Chris Garden Photography

Nat and Will – Dunedin Wedding

Chris Garden — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:50:28 +0000

On Saturday I had the pleasure of part-time photographing Nat and Will’s stunning wedding. I took a few snaps of the Tregidga boys getting ready, then sat back and enjoyed the breathtaking ceremony and reception as a guest. Towards the end of the evening, I pulled out my camera again to capture the dance floor fluidity. Here’s my take on those parts of the day…

Then it was off to Knox Church for a beautiful and grand ceremony…

And then to Knox College for the reception, complete with gourmet wild foods, inspired speeches and a nightful of dancing…

Wow. What a perfect wedding, warm fuzzies all round! Thanks guys!

Jane and Angus – Kaikoura Wedding

Chris Garden — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:53:57 +0000

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of travelling to Kaikoura to photograph the wedding of Jane and Angus Mackenzie. The wedding took place in the beautiful gardens of Angus’ parents farm, and the reception was held next door at Fyffe Country Lodge. Kaikoura turned on a stunning warm and sunny day…until just before kick-off when the wind picked up to a decent gale! That wasn’t going to phase Jane and Angus though, and they took it all in their stride…just as they did with a rouge wave on the beach…and a rather dicey encounter with a seal! Thanks guys, I had so much fun joining in your day and meeting all your family and friends. I hope you like the photos, and I hope to run into you again sometime in the future!

Katy and Andrew – California Wedding

Chris Garden — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:21:59 +0000

Back in March I got an email from an old friend, Katy, asking if I wanted to come over to photograph her wedding in the mountains of California in June. Well, I thought about it for all of about two seconds before replying YES! I spent the next couple of months trying to contain my excitement at this great chance to escape a cold Dunedin winter, see some of the US, catch up with Katy again and meet Andrew.

Katy is American, originally from Rockford, Illinois. I worked with her when she was living in Dunedin a few years ago. Andrew is a kiwi, originally from Upper Hutt. They both now live and work in Mammoth Lakes, where Katy is the graphic designer for the ski resort, and Andrew is a ski instructor. They met in New Zealand and have spent the last few years chasing the snow back and forth between their respective countries. Interestingly, they actually got married a while back, in a registry office in Ashburton! In every other respect, this was their wedding day though, with a great bunch of friends and family travelling from all corners of the globe for one big party in California!

So after a busy couple of weeks in Los Angeles, New York and a train trip back across to California, I turned up in beautiful Mammoth Lakes, a ski resort town high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was time to go to work.

We started off with a quick drive around a few places. First stop, a pine forest…

Then to the Mammoth Brewing Company, a boutique brewery (with seriously good beer) where Andrew works in the summer…

And to a stunning lake with snow lying around the shores…

And finally a cool tunnel which made for some different shots…

Back in town, we met everyone at the golf course for the family group photos and some more fun shots… luckily the course was yet to open for the summer, so we didn’t have to dodge wayward golf balls!

From here we headed to Little Eagle Lodge where the rest of the guests were waiting. Katy and Andrew weren’t going to have any kind of ceremony, seeing that they were techically married already, but in the end decided to say a few nice words to each other. The unofficial bridal party also shared some thoughts.

Little Eagle Lodge is right at the bottom of one of the ski field chairlifts, so we all headed up the mountain! The plan was to get lots of photos up here with the guests sipping their cocktails on sunset. Unfortunately, it was freeeeeeezing, and even the hugs from a certain Wooly Mammoth didn’t manage to warm us up enough!

With numb fingers and toes, it was back to Little Eagle for the reception, and some food and drinks to warm the belly!

The drinks flowed, the band kicked into it and the dancing started… and continued well into the night.

What a great day! And a very unique and special wedding. Thanks so much to Katy and Andrew for giving me such an amazing opportunity, I can’t thank you guys enough. The few days I spent in Mammoth were one of the highlights of my travels and I can’t wait to come back soon!