These two absolutely gorgeous humans got married at Lookout Lodge in Wanaka last January! We knew this would be suuuuch a fun wedding to shoot... and we weren't wrong! You'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer couple than Sarah and Kieran.... they have such a warmth to them that makes them super easy and awesome to be around. They love a good laugh, appreciate their families and friends so much, and are super-chilled. You'd think that Wanaka in the middle of summer would be a pretty safe bet weather-wise, but it proved otherwise for Sarah and Kieran! Even though it rained pretty heavily at points through the day, they were up for anything and just laughed their way through the umbrella-topped ceremony! And we were treated to some breaks in the rain just when we needed them!
We loved every second of this wedding... we had sore cheeks from laughing and smiling so much at the end of the day! And we even finished it off with a Mr Whippy ice-cream... win!

Sasha and Jared... where to start?! These two were unbelievably chilled out about the whole wedding day thing! They made it SO easy and sooo much fun for everyone there. Their whole focus was on their family and friends and ensuring they had the best time ever... and I think it's pretty safe to say the guests had an absolute ball. So many of them had come from overseas and had such an amazing week exploring Dunedin, experiencing beaches for the first time, and hanging out with these two awesome people. 
We loved getting to know Sasha and Jared and sharing this day with them, and their huge and hilarious bridal party! They are the epitome of lovely, humble, and totally made for each other. The blending of their two cultures was done so perfectly, and the reception was held at gorgeous Larnach Castle, where Sasha's parents got married many years before! So, so special. 
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Introducing Mr and Mrs Williams... 

Here I am again, blogging a year down the track... but I still have so many blog-worthy weddings! So welcome to Keighley and Michael's amazing day! This was a wedding full of class and sophistication, hilarity and down-to-earth fun. The details were stunningly beautiful, the bridal party were great, and Keighley was an effortlessly stunning bride! While it may have rained most of the day, we had an absolute ball photographing every part of this beautiful wedding! Keighley and Michael are such an awesome couple, and we loved getting to know them and how they wanted their day captured. So without further ado, I present to you Mr and Mrs Cockroft... 

This adorable wee button, Anna Belle, has graced the blog before... I'm super lucky to photograph this beautiful family at least once a year! 

I adooooore photographing toddlers. They never fail to bring such sweet sponteniety, raw emotion, hilarious antics, and busy chaos to shoots! And I thrive off that! Toddlers aren't designed to sit still... it's their prerogative to just do what they wanna do!  And because I think this is often how parents feel after shoots with toddlers (as they naturally attempt to get them to "behave"), I thought I'd share what Aimee and Richard emailed after they had seen the photos....

I was lucky enough to meet newborn Imogen and her proud big brother, Harry, at their gorgeous home! Imogen was only 12 days old... such a perfect little girl xx

Another two little cuties for you to meet - Laurie and Oliver are suuuch great little buddies! I absolutely loved doing a couple of shoots for the Armstrong family around Dunedin. Such a fun and gorgeous wee family! And I know these photos have been sent to the other side of the world for family to enjoy... 

Meet Alayna, Sam, Archie & Charlie! I photographed this awesome family on the day that Sam and Alayna got married! They had a private ceremony on a stunning spring day, and then celebrated with family photos with their gorgeous boys. I adored these two wee fellas! Congrats Alayna and Sam :)

HUGE thanks again to all of these awesome families who let me into their lives to capture their precious people! And who allow me to share some work too :) Appreciate you all greatly! xoxo

If you want to meet some of the smiliest, happiest people ever... say hello to Aleisha and Steve! This power couple had an epic wedding day in, cough... May 2015.  (Hooray I hear you all cheer!! Let's all have a good laugh at my unbelievably slow blogging, and then move on!). They are the perfect team... and they've actually expanded their squad in the last couple of months with the addition of goooorgeous little Millie... who has taken on the smiles of her parents as well.

As I talked about in their engagement shoot blog, Aleisha is one of my oldest friends! So it was a true privilege to capture the day she vowed to her best friend to stand by him forever. The whole day was energy-filled and hilarious... these two sure know how to have fun and not take life too seriously. As did their whole bridal party! The whole day was a huge and beeeautiful celebration, with the most gorgeous autumn weather and a big bunch of Aussies and Kiwis all having the best time.  So because the photos speak for themselves... allow me to show you a little glimpse into their Queenstown and Arrowtown wedding day... 

Kirsty and Mike's wedding day was sooo lovely! They decided to get ready at their home together, and to have a beautiful, intimate ceremony and reception at Gaslight restaurant. These two were the perfect example of a relaxed bride and groom - probably because Kirsty was just so incredibly organised that there was nothing left to do but enjoy the day! We wandered around a few spots in town with the bridal party for photos before the ceremony, and then they were able to hang out at with their guests for the rest of the day. Such an awesome way to do it - the people there to celebrate and support you should be a HUGE priority of your wedding day!

I've got plenty of photos of the utterly adorable Rout Family kids to make your heart melt!! These beautiful little kids were SO much fun to photograph... Lorelei, Evie and Vivian are such happy, hilarious, high-energy, gooorgeous kids. We had a ball running around wherever they wanted to go at Queens Park in Invercargill. They couldn't have put on a better loving-sibling show if they had tried... I'm sure it's not alwaaays this harmonious and affectionate between the kids at home, but they certainly are a tight-knit little trio when they want to be! Lots of beautiful spring colours and happy, playful little smiles to see here... 

It's taken me since the beginning of this year to work out whether or not to share these images from the 2017 Shoot and Share Contest with you. These first two images are particularly special and poignant, and I don't share them because of the 'awards'. I share them because I want to share the hope in these images. This is beautiful little Emily, who I photographed in NICU at about 26 weeks old. This absolutely tiny little girl really touched me, and I am just so pleased to let you know that she is now 20 months old, and is doing so well! NICU is an amazing place. It's a place filled with so many mixed emotions and roller-coaster rides for so many parents - in reality, it's a place sometimes crippled by sadness and fear, and other times filled with hope and strength. But no matter what, it's always a place filled with love and care. I know not all these beautiful, tiny little babies are as fortunate as Emily, but I wanted to share the power of the hope, love, strength, and the fighting spirit of this wee girl!

Out of over a thousand photos in the "Passion Portraits: Giving Back" Category, Emily’s photos placed 12th and 15th. This category is reserved for photos taken to give back to our communities. It's about using our gifts within photography to share with and bless others. These two photos are really special to me, and I'm glad they touched the hearts of photographers around the world who voted. 

Katie and Andrew.... over two years happily married, with so many adventures and journeys under their belt, and now with gorgeous baby Tobias in their lives... and here I am... blogging their incredible Christchurch wedding day! Ha... classic. And ya know what, despite it being late... I'm stoked to be able to share this day with you. It's soooo full of love and connection! Katie and Andrew are such an amazing couple who we have absolutely loved getting to know over the last few years. They both come from families where love and commitment are paramount, and they are some of the most humble, gentle souls you will ever meet!

I've loved going through these photos again to share with you. Enjoy this beautful couple, who cherished every single of this amazing day and the family and friends who were there to support them.

It's time for another mash-up blog of a handful of portrait shoots from over the past 9 months or so! Whilst juggling working and having Eli full-time too, my time for blogging has become pretty sparse! So in order to actually share some work, I have to make a compromise somewhere... and that means not able to blog every shoot and write as I used to! But when it's ok with my wonderful clients, I do love to share some of the gorgeous families, toddlers, couples, & baby bumps that I've had the privilege of photographing!

This first gorgeous little face belongs to Miss Tilly! She came into the studio to help me model a little tutu which I needed to photograph for a client... and I couldn't help taking more gorgeous photos of her exploring the studio too...