Krissy and AJ’s wedding day was hot and gorgeous, another stunning summer day on Waiheke Island!  It was such a wonderful wedding to be part of, with traditions from both Krissy’s Samoan and AJ’s Tongan heritage.  We were even graced by the presence of her Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu Tuita and Lord Tuita.

Krissy got ready for the big day at The Estate in Church Bay, always a lovely location to shoot at.   There was a zing of excitment in the air when we arrived, especially from Krissy’s gorgeous little girl who was SUPER excited and sooooooo cute!  Krissy’s amazing dress was from NZ designer Kate Dowman.

AJ and his crew were preparing for the day at Twin Views in Burrell Rd.  All the men wore traditional tupenu for the wedding day attire, and AJs in particular included many many layers!  I was feeling pretty hot in the blazing sun wearing my photographer-ninja-black attire, so I can’t possible imagine how sweltering AJ must have been… but he wore it with style and looked as cool as a cucumber.

Back at the girls house, our little flower girl was still bouncing around (well, jumping on the bed to be exact) and excitedly anticipating putting on her dress.

I love Krissy’s gorgeous look… she looked amazing.  Her hair was from Heather at Phoenix Hair Design and make up by Charlotte Edwardes from Island Beauty.

The view from The Estate…

Following the ceremony and the family group photographs, we ambled around Mudbrick Vineyard to take advantage of their amazing grounds and the wonderful light… so many beautiful moments with these two.  I was in happy-photographer-heaven!

Below is a great example of the old, ‘don’t worry, you can relax your faces because I am cropping your heads off in this shot” trick!  Their bridal party was on the roof of the Mudbrick and when they waved out to AJ and Krissy I couldn’t resist capturing their responses…

Krissy and AJ’s reception was awesome with some fabulous dancing and moving speeches.  The Mudbrick restaurant looked great with lots of beautiful roses on the tables.  (The floral arrangements were from Virginia at the Waiheke Flower Gallery).  Each guest was given noodle boxes with fortune cookies inside and the women were gifted a beautifully scented Mudbrick soap when they entered the reception; just another one of Krissy’s lovely little thoughtful touches.

Krissy did a traditional ‘Siva’ to welcome and honour her guests which was so much fun and later in the night, there were some seriously smooth moves going down on the dance floor!

Told you it was fun!!  Thanks so much Krissy and AJ – we had an awesome day with you and will look forward to showing you all of your images soon…

The lovely wedding of Krissy and AJ…

MMMMmmmMMM.  More to follow later in the week.

Sarah and Scott’s wedding day was one of those wonderful Waiheke days where the weather behaved perfectly, blue skies, sun shining… ahhhhh, a great day to get married on this gorgeous island!

When we arrived at Scott’s getting ready place in Oneroa, the boys were happily sitting around enjoying a beer eagerly awaiting our arrival and began to get ‘suited up’.  Shirts and waistcoats on, ‘pre-tied’ ties slipped over the neck (I know – I told Scott it was cheating!), cufflinks in and these boys were ready to roll!

Rocking the ‘boys shot…

Sarah got ready for the big day at a holiday home in Oneroa, surrounded by her family and bridesmaids.  She had a gorgeous Essence dress with beautiful beading around the bodice and her girls were dressed in sheer blush pink floaty dresses from Juliette Hogan.  Hair and Makeup was from the super-talented Ashlee Kellett… they all looked amazing!

Sarah’s Dad see her in her dress for the first time…

Love these!  Sarah’s flowers were from Vicki at Wildflower

Sarah and Scott had their ceremony at St Peter’s Church in Oneroa.  One of the special touches they made was that they served cupcakes and champagne to their guests following the service.

Their minister, who was also Sarah’s uncle, did a wonderful sermon on marriage which included household cleaning products and two pot glues!

Following the ceremony we took off down to Onetangi Beach and had some fun down there.

November has been a month of some quite strong winds but we were very sheltered tucked into the hillside where we were and so we had to ‘fake it’ with a little help from one of Sarah’s bridesmaids!

The vines at Cable Bay looked amazing – we had some time for a few shots around the grounds and in their cellar before Sarah and Scott’s reception began.

They were welcomed into their reception to the sounds of ‘Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night” with everyone waving their napkins around and singing – It was a fabulous beginning to what I am sure was a really Good Good night!   Thanks Sarah and Scott – we loved being part of your day and had a great time with you and your lovely friends and family.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Week after week, every wedding we do is different…  I love that about being a wedding photographer because even though the ‘form’ of a wedding follows a similar structure, each wedding presents a whole lot of different moments that are special and unique to each couple.

Amy and Mark’s wedding had quite a formal aesthetic to it, but their overall approach was very laid back and fun.  The guys were dressed in waistcoats and rouched neckties with Mark in a very stylish long jacket.  They got ready for the big day at Punga Lodge in Oneroa.

Mark said that his long coat made him feel like he should be holding a sword and charging into battle…. well, I couldn’t not shoot it, could I!?

Amy and her family were all together at a beautiful home in Gulf Place, Palm Beach with amazing views.  There was a very relaxed vibe with Amy’s two gorgeous nephews keeping everyone entertained.

Amy’s flowers were created by Lainy Fleming at Waiheke Flower Company along with a little help from Amy’s mum who according to Amy is a genius with all things crafty…  they looked gorgeous and had a beautiful scent.  Amy’s Hair and Make up was from Hannah Bylo

I love these photos as Amy’s Dad saw her for the first time in her bridal gown… it was such a lovely moment.

Cable Bay Vineyard looked glorious on a stunning day which was perfect for their display of kinetic sculptures… a little on the breezy side!

Did I mention that it was a little breezy…?

After a few images around the Cable Bay grounds, we whisked Amy and Mark down to Oneroa beach where they enjoyed the Cable Bay hamper that had been prepared especially for them.  Mark got some great height on the cork popping although we couldn’t quite persuade him to shake it up and spray it!  Really Mark, where IS your sense of adventure?!

Amy’s veil was amazing and I LOVED photographing it.  It was so airborne during the ceremony at Cable Bay that Amy just took it off!  So when it started wrapping itself around Amy at our photoshoot I thought it would be a good idea to pay tribute to ‘the veil with a mind of it’s own’!!

Back at Cable Bay we had time for a few more photos before Amy and Mark welcomed their guests one by one into their reception in the traditional fashion; a lovely and very personal way to say hello to all those attending their wedding.

Josh, the super-cute page boy was awesome during the day – I love this image that Lance captured of him waiting patiently at the table with Amy and Mark in the background.  The reception hall looked very elegant with clusters of central candles and floral wreaths.  It was a very stylish wedding and a wonderful day to be part of…  thanks Amy and Mark for asking us to capture it for you.  Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Dave and Josianne traveled from Canada to Waiheke Island to have their gorgeous intimate wedding ceremony at Delamore Lodge.  Dave wanted to give Josianne a wonderful wedding day that she didn’t have to stress about at all… and so he took care of all the arrangements.  Gotta love that!

Josianne had dreamed as a girl of a fairytale wedding and her dress was completely A-mazing.  Her hair and make up was by the talented and very lovely Sharon Kenny.  Flowers from Virginia from the Waiheke Flower Gallery.

They both chose rings for each other in secret so that it would be a surprise on the wedding day… Josianne had Dave’s ring engraved and Dave chose a ring with 13 diamonds in it – one for each year they had been together.

The one thing that no one could do anything about was the weather and it was a pretty intensely wet day unfortunately – not the bright blue sky they were hoping for -  but they both took it in their stride and enjoyed their wonderfully romantic ceremony by the Delamore Lodge fireplace.  Dave and Josianne enlisted the help of Minetta Stevens from The Wedding Company in Nelson to plan their day from afar.  Here she is below doing an excellent job of umbrella handler!

Josianne looked radiant as she came down the stairs and when Dave saw her… well, that was the end of him!    He composed himself very quickly though, and their vows to each other were gorgeous.  Written in secret, full of devotion and love they brought a tear to my eye.

We had originally planned an excursion around the island to capture the New Zealand landscape in their wedding photos but with the rain being as relentless as it was that day, we opted to stay at Delamore and take our photos inside!  Luckily Delamore Lodge is one of those fabulous venues that has no end of lovely indoor and undercover spaces…

Love these ones…

To finish with we had a little dance-off… you know, I am trying to think how we actually got to having a dance off but I can’t remember although I can tell you that those two have some smooth moves!  Dave had the flow and glide, and the ease of a masterful dancer, but Josianne… well, she had the faces!  Sorry, Dave, but Josianne has to be my overall dance-off winner.  No two ways about it.  Love those faces!

I coaxed them out into the rain for a few photos at the end, but when the umbrella blew in half we kinda thought twice about it!!  Dave and Josianne – I LOVED being part of your very special wedding day.  It was magical, and if there is any truth to the old wives tale about rain meaning good luck in your marriage, then you guys are sorted! xx