What have I done to deserve all these fabulous clients I keep getting?!  I have had some absolutely GORGEOUS and fun weddings this season… actually I seem to have fun and gorgeous weddings EVERY season so I must be doing something right!

Sonya and John’s wedding at The Estate here on Waiheke Island was just downright cool – great people, stunning gowns and a general buzz of happiness in the air!  Ahhhhh (contented sighing noise).  Hair and make up from the fabulous Ashlee Kellett from Beautified, flowers from Blossoms Online, dress directly from Stunningville (OK, I made that up – not sure who made the dress). 

‘Quirky, edgy, modern, romantic and fun’ was my brief for Sonya and John’s wedding.  Bring. It. On.

The boys totally ROCKED the serious shot!

Meanwhile, Sonya was getting ready at The Estate…

Sonya’s dad let a few tears fall when he first saw her in her wedding gown.

The ceremony was held out on the helipad at the front of The Estate.

We headed down to Oneroa for the photography session as well as a quick stop in at Cable Bay vineyards.  We were working with the videography crew from Lavender Weddings who added their creative charm to the wedding day and were great fun to work alongside.

Aww, sweet!

I LOVE the skipping!   This was not directed by me but just a spontaneous groomsman moment - what a crack up!

Behold, the amazing one legged photographer…

The autumn vines at Cable Bay looked just spectacular… just like the stunning bride. 

Back at The Estate we had some time for a bit of veil play before it was time for Sonya and John to be welcomed in for their reception.

Those girls are just TOO cute!

The reception looked great with chinese lanterns hanging from the marquee.  Little mini woollen sheep adorned the tables along with golden gift boxes containing the wedding favours for their guests.

Another great day here on the paradise island that is Waiheke!  Thanks John and Sonya for inviting us to be part of your beautiful, beautiful wedding day.   It was awesome.

A big thank you to my wonderful clients for their patience over the last few weeks – it is such a busy wee time in the studio at the moment and I know a few of you are patiently waiting to see your wedding images, album designs, etc.  I  send you a thousand thank yous from the bottom of my computer-weary and aching eyeballs (OK, I know, that kinda sounds bad)!

Stay tuned for more shots from John and Sonya’s most excellent wedding tomorrow evening…

Annaliese and Brent were married at Mudbrick Vineyard surrounded by their close friends and family.  The ceremony was extra special because Annaliese’s auntie, the Reverand Phillis McGough led the service giving it a nice personal touch and a real family feel.  The ceremony took place on top of the Mudbrick Cellar overlooking a gloriously sunny Auckland city. 

Annaliese prepared for the wedding day in style at the gorgeous Lavender Hill.  I must confess that even though I have been shooting weddings on Waiheke for the last four years, I had never worked at Lavender Hill!  So I was EXCITED!! 

I have seen many other images from my photographer friends who have shot here so I knew it was a spectacular location and I was not disappointed!  I loved it !  There were expansive areas bathed in sun, stunning architecture and a great view along with areas of lovely cool shade (which can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to find here on sunny Waiheke!).  Happy Days.

Let the festivites begin!

Stunning make up by Sharon Kenny and flowers by Vicki from Wildflower Waiheke.

I love the butterfly in this shot (captured by my lovely hubby and second shooter, Lance).  

Annaliese and her Dad having a bit of fun with his hat! Cute!!

And then we were off to Mudbrick for the main event!  Brent and Annaliese chose the stylish Mercedes available from Waiheke Chauffeured Cars for their transport.

We spent a bit of time in the vineyard before heading off down to Oneroa Beach for the rest of the portrait session.

We returned to Mudbrick to catch a few last shots in the dying light… Stunning!  Thanks Brent and Annaliese for providing so many beautiful moments for Lance and I to capture.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

 :)

One of my weddings was recently featured on the fabulous Aussie Wedding Blog, Polka Dot Bride … Check it out!

Kylee and Aaron’s wedding day was awesome!  So much fun to be part of; they had a really close bridal party who were not afraid to laugh and cry… often!  (the girls that is, the men were very manly and not at all cry-y but definitely full of laughs!).

They were married at The Estate in Church Bay which is always a great venue to be photographing at.  We made use of their lovely big hill as well as the olive grove and a few other choice spots around the venue.  Kylee looked fabulous in a Luci de Bella dress and her girls looked super-glam in a stunning Veronika Maine dresses.  Flowers by Vida Flores in Auckland.

Getting that excited feeling just before stepping into the dress…

Aaron was totally relaxed before the ceremony, laughing with his groomsmen and generally taking it all in his stride.

The ceremony was held on the helicopter pad in front of The Estate with a view looking across to Auckland City on one side and hedged hillside and rows of grapevines on the other – stunning!

After the ceremony we took a few shots around The Estate including these lovely moments in the olive grove before popping into the Cable Bay vines (thanks to Cable Bay for permission!) and then heading off down to Oneroa Bay for the rest of the photography session.

The bridal party photos were such a laugh – let the fun begin…

OK, I know it’s not the prettiest shot but it’s a bit of a laugh!  AND, it’s not often you can get a shot which not only brings out the double chins but also allows the viewer to see up the noses of the subjects so I’d say this photo was an all-round success!

I’d love to say that Kylee and Aaron were laughing at me because of my sparkling wit in this shot but they were actually being mercilessly teased by their crew who were standing just behind my eye-line… nice.

Back at The Estate, Kylee had designed a simple and elegant theme for her reception details – hydrangeas and roses with sprigs of rosemary adorned the tables and the napkins were tied up with a simple black and white ribbon with a soft pink and white place name card.  It’s looked stunning!

We had such a good time at your wedding Kylee and Aaron – it’s wonderful to have been able to capture your love and happiness for you.  (I love my job!)  :)  Thanks!

Well, you might need to grab a cup of tea and settle in for this wedding day post – Patricia and Chris had SO many lovely moments at their wedding and the style of their wedding day and decorations can best be described in one word – SEXY!  Black and red were the colour themes with an abundance of lush red roses.  MmmmMMMmm. Yummy!

Their ceremony was held on Onetangi Beach with the reception at The Dunes.  Patricia’s hair and make up was created by Auckland make up artist Alison Brewer, flowers by Vicki from Wildflower and stunning dress by the inimitable Jane Yeh. 

 

Waiheke turned on it’s usual brilliance as Patricia walked down the rose aisle on her dad’s arm to meet her man…

 

 

 

 

 

At the start of their photo session I stole Patricia and Chris away by themselves for a few shots at a fabulous spot above Onetangi.  The light was delicious, the couple were relaxed and gorgeous and I was pretty much in photographer heaven.  Ah, bliss.

 

 

Patricia looks F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S!

(I’ll put this brackets because it’s really a bit of an aside and I feel a bit silly admitting it but every now and then when I’m looking through the lens I see my clients looking like someone famous and when I was shooting this shot below I had a flash-back to the character “Angel’ from Buffy the Vampire slayer (played by actor David Boreanaz).  I’m probably showing my age here – not to mention my sorely mis-spent TV youth – but can anyone else see that?!) 

 

 

On the way back to the beach we stopped at a roadside-y spot with long grasses and grabbed a few quick shots.

 

Back along Onetangi beach we met up with Patricia and Chris’ bridal party of 10 and had a bit of fun there.  I was impressed to see that Chris got the most ‘air’ in these jump shots – that’s some mighty fine jumping!

 

 

 

Cue the crashing wave… 

 

They had hired a fabulous old white Bentley for the day and so we used it for a few shots of which this one below is my absolute fave.

We don’t often stay for reception coverages but Patricia is an excellent dancer and Chris had spent many many hours learning a special first dance with her to perform on the night and he wanted photographic evidence!!  So they booked us for a few extra hours to cover the reception… and I’m so pleased they did – it was AWESOME!  So much fun. 

The Dunes looked gorgeous with a curtain of lights dancing behind the bridal table which really transformed the space.  Here’s just a little taste of the frivolity which included pole dancing (don’t ask!).  ;p

 

Their band was wicked with a line up of cover songs including The Eye of the Tiger and Jesse’s Girl (again with the showing my age thing!) Everyone really got into it and had a ball…

Ah, the pole dancing! Probably much less risque than you were imagining I’m sure!  Thanks Patricia and Chris we loved being part of your fabulous Waiheke Wedding!  xx  Enjoy your sneak peek!