Giselle and Daniel say 'I Do'

I think the 11th of the 11th, 2011 was a popular date for weddings around the world... and I was lucky enough to be part of one very special one here in Dunedin! I don't blame them for chosing that date, they have NO excuse to forget their wedding anniversary!

Giselle and Daniel met through a mutual friend a few years ago, and fell in love pretty quickly! They developed a beautiful and extremely sincere relationship, and got engaged out at Brighton Beach (where we did their engagement shoot!) about eighteen months ago. They have three incredibly adorable girls, who were delightful little flowergirls at the wedding. Giselle, Dan, Jade, Dylan and Ruby are one happy and loving family, and this wedding was an emotion-filled day of family, friends and a whole lot of love!!

Giselle's bridesmaid, Sasha, ties up her dress, while all the other girls get ready in the small hotel room! Giselle, her sister, Diana, and Sasha have been really good friends all through school.

Pretty details!

What did I tell you about having adorable kids?! And they aren't even dressed as pretty little princesses yet! Wee Ruby loves the camera... and the oldest, Jade, gets her hair done despite not being happy about it!

The pillow that held the rings is extremely special. It was handmade years ago by an eleven year old boy for his mother, just before she sadly passed away. That boy was now a groom, and his precious mother wouldn't be there to share in his amazing wedding day. Throughout the day Daniel and Giselle made special acknowlegements of his amazing mother who raised, loved and shaped him. This pillow, which now represents so many memories and so much love, was carried down the aisle by one of their precious daughters.

Giselle has her husband-to-be's name already tattooed on her arm...

The boys got ready in another hotel room in another block at Cargill's. They needed a bit of help from Andrew, who was second shooting for me, to get their ties, cufflinks and buttonholes on... they didn't have a clue! BUT, they got there, and they all looked very tidy and presentable! Giselle's Dad helped Daniel to sort out the buttonhole...

Dan is an aluminium joiner, and even though I don't know much about that... I DO know that spirit levels are a very manly tool that are used in building and housey jobs. What I didn't know is that they could also be cuff links!

Giselle and Dan decided that they wanted photos of just the two of them before the ceremony. Dan had a long wait without peeking, but finally Giselle made her way down, and snuck up behind him so they could have a moment together before the rush of the day began. This was the most emotional moment I have ever had at a wedding. It was intimate, tearful and completely beautiful. Just quietly, I was blubbering behind my camera.

Dan couldn't have been more taken aback by his stunning bride. The tears flowed down his cheek... and they couldn't let each other go.

We made our way out to a beautiful house in Brighton where they had planned on having their photos... and on the 20min drive out there, the rain began and just got heavier and heavier. Plans were slightly changed, and we took mostly indoor options...

So. much. love.

Giselle made a stunning bride! She was calm and relaxed, even when the bucketing rain meant their outdoor ceremony had to be shifted to the back-up room! She did even get out in the rain for a few photos!

I tried to get a photo of the bridesmaids on the bed, but some little person wanted to be in the photo too... which made it just that much more awesome!

And then Dylan and Jade decided they could be like the big girls too... too cute!

As the guests were starting to arrive at the now indoor ceremony, little Jade was capturing every moment on her disposable wedding camera! A professional in the making I think!

Having already spent some time together to calm their nerves, the ceremony was a relaxed and beautiful formality. For some reason it is always difficult to get the grooms ring on for the first time though!

I would find it hard to believe that there was a dry eye in the room during the vows, and lighting the candles for Dan's mother. It was a very emotional ceremony, but one that would have definitely made his mother proud.

Sasha and Diana made beautiful bridesmaids, and a great support crew for Giselle and flowergirls!

After the ceremony, we had a short moment to do a few bridal party and family shots, in between putting the girls to bed, chasing the girls around, and putting the pregnant bridesmaid to bed!!! The nice thing was that everything was on location at Cargill's hotel, so the guests could sit around and mingle, and everything else could go on around them!

The girls giggled and put lipstick marks on Giselle's cheeks...

... and the boys did manly things like standing with their hands in the pockets...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous family!

The reception speeches were short and sweet, but hilarious and heart-felt, and the details looked so great.

Giselle had gone to huuuuge lengths to make nearly all the details for their wedding. She is so arty and incredible! Plus, her talents don't stop there - Giselle grew up in Argentina, and speaks fluent french and spanish to her parents! I loved listening to that during the day. Other languages are so fascinating! Part of their table decorations were these wee frames to name the tables as the word 'love' in many different languages (as it says, 'adore' is love in french!)!

Giselle and Daniel, your wedding day was beautiful and sincere, and was definitely one of the most emotional weddings I have ever been to. I doesn't take much to make me cry, but I was near blubbering behind the camera at some parts during the day! You are so great together, and you do an incredible job with your wee girls! I wish you all the very best for your future together... I hope that marriage is amazing for you, and the love that you so clearly share remains strong and apparent all your lives. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day! All the planning and making things was totally worth it, it was beautiful! xx