4 best friends + cupcakes, nibbles and champagne + pretty dresses + a make-up artist + a photographer = a perfect girls day out!

Catherine, Bex, Amber and Lizzie (& pseudo Sam - but more on that later!) all celebrated their 25th birthdays this year, so as a treat to themselves, they booked a 'Sweet Little Somethings' afternoon, to get some beautiful photos together...

They all met at high school - about 12 years ago! A couple of them were in the same form classes all through school, and they have all continued to remain really close friends since 3rd form! They were all awesome girls to hang out with and photograph - friends who know each other so well that they are real with each other, they can joke around with each other, laugh at each others quirks, and never be too serious with each other!

For us, the day started with drinks, cheese, crackers, and cupcakes, while Christal Allpress Make-Up Artist did a fab job of all the girls' make-up. They all made a full day of it, so they began getting dressed and doing hair before we arrived, and then they were heading out to birthday drinks for Lizzie later that evening... all looking hot!!

They DID present me with a bit of a challenge for making the cupcakes for them tho - Lizzie is allergic to nuts, and Catherine is allergic to both dairy AND gluten!! Phew. So on the menu was chocolate mud cupcakes, and dairy/gluten free mixed berry cupcakes...

There was a couple hours of pampering and hanging out together - doing make-up, hair, nails and choosing which dresses they should each wear!

And then we headed out to a few locations the girls had thought through! See... I told you they were fun!

Otago Girls' High School... a place full of good (and some bad!) memories. This is where they spent the bulk of their time together... so we hit it up for photo locations! They were amazed at how much had (and how much hadn't) changed in 8 years!!

This was their "spot" during their school years... I'm sure these chairs know a lot of secrets about which boys they liked and which teachers they didn't like...

I photographed Catherine's wedding back in March this year, so when they decided they wanted to book a shoot, I jumped at the chance!

There is a 5th girl, Sam, who is part of this tight-knit crew... Sam lives in Queenstown and unfortunately she couldn't make the shoot at the last minute. And she copped some serious flack over that one! The girls took great pleasure in cutting her off the edge of the paper dolls and including her in the photo shoot!! I better put a disclaimer in here and say this was definitely a JOKE ;). It would have been great to have Sam there!

The rain was threatening all day... and spots came here and there. Only just enough to give us a bit of a Mary Poppins moment tho!

"Sam" did get her own wee minature umbrella too, so she could still feel part of the shoot...

Four absolutely stunning girls! Christal did a great job of their make-up, and they all looked simply beautiful in their pretty dresses.

They actually booked this shoot quite a few months ago, but decided to wait until November to do it, so that it would be warmer! Huh... hmmmm. Never trust Dunedin weather!

So out came the matching puffa jackets and the gummies... and we headed to Signal Hill lookout - another place they used to hang out at together during high school!

Catherine, Bex, Amber and Lizzie... you were all SUCH troopers getting out there, thinking warm thoughts, and having a heap of fun! And Sam, thanks for joining us in spirit! We won't hold it against you that you couldn't make it ;). You were all awesome to work with... I have sooo many photos for you! Hope you like this blog selection! It was such a pleasure for Christal and me to hang out with you for an afternoon!

XOXO

Every girl deserves to be pampered and treated, and to have permission to feel beautiful!

You probably all remember the competition I ran in conjunction with Christal Allpress Make-up Artist in August, to launch our new make-up, cupcakes and shoot concept - 'Sweet Little Somethings'! These shoots enable you to get together with your besties, your mother, grandmothers, sisters... your brother's friend's cat's great-aunt... anyone!! You get an afternoon of pampering, make-up by the wonderful Christal, cupcakes, drinks, and other treats to eat! When you have all been made-up, you get to head out on a photo shoot with me, at locations of your choice! Be a model for a day, have some fun with your favourite girls, and get some beautiful images to keep!

This shoot is open to absolutely anyone - any ages, any combinations! We are also keen to try a lot of different styles - picnics, boudoir/glamour, high teas, casual shoots, beachy themes, wedding dress shoots, small hen's parties or birthdays, ANYTHING! The world is your oyster, and you can also ask us for ideas!

    We have a super cheap introductory price of $130 each person, based on 4-5 girls... for the first 5 bookings only! If you would like to chat about what Christal and I can do for you, please call me on 0276658177, or email photography@kimberleycheyne.co.nz!

Phew! What a day!! Christal and I ran around like mad things organising things for the girls' day out, and when it finally rolled around, we couldn't have been more excited!

Kathryn Lock was the very lucky winner of the facebook tagging competition! She chose three close friends - Laura, Rachael, and Judy - and we were stoked to hear how deserving these girls were! Three of them are new Mums, with boys about 7 months old, and all of them were very keen for an excuse to get out of the house, feel like a pretty lady, and enjoy some time out with their friends!

There was a whooooole lot of estrogen in one room, and it was hilariously awesome. Let's just say breast-feeding, babies, birth, bras and boobs were common topics of conversation. And there was no shortage of laughter.

I want to share a whole range of montage images, to document the day as it happened! There are a lot, I admit it.

On the treats menu was Lemon/Lime Coconut Meringue Cupcakes, and Strawberry Chocolate Mudcakes... and the best bit was, I didn't even have any major baking fails! Plus cheese and crackers, grapes, dried fruit, chocolate (essential at any girls event!), breads and dips, etc!

A little smattering of pampering...

Part of the competition was a goodie bag for each girl! Christal and I owe a HUGE thank you to the following businesses who supported us by donating vouchers, products and services for these!! We are extremely grateful for their generosity, and the girls loved their packs!

• Beaute Skin Bar & Beauty Therapy Clinic
• Karen of Dr LeWinns Counter at Life Pharmacy
• Clinique Counter at Farmers
• Erin at MASH Cafe in the Octagon
• Christal Allpress Make-up Artist
  

Meet Christal! I didn't know her before I stalked her website in search of a make-up artist. But I think we were made for each other... she is awesome and was totally on board with everything as soon as we started planning these shoots! Annnnd she really knows how to apply make-up. Like, really knows. The girls looked AMAZING when they stepped off the bar stool after being made-over!

And she has a LOT of incredible make-up!! Just quietly quite jealous...

Christal's make-up application for the girls was natural, but very striking and feminine. This is beautiful Kathryn after Christal had done her thing! Sooo pretty!

After they had all eaten enough cupcakes to make them feel sufficiently sick, changed into pretty dresses, and got their faces on... we set out for the photo shoot! We are very grateful to Grandview Gardens, for letting us frolick around their beautiful grounds for the shoot! If you are planning a wedding in Dunedin, definitely go and check them out! And also thanks to my family who let us kick them out of their house so we could do the pampering there!

The gorgeous girls! Judy...

Laura...

Rachael...

...and Kathryn!

There were a lot of giggles through the day...

After a whole lot of faffing about trying not to get Laura's pretty white dress dirty... she ended up with her head in the wrong place...!

Judy and her husband are very close family friends with Kathryn's family!

Rachael, Laura and Kathryn all got to know each other really well after going through anti-natal classes together! And now they have three wee boys the same age... totally awesome to have the support of each other.

Thank you SO much girls for being so fun and so great to work with! We couldn't have asked for a better bunch of friends to do our first 'Sweet Little Somethings' shoot with! We hope you enjoyed being pampered and spoilt for the day!
Huge thanks to Christal for all her hard work, and again for all the businesses that supported us!

If this looks like something you would like to do with your favourite girls, please get in touch to discuss ideas! We can't wait to do more! xoxo