“Do you think he’ll cry when he sees you” I asked Leanne before we headed out to meet Richard for the “First Look”

“I think he will- he cries when he hears the song I am walking down the aisle to- he’s quite romantic.

Richard is my cousin whom I have very fond memories of growing up with on family camping holidays. We see each other regularly throughout the year when celebrating family events and I am always intrigued how each time we gather, how grown up we all seem. He has two gorgeous little girls with Leanne and they are great parents, this little family shares a lot of love.

On this day they celebrated all that they have done together so far and all that will come in the future, through good times and bad they promised to stick it out.

Leanne spent a lot of time and effort planning all the pretty things for this day and she loves vintage vibes.

Pretty details

Richard waits for his Bride and is feeling pretty good about it

I love this!

Here she comes….

We head inside to meet family and to shelter from patchy rain- I love how Leanne holds her dress

A bit of fun with the bridal party inside the Wigram Air Museum in Christchurch

I Love this with eldest daughter Makayla

And then wee Courtnee comes to play

Hello pretty girl!!

LOVE the matching expressions

Lovely

Then off we went into Cashel Mall for some fun- it looks so beautiful with lots of colour, texture and creativity

Leanne and Richard are really fun together

and they apprectiate each other

AND they look super hot as a couple

speaking of super hot

the boys were in no way camera shy- love it

LOVE LOVE LOVE this of Richard- playing with something a little different and liking it a lot

REEEEOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!! LEANNE!! You look spectacular!

I had so much fun with the giant wall photos – you girls look awesome

My lovely cousin Hannah and sister of Richard

Cute!

Shooting back towards what used to be- in the damaged Christchurch CBD

Then back at Wigram Air Museum for a very special and unique ceremony amongst the old planes! It is here I should mention that Richard always loved planes and now works as a Logistics and Maintenance Engineer specializing in specific airoplane engines- it all sounds very technical what he does. It was incredibly special and significant to have the ceremony and reception here. Plus it looked awesome.

and yes he did cry- Big bro Tim looks on

Makayla holds on too- adorable

Approval!

A very dramatic reception! The vibe was very cool indeed

Everybody is feeling like this is a good idea-

Richard and Leanne- it was such a privilege to be part of your very special celebration. I am looking forward to catching up with you soon and to show you the rest of the photos!

Lots of love

Rach

It turned out that Gareth lived next door to my cousins growing up in Invercargill and upon this discovery quite late in the piece, Gareth was even more convinced that I was a good choice of photographer because my cousins are all very talented in their own ways and he figured that my family had good creative genes – stoked.

Emma and Gareth are fun, natural, easy going and their wedding was such a pleasure to be part of. Surrounded by their friends and family they became husband and wife after a journey together that has taken them from being high school sweet hearts, to university life, travelling to now being  married with careers and dreams yet to be fulfilled.

We started the day with the girls, pretty details and the MOST adorable golden retriever you ever did see- Austin is a charmer and I secretly hoped he might just jump in my car and never want to get out.

The lovely Anna and Shyla

Nephew (and winner of the cutest dressed guest award)  Logan- dressed in a kilt made out of his Nana’s dress- complete with watch strap buckle!

Austin waves goodbye

Gareth waits nervously for his bride… we did a first peek at Company Bay

Here she comes

LOVE this

then off to Hoopers Inlet for some fun – LOVE this of the boys Adam and Simon

EMMA!!!!! LOOK AT YOU!!!!! WOWZER

I love that the ceremony was by the Pool of Reflections- how very appropriate

reflecting

This has got to be one of the greatest candid moments ever! The ring didn’t go on quite as easily as expected- priceless expressions

everybody approves

woohooo!!

special people, special moments

I love photographing at Larnach’s Castle- it is so elegant with amazing ambience

Emma and Gareth- thank you SO much for choosing us to photograph your beautiful day! We had so much fun with you all and it was very cool to make so many new friends and connections.

We wish you all the best for your journey ahead and we hope it is full of laughter and fun.

Love

Rachel and Donna xoxoxo

I met Carolyn and Bevan well over a year ago, back when their wedding was scheduled for January 29th 2011.

Their wedding day was postponed due to Carolyn becoming extremely ill the day before the wedding and things were put on hold until she was well again.

It has been a year of looking after each other and taking things slow- they are a wonderful team and have so much fun together. Bevan is a very talented  painter ( click here to see his work) and Carolyn is a music therapist, so between them they are very creative and have a circle of friends with many talents.

The wedding was lovely, very relaxed, very organised and very special. One thing that stood out to me about this day was the quality of smiles- they were everywhere and were somehow extra infectious.

Beautiful details- including Nana’s crystals

Lovely sister Vonnie is there to help- love the wedding photo in the background

and pappa bear Kelvin keeps an eye on the time….

last minute touch ups

the bride arrives!!

love this of Bevan- nervous, happy, overwhelmed…. so many emotions all rolled into a blur

but it’s not surprising

because this is what he is seeing

the stained glass makes a dramatic backdrop for “The Kiss”

fabulous friend and exceptional cellist  takes a bow

love this sneaky peek during the song

hey there cutie pie

Married!!!! YAY!!!!

so many beautiful hugs and kissses

and this dapper chap won my secret best dressed guest award

rose petal fun

the weather held off really well, UNTIL we headed off to the beach where it poured- but that didn’t stop us from getting into the groove zone

Carolyn plays her Grandmother’s precious Violin- this is a shot I like to call “Bride and Groom Sax and Violin duet feat bridal party in the rain with brollies”

Bevan is whispering in Carolyn’s ear how he felt when he saw her walking down the aisle xox

Beautiful Carolyn- such a natural and elegant beauty

I love this one of you both

The very fun and super cool bridal party!

bling admiration

and the “boys” bring their fierce – Rachel is Bevan’s sister and honorary groomsman- she rocked the hot

prettiness

deeelicious cake

Carolyn and Bevan- what an honour it was to finally be part of your wonderful wedding celebration.  You are so well loved and it was so nice to be surrounded by the joy of your friends and family.

We wish you all the very best in your future together-

oxxoxoxox

Rachel and Donna

Jason came into the studio in November to have a casual chat about his upcoming wedding. The more he talked, the more I loved the vibe and I hoped we would see each other again.

We did- this time with Linda his lovely bride and we made a plan for Monday January 9 2012

The wedding was inspired by a trip to the Timaru Rose Festival where a certain shirt was purchased which  just so happened to start a chain of events which ended up at WEDDING!

It all unfolded in 6 weeks and Linda and Jason had a lovely and very relaxed time planning their day which included 15 guests (all close family) a ceremony on the lawn of their beautiful beach side home, their 2 gorgeous daughters as flower girls and a relaxed reception at the back of the house. This wedding was all about family, memories, connections and tying everything that has gone before with the present and the dreams of the future. It was so incredibly special.

we had so much fun with the girls as they got ready- Isellah and Zoe were two of my all time favourite flower girls, so lovely natured, patient and helpful

Donna again was an immeasurable help and her duties on this day included sewing the bride’s sash just so to turn it into a rosebud… that woman never ceases to amaze me

Grandmother’s brooch

Jason’s Mum Chris gets a well deserved toe pampering

the ladies are ready

a lovely scene

Wahooooooo!

straight after the ceremony Linda and Jason planted a daisy

giving the new plant lots of love

the wedding cake was made with the recipe of Linda’s Grandmother on her wedding day- VERY special

then we all went off on an adventure down the road to the wetlands for fun family photos

then a bit of frolicking in the barley fileds was in order

Linda you are a stunning bride! I love the windswept natural beauty you have here

beautiful table setting details

Linda and Jason- your wedding was such a great pleasure to be part of. We had such a lovely time with you all celebrating your journey.

We wish you all the very best together and can’t ait to see you soon to show you the rest!

Lots of Love

Rachel  and Donna xoxxo

Suzanne and Cavin live in Auckland but came down south for their intimate and lovely wedding at Woodbury. A delightful little village near Geraldine, where tree glades and wildflowers grow happily in the cosiness of country life.

Donna and I had a lot of fun with Suzanne, Cavin the fun bridal party, cheerful family and friends- AND wee Liam, star page boy and son to Suzanne and Cavin.

Suzanne’s very clever Mum (aka floral artist extraordinaire) was responsible for the many floral treats throughout the day including the bouquets, corsages, arrangements for the ceremony and reception AND table place settings!

Suzanne made the flower girls dresses and they were adorable! Orange polka dots!! woop woop!

A very proud Dad

with a very excited Liam

LOVE this- the expression is priceless

here too!

Liam get’s in on the action

and things get a bit emotional

super cute!

Liam has a VERY important job

and he feels pretty good about it!

Cavin’s Mum and Dad have hugs at the ready

the fun and lovely bridal party

the gorgeous Woodbury church featuring the black cab!

then off on our adventures into the Woodbury wilderness- Suzanne you are so beautiful

This is a shot I like to call “groom in a glade of trees looking super cool”

and a wee bit of distraction from the “helpful” groomsmen

had to be done really

We took one of my beautiful chairs with us on location as I thought it suited these two- tick! Quite charming eh

the beautiful table settings

one adorable wee boy

Suzanne and Cavin, Donna and I LOVED being part of your beautiful day! We had so much fun with you all and wish you all the very best in the future ahead.

Lots of love

Rachel xo

I met Maria and Steve earlier this year and loved their ideas for a beautiful vintage inspired wedding.

Steve paid me a very cool compliment when he told me that he liked my photos because they made him smile when he looked at them. So on the day I was  VERY conscious of creating images with smile factor without being cheesy. It wasn’t too hard because these guys were fun and easy going and I was in photographic heaven all day.

There were so many precious things connected to this wedding, a lot of dedication and incredible patience…

Maria got ready in her parents beautiful home which suited the vibe of the day perfectly

the amazing shoes!

the dress

gorgeous Maria

and her two beautiful daughters Brooke and Paxton

Paxton

Brooke

the lovely ladies- special shout out to sister and bridesmaid Kirstie who made the flower girl dresses AND bridesmaid dresses- Maria lovingly hand stitched the beading

waiting ….

beautiful arrival

I LOVE this photo of the shadow from the fabulous bagpiper Scott Shannon from Temuka

Steve watches his stunning bride walk towards him

and she looks incredible on the arm of her very proud Dad

becoming

Mr and Mrs

I loved watching Maria’s Mum and Dad throughout the day- their love for their family and also each other was so very present and obvious

they did it!!!!

all the excitement was a bit much for wee Brooke who fell asleep in her gorgeous aunty’s arm during the ceremony. I LOVE this moment

but she was well looked after by her adoring brothers Griffin and Cody

I love standing back and watching things unfold after the ceremony, the looks, tears, hugs and kisses all bring the gathered guests together in celebration

the very precious aunty Edna was a tear jerker

Wow- just wow Maria

Maria had found these beautiful lace parasols- I love this

you are pure stunning Maria!!!!!

This proves the saying that girls pick men who remind them of their fathers….. seeing double???

We headed out to Pleasant Point where the train and jigger were waiting for us- I LOVE this of Steve

beautiful vintage train love

this makes ME smile

and this is just totally hot

I mentioned hot eh- Maria you are SO GORGEOUS!!!

Reow!!!!

beautiful

cute!!

I love this- so dramatic and romantic

beautiful light, beautiful love

speaking of beautiful love…. sigh

Maria and Steve- what an honour it was to be your photographer. Your wedding was full of love and fun and was such a fabulous celebration of your love and journey so far. I wish you happiness and peace for your future together! Can’t wait to show you the rest!!!!!! xoxoxoxox

Rach

Hannah and Kris are such a beautiful pair- it has been so much fun getting excited with them as their day drew nearer.

I have been anticipating this wedding for quite some time as I have been hearing about the details and snippets of planning ideas from Hannah who pops in regularly to give me the goss!

The Wedding was fabulous.

These two have such a lovely way together, they’re calm and fun, with a vibrant energy that is infectious.

Hannah and Kris were married at Terrace Downs- a truly spectacular venue, it is pure photo-graphical paradise.

The powder room, where the boys prepare to get ready

looking very sharp Kris

the girls details

THE DRESS!!!

beautiful flower girl and Hannah’s niece Emily looking adorable

GASP Hannah!!! SOOO stunning

helped by her bridesmaids and lovely Mum- Hannah is ready

and she looks incredible

off too meet Kris who is patiently waiting at the bottom of the golf course

perfect

these two share a lot of love

and it is very beautiful to watch

they are also ridiculously fun to photograph

the wind made things really fun and very unpredictable

Hannah- you are amazingly gorgeous ox. LOVE this

rocking the shot

the ceremony got moved inside due to the wind, but before we headed to the ceremony, we had some fun with the helium balloons! CUTE

anticipation

Hannah NEARLY manages not to cry – I love this so so much

exchanging and becoming

husband and wife

everyone is feeling pretty good about it!

beautiful

Terrace Downs lovlieness

Hannah and Kris- over the last while as you have journeyed towards your wedding day you have become quite special to me. I have loved being part of your planning of your amazing day. I wish you so much happiness in your future together !

oxoxo Cant wait to make your gorgeous Album!!!

Lots of love

Rachel

This wedding was unbelievably beautiful- as soon as I spotted the flowers I knew it was going to be hard to take my finger off the trigger!

The planning was done to perfection- Rachel is a teacher and her organisation skills shone brightly on her wedding day.

In all directions there was prettiness, laughs, love and a LOT of fun

I had a ball with the girls getting ready at the Masonic Cafe in St Andrews

special mention of the flowers- Rachel’s amazing Mum arranged all the flowers for the day and Rach’s Dad, made the bridesmaid bouquet holders!! Cool eh

a pair of most beautiful flower girls- so much fun to follow around and photograph ox

getting excited about the jewels!!

gorgeous colour theme! so elegant

the fleur de lis was a feature at this wedding and was present throughout

Rach you are SO stunning!!!!!

Way cute Pappa Bear

Gorgeous- ox

Fab facials and so much fun as things get very official!

CUTE!

Cute again!

the big boys started leading the page boy astray- undies were flaunted

Men in kilts- pretty special

the BEEEauuutiful girls

I love this so much ox so buttery and delicious

the undies are still flaunted

FIERCE!  LOVE this

we had fun and these moments are beautiful

Rach’s face all day was pure happiness and so beautiful!!

then things got interesting

and a bit cheeky! * no pun intended- wink

but the girls were very well behaved and so pretty

and the little girls were delightful!

Rach!!!!! Look at YOU!! You are so gosh darn gorgeous!

fun!

the tree of love

Rachel and Josh- thank you SO much for the honour of being your photographer.  You two are so much fun and I wish you happiness and love for the future ahead.

I have so many fabulous photographs of your incredible day and can’t wait to show you the rest.

oxoxox love Rach

When trying to think of a title for this blog, the word Strength was first in my mind, closely followed by Grace.

This was a wedding which demonstrated both traits in truckloads.

Imagine a bride, waking up on her wedding day, full of anticipation and excitement- a day she has been planning since she was small.

A day where she feels the most beautiful she has ever felt

with thanks to the amazing team at Shine Salon and Day Spa here in Timaru ox

She is surrounded by beautiful friends

And her eyes are just that much brighter and sparklier today

She has all her pretty details ready and has had so much fun preparing and planning them

her dream dress waits

her beautiful Mum can hardly believe this day has arrived

she feels so very blessed

she is transformed into an incredible bride

and then her strength is tested more than it was ever imagined possible

she is told of a fire that destroyed her friends’ home just hours ago, injuring critically her father in-law and her wee baby nephew in-law

There are tears and prayers and her community surrounds her as she prepares to walk down the aisle to her husband who has been protecting her from this situation so she can still have her dream day

The boys have spent all morning re- arranging, purchasing new wedding outfits, praying and trying to make the best of a horrible situation

The sun is a welcome comfort and he is supported by friends and family

Her walk down the aisle is more powerful and emotional than she thought it would ever be

There are many beautiful and fun moments, these ones courtesy of  the gorgeous flower girls

and this is pure glorious

They are married!

This was a day of so much emotion- I found it quite overwhelming and really had to try extra hard to know what to do. On the one hand I just wanted everything to stop- to try and make sense of it all. Then on the other, this was a wedding day!  A once in a lifetime day to capture faithfully. The bridal party were fun and helped Toni and Moses have a good time and encouraged them to enjoy it- to be present. It was a huge challenge creatively to hold both sadness and joy as well as  knowing I had a job to do!

I took Toni and Moses away and slowed things down a bit- these photos to me speak volumes of the emotions of the day. The connection and sense of unity and drawing strength from one another

and this- is pure beauty, faith, trust and grace

the reception was a blend of tears, laughter and embarrassing stories- as only a father can tell

and then the Fijian flavours came out in force- the beautiful handmade tappa cloths made especially for the wedding, were so sadly destroyed in the fire

evidence again of the amazing spirit of the day

Toni and Moses… I really don’t know how to tell you how amazing you are. You are both inspirational and such a huge testament to the strength of faith and grace.

oxoxxo May your marriage be blessed incredibly

Nicola and Alex

Girl meets boy – 7 years ago.  Girl is arty, creative, strong and sensitive. Boy is musical, fun, talented and caring.

They are getting married in March!!!

To celebrate, we took some time out in the beautiful light of Timaru on Saturday, got tousled about by the wind and made some stunning photographs.

The gorgeous Nic and smouldering Alex (wink)

Magical light

You two are fantastic together and it was such a pleasure to see you and create these memories with you. These are just a mere handful or two of my faves

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Love Rach