Kristy and Aaron – Dunedin Wedding
On Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Aaron and Kristy, two good friends of mine. This was the first wedding I’ve shot as the ‘official’ photographer, and to say I was nervous about it would be a huge understatement. To be honest, I was certain I wasn’t up to the task. Sure, I know my way around a camera, but posed people shots are completely foreign to me. Anyway, the day turned out better than I could have ever hoped. It was extremely stressful and hectic, but rewarding beyond words… to the point that I’m still buzzing two days later! After years of convincing myself that I could never be a wedding photographer, one beautiful day has turned my attitude on its head and I can’t wait to do more weddings. If you like the photos below, please share the link and recommend me to any of your friends who are engaged to be married. Thanks!
So, Saturday the 11th of March dawned gloomy in Dunedin, with mist hanging round the hills. Furthermore, a Tsunami warning was in place for the entire New Zealand coast, generated by a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan. With a close eye on the ever-changing reports and warnings from Civil Defence, Aaron and Kristy decided to chance a beach wedding. I got this text from Aaron, mid-morning. It was going to take more than a tsunami warning to spoil their perfect day.
I turned up at Aaron’s brother’s house around midday to find the groom working on the final touches of his reception speech.
After a quick barbeque and a couple of nerve-calming beers, the boys started to get ready.
It took them a good twenty minutes to get their ties sorted. Hilarious!
And only had a few minutes for some quick portraits of Aaron, his best man Canaan, and groomsman Jason – his younger brother.
The boys were looking pretty dapper in their grey pinstripe suits.
And fairly relaxed about the day ahead.
The girls were still at the hairdresser, so I popped round to get a couple of shots of the dress while I waited. I don’t know much about dresses, but if I did I’d call this simple, yet elegant!
Running fashionably late, the girls quickly got dressed… in about half the time that the boys took!
And they too were relaxed…
Kristy was looking absolutely stunning.
As were her lovely ladies Rochelle, Shannon and her sister Lacey.
Then it was off to the beach down at Ocean View for the ceremony, where Kristy’s Dad, John, was waiting.
John handed Kristy over to Aaron, and the groom’s Mum, Lynn, read a cool poem.
The ceremony was in a beautiful, secluded area between the rocks.
The tears stayed below the surface… but only just!
Little Mia presented the rings in a sand-filled Paua shell.
And then they were husband and wife, so naturally, they had a bit of a smooch!
Then they signed their life away.
And were congratulated by the guests.
I climbed up the rock for a slightly cheesy group shot, and only just avoided slipping on the way down.
Once the group portraits were out of the way, they planted a Totara tree in the dunes.
The guests headed off and the bridal party got into their poses on the beach.
Some surfers came in from the waves at the perfect moment.
Then we had some fun with a walk together, with beautiful soft light.
Wow!
The wedding vehicle was a classic old VW combi van.
Then it was off to Ross Creek for some different shots.
And then for something different, we went down to the industrial area for some less-traditional shots. This building is ear-marked for demolition soon, to make way for a road to the new stadium. It was very cool to get some photos while it’s still standing.
And then we found a cool green wall…
… and some even cooler blue doors.
By this stage everyone, myself included, was having lots of fun. So we frolicked in the street!
Then it was off to ‘Salt’ for the reception. The food was gooooooood!
As were the speeches.
The giant chocolate wedding cake was cut. Aaron’s brother, Anthony, turned 30 the Monday after the wedding, so they slapped a candle in it for him! Very cool.
As the night wound down, the guests headed outside to witness the bouquet toss, and the bride and groom had an impromptu first-dance.
To Aaron and Kristy, thanks so much for letting me be a part of your special day. I wish you both many happy years ahead!
Monique and Brendon – Riverton Wedding
A year or so ago, I took a few photos of my cousin Brendon’s wedding on the beach at Riverton. I wasn’t the official photographer, so only got to take a few shots during the service and reception. None of the cool-location, staged shots that happen in between. Both Brendon and Monique are sports mad, and the cricketing kids that Brendon coaches formed a very cool archway for when the bridal party arrived at the reception.
