones in the day… they had 4 little Guards of Honour, holding up Oak branches for the Bridesmaids and Bride to walk past down the aisle, and there were little cuties everywhere enjoying the country air…. we had such fun getting shots of them too. The ceremony was fun and heartfelt, lots of laughter too.

We had fun on location at the riverbed… we’d photographed Sal and Rich once before for their engagement shoot so they were well practiced and fitted together perfectly. It wasn’t the easiest terrain for a wedding dress and heels as we scrambled over river stones, but we think it was worth the work!

The speeches were brilliant, a highlight for us had to be the speech of the chief Bridesmaid, Hannah. The tears of emotion that were hard to suppress took Hannah a little by surprise … so much by surprise that it waved between tears and laughter, and as the speech went on the guests all started to giggle more and more with Hannah. Such a gorgeous and once again heartfelt tribute to their friend Sally (aka Mighty Whitey).

Congratulations Sal and Rich, and here’s to LOVE at first sight xx

This was the first wedding of 5 that Tandem Photography did over show weekend.

We were at the exclusive Otahuna lodge for Linda & Pauls wedding on a date that would be easy to remember 11:11:11

Chontelle and Duane had their big day on the very sought after date of 11.11.11.

Upon arriving at the girls hotel which was the Copthorne Commodore I was greeted by the two gorgeous girls, Bride to be Chontelle and her friend and Maid of Honour, Cassie. Oh, and the very lovely hair stylist too! The girls were very relaxed and Chontelle was looking forward to get into her dress…. we love the shot of Cassie looking at how fantastic Chontelle looked when she put on her wedding dress…. 1st tears of the day!

2nd tears of the day had to be Duane’s…. love the shot of Duane during the ceremony looking at his gorgeous bride, you can see his eyes glistening with true tears of happiness, love is a beautiful thing. Chontelle and Duane have two gorgeous children Bailey and Eden, Bailey did a fantastic job as page boy and just looked oh so proud of Mum and Dad, and Eden did her best to not look at the cameras…. but we still got a few sneaky and gorgeous photos of her throughout the day.

Location photos were a dream, we stayed on site at Langdale and we had been incredibly lucky with the weather, overcast soft light. The newlyweds fit together so well and everything we shot was looking oh so sweet through our lenses. It had been very windy throughout the day so we sheltered away for a few finishing shots in “the red room”…. a bit of a favourite at Langdale! Then, before we knew it it was time for the new Mr and Mrs to enter the reception. Congratulations, and enjoy these!!

Jenna & Cory had their big day at Cossars on the 12th November.

As we started the day during the getting ready stages we kept looking outside thinking…. Is the ceremony going to take place outside? As the weather kept moving from rain to fine drizzle…. However I’m starting to think… and I don’t want to tempt fate.. but 90% of the time we always get our way with the weather, Must have had something to do with the good weather dance we do before each shoot

We had a couple of trips prior to Jasmine and Calvin’s wedding day to scope locations…. when Rob from Claremont Country Estate gave us a tour of the incredible property they have there we could barely contain our excitement for shooting on the vast property of Claremont in Waipara.

It was an early start, we arrived a little before 8 in the morning and the sun was backlighting the leaves and there was already warmth in the air. Claremont Country Estate gave us a playground to start the shoot in, we captured Jasmine and Calvin getting ready, (all with the amazing smells wafting in from the Claremont kitchen….. mmmm bacon!!). And were able to create some unique detail shots using some of the furniture on site, gotta love the details!

It was a little after 9 when we all picked a pair of gumboots and got into the Range Rover. The adventure started!

There had been a lot of rain over the few days prior and we knew that one of our key locations might not be accessible due to the steep descent that was needed to get there. So we started with a vista spot we earmarked before the shoot, we could see to the alps from one viewpoint and had a lovely backlit outcrop of rocks and cliff the other way. It was epic! So then we headed to our next spot, and key location. I’d spent the morning up to now with with fingers crossed, firstly that we would be able to get to this amazing location, and secondly that we would get there safely without plummeting down the bank. We got there! So we were in Waipara gorge, we started in a grove of foliage, beautiful…then headed to the river. It was a lot swifter than it had been just a few days before and we couldn’t get in as far as we’d orignally planned, but it was still amazing. So it’s a little easier said than done to get a bride wading through the edge of a fast flowing river, the water was licking the tops of our gumboots and it has to be said Jasmine… you are an absolute star. We had fun in the gorge, and got some amazing images.

Then, yikes! Look at the time, we needed to move on. We could have shot at Claremont all day – thank you Rob for keeping us all safe and pretty much dry!

So we jumped in our our car and Calvin and Jasmine jumped in their Z4 and we headed of to Lake Janet, a little hidden gem in the Ashley Forest. We didn’t have a lot of time but it was well worth the stop… then we needed to put our foot down and get Calvin and Jasmine to their ceremony at Bramble Grove.

It had already been an fantastic day and was topped off with a heartfelt ceremony on a lovely warm day. Family and friends enjoyed the gardens and were treated to a beautiful afternoon tea and cake created by Jasmine’s mum.

We finished our shoot on the side of the road…. we needed to get a few funky shots with the Z4, after all it’s not every day you get to enjoy a sports car as yours!

What an amazing day it was, thank you Jasmine and Calvin for asking us to be part of it. Enjoy these and we look forward to showing the rest off to you next week.

Kate & Andrew were married on the 18th November at Cossars wineshed,

The day started for us heading over to where the preparations were being held, Andrew was at the George hotel and Kate was at their home. The day was looking fantastic with plenty of blue sky and those white fluffy clouds. With the finishing touches of the prep we headed out to Cossars where the guests were arriving and the boys were waiting at the alter, which was in front of the well known big rustic barn doors. Before we knew it Kate showed up.. and on time (Think Andrew was happy about that!) What followed was a beautiful ceremony with all their friends and family, when they walk down the isle hand in hand they were greeted with tray’s of cosmopolitans and of course champagne.

We headed out to a reserve we hadn’t seen before and was actually just a two minute drive away, This place was filled with long grass and big willow trees along with a river, so it gave us plenty of options to play with some cool images. When we finished up there we headed out to another spot with miles and miles of rail fencing which again offered some variety.

We really had a lot of fun shooting your wedding Kate & Andrew! Hope you enjoy the teaser shots below

Sharon and Kam had were married on the 20th of November, it was a wedding that was different to any that I have seen before and we felt very lucky to be part of the day.

As usual we started with the bride and grooms preparations…. and then from there on everything was a little different to our “usual”. We had started at 9 in the morning and by a little after 10 the boys were trying to get in the house. Quite literally. The boys had to work to get in the house and the girls had first planned a few challenges and games for them to earn there way in to the house and ultimately so Kam could get to his bride to be. First there was hula-hooping, then painting nail polish on the toes, then my favourite…. the passing the seaweed from mouth to mouth, Funny!! Eventually Kam and the boys had to buy their way into the house (yes that was with real money too!). Once Kam and Sharon had their first look, it was time for the first of many tea ceremonies then we headed off to Sharon’s family home. There we had an amazing time capturing the events, more tea ceremonies, praying to the pig, burning of money. Wow – this is great stuff for us photographers!

Then it was off on location, Sharon and Kam gave us a generous amount of time to photograph them so we were able to cover four diverse locations…. Ilam Gardens, then it was round the corner to the Uni buildings where they met (just by the tow away sign), then to Spencer Park and lastly Mona Vale Gardens.

By the time Sharon walked down the aisle at the the Chateau on the Park we had photographed for almost 8 hours! Even though Sharon and Kam had already spent most of the day together those nerves still kicked in for Kam before his stunning bride walked down the aisle… just as they should!!

After the family photos we managed to whisk Sharon away for a few closing  images, love these shots in the spiral staircase.

Congratulations, I hope you LOVE these photos!!

Becky and Matt were married on the first weekend in December, we were lucky enough to be asked to join them for their big day in Rotorua…

So we had a sprinkling of rain to start, then a sparkle of sun and then on one of our locations a whole lot of sideways rain!! Good ole’ Kiwi weather!

Becky and Matt both got ready in modern cottages on the outskirts of Rotorua, the boys had a lot of fun getting ready and looked pretty sharp in their suits (and yes sunglasses too guys!). The girls were all giggles, excitement and fun and couldn’t really see any nerves, just excitement from Becky as she was about to become Mrs Lauder and 3 best friends who were just as excited for her!

The ceremony was at the historic Blue Baths which is a absolutely stunning venue, Becky had decorated the inside of the tearoom upstairs with white fabric which bounced soft light around the room for us. Everyone spoke and sung with passion in a beautiful ceremony and Becky and Matt were both just so excited that it was finally happening. Upon walking down the aisle as Mr and Mrs Becky had her friends gather round to check out her gorgeous dress… love the excitement girls. We couldn’t believe our luck when the sun which had come out 30 minutes earlier ducked behind a cloud for long enough for us to get a fantastic shot of all the guests on the steps at Blue Baths, we finished and it was out again in a flash!

We headed back upstairs for some photos by the big arched windows up in the tearooms, stunning shots! Then 2 more locations… off to the Redwoods first which is a huge forest of the enormous trees. Then as we headed off to Moose lodge on the edge of Lake Rotoiti the rain started, eek! It was getting heavier and heavier and by the time we arrived it was bucketing down! We always say that rain isn’t bad… it adds a new and different dynamic to the day, the picnic they had planned was now under a big tarp instead of on the lawn but the laughter was probably louder between all these good friends. Becky and Matt still gave us what we need to create beautiful images… love and connection between them (and of course to be willing to go out in the dodgy weather!!)

We were with Becky and Matt for over ten hours and were able to create some awesome night shots around the building and pools back at the Blue Baths to finish off a fantastic shoot and an amazing day. Hope you enjoy these guys!! Congratulations again.

Charlotte and Steve got married at Pemberton on the 2nd December and what an amazing day it was!

We started the day at Charlotte & Steve’s home for Steve’s preparation while the girls were over at Charlotte’s family home not too far from Pemberton. With a good bit of time and lots cool things to photograph we were on fire! We had heaps of laughs and tears while the girls were getting ready which is always gold for us photographers.

The boys arrived at Pemberton on time and started greeting the guests arriving, with the nerves starting to build  Charlotte arrived (just a couple of traditional minutes late) The ceremony went ahead within the amazing gardens that Pemberton have with celebrant Alison Hankinson steering the way. When the formalities finished and Mr & Mrs Uren headed down the aisle it was straight into some family photography before heading out to Halswell quarry for the location side of the day.

If you have read some of our past blogs for this season you will notice that we have been to Halswell quarry quite a bit lately, This is in part that we have done a lot of weddings over this side town but also and more importantly Halswell quarry offers such a diverse range of backgrounds all within walking distance, this makes it a perfect stop! So anyway following all the great backgrounds around the quarrry we headed back to Pemberton to finish up around the gardens before starting the evening with the reception.

Hope you enjoy the photographs below and remember comments are always welcome!

Ashley and Shane had an amazing rustic wedding at Ashley’s family home in Irwell.

It was a year before the big day when we first checked out the farm where the wedding would be held…. I’m a massive fan of farm weddings. There was just sooo many cool photo spots, the brain starting ticking, ideas started to flow. Then we had a year to wait… and hurray we had great weather for the long awaited day.

It was all about the rustic setting so at both the boys and girls preparation we were having fun with rustic detail shots. The girls were getting ready at the house right just inside from the lawn where the ceremony would be held and it was great to see the hustle and bustle of activity outside as the hustle and bustle inside of the girls getting ready went on. When the boys arrived the girls (especially Ashley) were getting pretty excited peeking through the shutters “we can see them and they can’t see us….hehehe!”

The ceremony was filled with a perfect mix of emotion and fun, and concluded with popping a bottle of bubbles. Just as the ceremony came to an end the clouds sheltering us from the bright sun dispersed and then the day really started to heat up. Drinks were poured, people hugged, kissed and laughed!

Three full of character and charm vintage cars took Ash, Shane and the fabulous bridal party out on location around the farm. Ash is an adventurous girl so was happy to go the extra mile for some different images, Shane had built a bridge to get us over the stream, and we braved a very worn out old wooden bridge full of holes, we even had a couch out in the field which I had spotted a year before in the shed. Ashley’s dress was a stunning creation and hid a short dress underneath the long skirt with train, a very clever and sexy design! What a surprise for Shane and the boys.

And the speeches! I couldn’t bear to post just 1 from over a 100 brilliant images of these fantastic speeches. We had tears, we had laughter and then we had explosions side splitting tears streaming laughter – we were loving it!

Awesome wedding, awesome day, awesome shoot! Oh and yes a totally awesome couple.

Birgit and Matt flew in to Christchurch from a chilly England winter just before Christmas for their summer wedding with friends and family here….. the rain started and it wasn’t the summery day planned for, but lucky for Plan B and a fantastic day was had by all!!

The boys got ready with whisky in hand and with Matt’s parents enjoying being part of the preparations. While across town the girls got ready amidst a bustle of activity at Merivale Manor, family were getting ready in neighbouring rooms and more and more people were popping out from the rooms to see Birgit as she was becoming a gorgeous Bride to be. I started the shoot with a little helper – Finn, the 5 year old page boy, as handsome as you can imagine, so interested in the camera and watching eagerly as I photographed shoes, flowers, jewelry and dress…

As the rain started to fall heavily we knew for sure the ceremony would no longer be outside by the big tree near the lavender as planned but inside at Clearwater. We looked out to the lake in the new inside location as Birgit and Matt exchanged their vows in a very intimate and cosy ceremony. Rain always throws in a few twists to the day and it had to be one of the cosiest group photos we have ever shot… thank goodness for wide angle lenses and thank you to the guests for squeezing in!

We had our eyes on taking Birgit and Matt out to the lavender and love the way the umbrella adds to this series of photos, the raindrops on the water over the reflection…. all things you don’t have on a dry day, and very beautiful additions to the images.

As we headed off in the cars to the Groynes just down the road, we were thanking our lucky stars for the weather! It was holiday time, the 29th of December… usually the Groynes would have been packed and as we arrived the rain slowly ceased and there was not a car in sight. Now that is very lucky! Birgit and Matt snuggled and smiled and were fantastic models and everyone was having a fantastic time… we captured some gorgeous photos and stayed mostly dry.

Back at the reception the crowd was well and truly getting into a great evening, Clearwater looked amazing and we just loved the cake topper … the two of them in a plane, very cute! Thanks to the bridal party who helped with a smooth running day and congratulations Mr and Mrs Kuriger!

The very first time I spoke to Jess on the phone I felt sure we would be part of Jess and Ryan’s big day. Jess is just so full of life and fun and it comes out from the second you speak to her, and I just thought… yup I want to be part of this! Jess and Ryan are a perfect match and just so cute together… and we were stoked that they picked us to be part of their day.

Early that day the rain was coming down in buckets, the sort of rain you don’t really want to contend with and amazingly as I drove up to the girls preparation at San Dona Lodge in Ohoka it started to ease off. Ryan had opted to miss having preparation photos and instead we photographed them ”rock star style” at some grungy locations we’d had our eye on in Rangiora, perfect! Meanwhile the nerves had started kicking in for Jess and this easy going fun Irish girl started to get a little quiet on us! The pressure was on with time and we just had to really move it to get the of the door on time, and the rain had now completely stopped – fantastic! Jess’s Dad (who had come all the way from the Isle of Man) for the big day was ever so proud of his girl and we loved the way you could really sense the pride as he walked her up the aisle at Rosemount. Ryans lip quivered a little as Jess surprised him by reading favourite song lyrics and there was a binding the hands together ceremony… something new to us!

As we headed off on location to the beach, we couldn’t believe our luck as the weather had come out just perfect! We used the old surf shed rusted and covered with grafitti for texture and colour, the wet sand on the beach for it’s soft reflections and then the pine forest for some moody shots. We had a lot of fun with the bridal party and it was just a fun shoot for us! We finished up the day back at Rosemount amongst their fantastic eucalyptus trees where Jess put on her fantastic white boots for some contrast to her other amazing shoes (in case you missed them!). Congratulations Mr and Mrs Wilson… you are both just full of life and we loved sharing your day with you.

Enjoy these!

We had a great wedding not far from where we live earlier in January. Amanda & Ben were married at Millwood Chapel in Ohoka on the 6th January.

Hope you enjoy the below photos! Please feel free to make comments

We were down and around Timaru again for Angie & Nevins wedding on the 7th January. We’ve always really enjoyed shooting around Timaru!

It was the 6th of January and it was Jen and Liam’s long awaited big day!

The boys were getting ready at the Towers apartments, it was a busy hive of activity with Liam, his four groomsmen along with Mum and Dad joining. Meanwhile Jen and the girls were getting ready at Jen’s family home, a fantastic old country home. Jen was calm cool and collected – just as I had expected this school teacher to be! As soon as I walked in the door I had my eye on using the fantastic red wall and created some cool detail shots along with some awesome portraits of Jen. In our office we had three different opinions of which of the portrait images to post… the high fashion shot, the cute and pretty shot, or the elegant shot… we couldn’t agree, so here’s all three!

The ceremony was emotional and true, love the shot of Jen biting back the tears during the vows. There was not a dry eye to be seen when a song was sung during the signing, thank goodness we had our cameras to hide our watering eyes behind!

We were due to head off on location but after stacks of family photos the executive decision was made that the time we had for locations was best spent around the grounds of the fantastic Trents. There’s always plenty for us to do at Trents, and with all the trees, flowers and grass it’s a forever changing landscape.

It has to be said that since having our own kids I am a bit of a fan of having little ones involved in the bridal party. The three adorable little flowergirls gave us so many awesome shots throughout the day, and we especially love these two during the reception… the body language says it all!

It was a fantastic day… congratulations to the lovely newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Smyth!

The weather on the 7th of January threatened rain a few times… but as the day went on it got warmer and warmer and we ended up with a lovely summers day for the wedding of Ordnella and Lee. Both halves of the bridal party were getting ready across town from each other and everyone was relaxed and eager to get to the “I do” part of the day. Ordnella was given a wooden jewellery box from Lee and “something old” what a sweet and thoughful gift!

We spent the entire day at Melton Estate, ceremony, photos and reception were all held onsite. Melton Estate recently completed a huge covered area known as “The Pavillion” which creates a fantastic indoor/outdoor setting for the ceremony.The lovely Alison Hankinson conducted an engaging ceremony which was filled with personal stories about Ordnella and Lee, who they are as individuals and what has brought them together.

During our photo shoot, we had plenty of time to explore the vines which made for great photos, and we found lots of other great little spots around Melton Estate. Lee got used to us asking them to “snuggle” and it didn’t take any time at all until he was was “snuggling” with his wife at every opportunity available! Lee and Ordnella both have what we call a creative eye, so we enjoyed playing with lots of movement shots, reflections and other “out of the box” images for the them.

Just after the speeches we sneaked them out to the balcony for some shots making the most of the sun now dropping in the sky.

Congratulations Ordnella and Lee on a fantastic day!

Sascha & Hayden were married on 14th January at Omarino Wine Park on Harewood road

14th January was one of the few summer days we’ve had this year that was true Canterbury Summer. Hot, bright and windy!

After getting ready for the big day, Arthur and the boys headed off in the Hummersine to the pub for one last pre wedding drink, where we got some great shots of them. Meanwhile Wendy and the girls were at Serenada Lodge in Okuku. Serenada Lodge has to be one of North Canterbury’s best kept secrets and is a stunning stunning venue. I was spoilt for choice for where to photograph Wendy and the girls the interiors of the rooms are just beautiful, although we had to do a bit of sneaking around to keep Wendy hidden from the guests as they arrived. The colour scheme for the girls was a beautiful bright green with a contrasting hot pink, loved it….. looking good girls! The bubbles were flowing, the girls were having fun and Wendy was looking amazing.

The boys arrived via Hummersine as the girls peeked out out from behind the curtains. The sun was now blazing and Wendy was excited to get down the aisle, at Serenada Lodge the pond makes for a gorgeous backdrop. There was no shortage of love and laughs in the ceremony….just perfect!

We headed off on location all to nearby locations…. a field of wild borage with mountains in the background, the Okuku River bed and a local property with a fantastic tree lined driveway was our locations of choice for the day. Wendy and Arthur had plenty of “encouragement” from their bridal party throughout the photos!! It was a fun shoot that’s for sure.

Back at Serenada Lodge the reception set up looked stunning, and as we left for the evening the celebrations were about to really kick off! Congratulations you two… you’re a gorgeous couple!!

Nicole and Chris were married at Melton Estate on the 21st January,

We kicked off the day with the two sides preparing before the big game……… Okay enough of the football references. The boys were looking very relaxed chilling with a few games on the Xbox  along with kicking a ball around outside, while over at the other house the girls were in full swing of hair and makeup by the amazing Mariessa Waddington. We had heaps to photograph as we moved closer and closer to the ceremony time.

Pip and Tim were married on 22nd Jan at Pemberton.

We shared an awesome day with Mel and Blair at Coniston Gardens in Ashburton for their January wedding.

Over at the boys (Blair’s parents) the guys were having a great and very chilled out day. Lola the dog was enjoying being part of the boys photos as she is also very much part of Mel and Blair’s family. Across town the girls were getting glamourous with hair and make up and the two adorable flower girls were a great treat for me for capture. The day was going so smoothly exactly to plan… as planned by the incredible Emma Newman Wedding Planner. Before we knew it it was time for the girls to get into the cars, a fantastic collection of Holdens.

Dad could not have been any prouder walking his girl down the aisle – love it! The ceremony was held under the shade in the truly stunning setting at Coniston. It was our first visit to this venue and I hope we get to go back there! The ceremony was beautiful and Lola joined Mel and Blair at the end of the ceremony to walk down the aisle.

Hugs kisses and best wishes were captured then Emma swiftly moved everyone into place for group photos and before we knew it we were on our way for bridal party photos. We had a lot of fun with Mel and Blair with their bridal party and loved shooting around the gardens at Coniston.

The look and feel of Mel and Blairs wedding came from the heart – they were true to themselves and put so much into the final look of the day. The soft blue and white theme carried through everything from dresses, shoes, cake, all the way to jandals for the guests to slip into later for a boogie and blue tic tacs in the restrooms! Mel (and Blair… and Emma) you thought of it ALL!! The marque truly looked stunning.

We could say so much more about this amazing day… but pictures say a thousand words, so enjoy!

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Horrell… LOVED being part of your day

When I first met Melanie and Hadleigh they told me they were getting married in Blenheim at the Old Saint Mary’s Convent, This immediately got my attention as about 8 years ago we found this place on the market and dreamt about making a wedding venue. It was so great to finally be going to see this stunning venue!

So the day started with a quick stop round at the boys place before heading over to the Convent where the girls were getting ready in the chapel suite, The convent had so so much to offer, everywhere I looked would lend it self to another fantastic shot. I could have gone on for hours! However Melanie had to meet Hadleigh in the chapel along with all there guests  :-)    The ceremony was originally planned to be outside in the garden, unfortunately the weather didn’t see it this way and kept dropping showers so it was relocated into the chapel, which in all honesty was just as stunning as having it outside. Once all the guests were in the chapel and the boys were all lined up at the front Melanie and girls made their appearance. The ceremony went smoothly and before we knew it they were walking out as husband and wife.

For the locations we headed out to the a vineyard that had a very cool dark old cellar lit only with candles (very romantic!), I also like challenges and this room meant we had to work with long shutter speeds meaning Melanie and Hadleigh had to remain very still, We pick up heaps of great shots there not only in the dark cellar but around other areas. When we were finished there we decided to head back to the convent for a few last shots before they joined the reception. Such and awesome day!

Kelly and Scott walked through our door some time ago now and Kelly told us they’d been “stalking” us for a year or so before they booked us to photograph their wedding. Nice one – we love the “stalking” compliment!!

Kelly and Scott had met in a backpackers in Edinburgh and then exchanged their wedding vows at Langdale on a chilly February day.

Scott and the two Best Men got ready at home. Yes, that’s right. Two Best Men! One for Scott and one for Kelly and no bridesmaids. Kelly and Scott did things their way and ensured they added their own touch to everything throughout the day.

While Scott and the Best Men were getting ready Kelly accompanied by her mum and one brother got ready at the stunning venue of Hackthorne Gardens in Cashmere. I love Hackthorne Gardens. It is simply a stunning location with it’s grand staircase and stylish rooms. Kelly had chosen orange as the colour theme (fave colour!) and the orange roses were just amazing and vibrant. I shot plenty of gorgeous portraits of Kelly here at Hackthorne Homestead while we awaited the car… the hardest part was selecting what to choose to blog!

The car with Kelly and her Dad came flying down the driveway at Langdale. They were running a little late and Kelly was keen to get down the aisle. We loved the “Tom Cruise” style portrait of you Scott! The ceremony was filled with kisses, Kelly and Scott had kissed at least 3 times before the “official” kiss! There was a whole lotta love at Langdale on February 3rd!

We headed back to Hackthorne Homestead and Gardens for the location photos. We enjoy the low light and moodiness of the homestead and braved the chill for some lovely images utilising the Gardens and surrounding trees.

Back at the reception everyone was having an incredible day, there was a whole table of kids who all loved to pose for us. Kelly and Scott flipped a coin to decide who would speak and Kelly ended up being the speaker for both of them. There was a bit of peer pressure for Scott to speak.. but he stayed strong!! Kelly gave a great speech for both of them.

We were keen to sneak the newlyweds out onto the grounds around Langdale for a few more photos, and we were able to steal them for 5 more minutes before they were whisked inside for their feast!

Congratulations Kelly and Scott!

Rose and Nick were married on the 4th Feb at the increasingly poplar venue Omarino Wine Park off Harewood rd.

Red was very much the theme colour with socks,ties,flowers, shoes,ribbons, decorations and even sunglasses! (Check out one of the below shots) So of course all this red kept us very entertained as the day unfolded. So the day started with all the boys in one house and all the girls getting ready just 5 minutes away from Omarino in another house that also happened to have a big garden and a cool looking swimming pool amongst other things. Once the girls were all ready we had about 30 minutes to walk around this huge garden finding shady spots to work in.

When we got to Omarino just before the ceremony was due to start the guests were moving to their seats outside in the garden area while Nick was looking ready to go! Rose and the girls arrived in a couple of old black vintage cars and then headed straight down the isle to meet her husband to be.

After the ceremony and family photographs we head out to the groynes for a bit of fun with the bridal party who were keeping us on our toes! When we got back we moved straight into the vines before heading into the reception, a great wedding!

As we drove up to the Sign of the Bellbird on the Port Hills in the fog, I was a little apprehensive. The fog was so thick it was a little scary to drive and quite surreal, we could barely see 10 metres ahead of us. Sign of the Bellbird was significant to Brendon and made the perfect location for Brenda and Brendon’s “first look”. Brenda emerged from the fog right on time and we were so glad we made the call to stick with the original plan despite the heavy weather. As it turned out the weather made the first look just perfect, we got awesome and very unique photos for Brenda and Brendon as they were completely shrouded in the fog.

It had been a long time in the planning for Brenda and Brendon’s wedding day. Mid February 2011 Brenda and Brendon headed back from from their base in Tokyo for their wedding at Mona Vale. Everything changed after the 22nd February earthquake and despite Brenda’s best efforts to continue with their wedding it just wasn’t meant to be for a while yet. Until 5th March 2012.

So after the first look, we headed back down the hills, escaping the fog and headed to our second location amongst the trees at Little Hagley Park and Millstream. Brenda’s Grandparents made a picnic for the bridal party, oh so sweet! Accompanied by bubbles, all of the childhood favourites featured on the menu. The bridal party were all having a fantastic day. We then headed off to our last location which was the Groynes. The weather had been quite average which we saw as such a positive…. not too many people out picnicking at the Groynes meant we had all the space we wanted, along with a lovely overcast sky…. result!

It was late afternoon before Brenda walked down the aisle and they had already enjoyed most of the day together with their close friends. Brenda and Brendon were beautifully relaxed for their ceremony, but after a very very long year wait to be married there was no doubt about just how excited the newlyweds were when they were finally announced as Mr and Mrs.

The chill in their air closed in quickly after the ceremony and everyone was keen to start celebrating in the warmth. The reception looked just stunning, decked out with a gorgeous (and very stylish) black and white  theme.

We said goodbye with a cake cutting…… the long awaited day was here, and everything went perfectly.

Karma & Dayle were married on the 18th Feb at Melton Estate.

We headed to Ashburton for Sarah and David’s wedding day in Feburary, we always enjoy our trips to Ashvegas!

The boys had ducked out for a bite to eat when we arrived so we had a good opportunity to check out and photograph Hotel Ashburton where the room had been transformed beautifully for the later reception. Meanwhile I was over with the girls at Sarah’s family home. A gorgeous white room made for a perfect romantic photo of the dress, and the tiled flooring helped me create slick detail photos of the jewellery, shoes and flowers. Things were pretty hectic for the girls and Sarah had to really fly to get into her dress and out the door!

The ceremony was over at the lovely St Stephen’s Church. Since the earthquakes we have seen very few Church weddings and it was great to be able to capture this lovely church wedding. Sarah is a very expressive and smiley lady and we were loving the cute faces and looks Sarah and Dave were sharing throughout the ceremony.

When it was time to head on location we had to resort to plan B as there wasn’t the time to go to the original locations…. a selection of brick walls, roads, and the railway station made for a great Plan B. LOVE the arrows on the brick wall. The colours and textures are a lot of fun to work with for us in creating dynamic images.

We headed back to Hotel Ashburton and captured the toasts, speeches and laughs of the reception.

Congratulations to Sarah and Dave!!

As we headed on location to shoot Claire and Sam, Sarah said to me “I bet you a hundred bucks we don’t finish this shoot at 6″. I couldn’t bet. I would lose! As I didn’t want to stop shooting this gorgeous couple!

Claire and Sam were married at the lovely Braemar Lodge which is nestled just out of Hanmer Springs. Both the boys and the girls were getting ready on site as were all the guests. Claire was very relaxed and the boys were quiet (nervous Sam?).

There had been quite a bit of rain in the morning and earlier when driving to Hanmer it was looking pretty bleak. The raining slowly eased off but the ceremony still had to be held inside. Both mums did readings during the ceremony which was a very special way to have them as part of the ceremony. The outlook at Braemar lodge is stunning and even from the conference room we had a lovely view to enjoy during the ceremony. We were lucky enough that the rain had completely stopped for group and family photos…. Yay!

So, then we were heading off on location, and it’s fair to say I had really been looking forward to shooting Claire and Sam. Some couples just slot together so well, and Claire and Sam epitomize that. We shot a little at Braemar Lodge and then spent most of the time we had at a stunning scenic reserve in Hanmer. The weather gave us gorgeous soft light which could not have been more perfect for the location. Thank you to the lovely bridal party who helped everything run smoothly.

When we headed back to Braemar it was time for the reception to start,  we stole a little extra time to get some funky shots of the boys while the girls freshened up. This was the end of the shoot for us, but we really wanted to steal Claire and Sam for a whole lot longer!

Congratulations you two are beautiful inside and out and a joy to photograph! We loved sharing your day.

Jayne and Darran were married at the All Saints Church in Prebbleton on 25th February.

We loved sharing in Katrina and Terrance’s wedding day. We were both glad that we had our camera’s to hide behind when the “leaky eyes” sneaked out!

Katrina and Terrance have one of those great stories about how they met…. it was in Iraq for a start. And I hear there was an ironing board involved, long story but apparently ironing boards are hard to come by in Iraq so it must have been a very desirable gift to attract Katrina’s attention!

So the day started off with rain. Actually a lot of rain! It was the 3rd of March and some may recall that was the weekend the “weather bomb” hit NZ. Katrina wasn’t the slightest bit bothered by the rain, she was just keen to get married to her love. The girls (aka ” the Sharons” got ready at one of the villas over at Clearwater and the boys were getting ready at Terrance’s Best Mans home. Right from the start of the shoot the closeness between all the friends was so evident and there was a whole lotta love for both Katrina and Terrance.

Katrina and the girls arrived by Hummersine and although it was quite cold by this time the “weather bomb” had almost disappeared over Fendalton. Katrina and Terrance had made the good call of putting up a Marque in the garden where the ceremony was held and it helped to keep the chill at bay for everyone. I’d never seen the groom escort the Mother of the Bride back to her seat before, what a beautiful and respectful idea. The ceremony was very moving and even though we see a lot of weddings my eyes still welled up a few times as Katrina and Terrance shared beautiful words for each other.

We headed off to Ilam gardens for some scenic location photos and then onto Riccarton park where we were able to utilise the graphic elements of the Grandstand to create some funky images for Katrina and Terrance.

The reception started and once again we got to see and enjoy the closeness between the friends in the bridal party, there was just so much love and respect between everyone. The bridal party had travelled from far and wide to be with Katrina and Terrance for their wedding. And the speeches were pretty hilarious too in between the emotional bits! It was photographers heaven with emotion everywhere and I just love the “man hug” photo! Very cool.

Thanks for asking us to share your day, it was an honour… you two are gorgeous together.

Sarah & Greg were married on the 3rd of March at Cossars Wineshed.

So the weekend of the 3rd of March was the weather bomb hitting the North Island with the potential for Christchurch to get some of the tail end of it, We were hoping that either the weather guys got it wrong or we would get lucky with the weather. While the rain did come in showers here and there, we got by without too much of an interruption.

The day started for us with Sarah getting ready in Papanui while Greg was getting suited and booted over in Parklands. The girls were looking quite relaxed during the finishing touches of make up and with time moving along it was time for Sarah to get into her dress. Once Sarah was dressed we took advantage of the modern house we were in by using the walls and windows as backdrops before heading outside and then onto the ceremony.

When we got to Cossars Wineshed the decision to move the ceremony inside had been made just on the off chance a shower would move through. When the girls arrived it was straight into the ceremony which was full of fun, emotion and love! Once Mr & Mrs Luxon had sealed it with a kiss and headed out into the court yard we did the big group photo of everyone followed by the smaller family groups, towards the end of the family groups we were given another shower which we all dodged and then went back out to finish the last couple of groups.

So with the weather behaving the way it was we decided to use Cossars as the location rather than heading away and risk getting caught in a downpour, We first headed upstairs to do a set of photographs against the large window there, we also noticed that with heat rising is was nice and warm up there (think Sarah liked this!). While we were up there the weather started to clear so we seized the opportunity and headed outside with the bridal party.  See if you can spot a very keen sheep wanting to be part of the action in one of the shots below.

We finished up the day with the beginning of their reception and left them for a big night of celebrations ahead of them.

Our photography assistants were also doing a great job!

Catherina and Tim enjoyed a gorgeous day for their country wedding on the 10th of March.

Catherina and the girls (including her 3 sisters) got ready over at the family home nestled on a farm near Lake Ellesmere. Whilst Tim and the boys got ready over near Burnham. The purple socks were a little fun Catherina and Tim decided to have with the boys and as you can see with the shot of the boys and the socks on their ears … they all thought they were a great gift!

Had there been no earthquake back in September 2010 the ceremony would have been held in the lovely little Catholic Church in Leeston which had been a family church for many years, however we all know history and this church lost it’s steeple and is now closed. So the ceremony was held in the St Davids Church which is right in the Leeston Village. Emotions were running high during the ceremony and it was lovely to see the constant loving glances and looks being shared between Catherina and Tim throughout the service.

We headed off on location and I had been looking forward to the locations… new it was going to be good! We are big fans of farm locations.

We had a lot to play with! We headed to 5 locations which is a lot to cover, so we had a quick stop at the Catholic Church, then on to a crop field (for which the light was looking very tasty), a haystack, the outlook to Lake Ellesmere and then lastly (my favourite) which was an array of silos, sheds and farm buildings. Thank you very much to Garry for moving things around for us in the weeks leading up to the big day!

Lots of fun was had during the shoot and Tim and Catherina really relaxed into the shoot and look just fantastic together!

Everyone was eagerly awaiting Catherina and Tim’s arrival at Riccarton Park and it has to be said the speeches were fun and unique… had the guests (and the bride) roaring with laughter!

Congratulations on a fantastic day Mr and Mrs Wade!

As it turned out the weather on March 17th was just mint! I couldn’t have been more pleased for Kerry and Tim as Kerry so very badly wanted the perfect weather for their wedding day.

Kerry and the girls got ready at her family home…. It has to be said that Kerry has been one of our most organised brides from the whole wedding season, when I arrived bridesmaids were ready to go and Kerry couldn’t wait to get into her gorgeous dress. Whilst just down the road Tim and the boys were getting ready with Tim’s Mum and Sister who had made the trip over from England to share in Kerry and Tim’s special day.

There had been a few (6!) church changes on the way for Kerry and Tim due to the earthquake and churches having to be closed down. But adamant they would have a church wedding all went off without a hitch in Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church over in Halswell. Hugs, kisses and family photos took place in the gorgeous warm sun before we headed off on location.

Our wonderful secret location was a private residence the owners had kindly allowed us to use. What a delight! Arches, grand doorways, benches, English trees, and quaint garden nooks and crannies all featured at this gorgeous location. We had a great shoot here before heading to Pemberton…. A little more time to shoot before Mr and Mrs Marston were announced into the reception..

We wrapped up the shoot with speeches. Tim’s speech doting on Kerry was a winner for all and then Kerry’s speech had dad beaming with pride from ear to ear. Beautiful!

Congratulations on a stunning day Kerry and Tim.