Wedding day Photography – Pip and Oz – Christchurch Wedding Photographers

Waipuna Estate Wedding Photos | Anna and Jonny

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 07:00:22 +0000

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Waipuna Estate Wedding Photos | Anna and Jonny

Waipuna Estate Wedding Photos; Usually, I would start a blog with the girls getting ready, but this wasn’t the case with this wedding.

For us and especially for the Anna and Jonny the wedding started the day prior. We always make an effort to go to the wedding rehearsal so that we have an idea of what to expect on the day of the wedding.

So like usual, we went to the rehearsal at the original venue The Gondola. While there we were told there was a 90% chance that there was going to be high wind and that The Gondola would be closed, meaning the wedding wasn’t going to be able to be held there. The couple did know when they booked the Gondola, there was always a slim chance that the wedding may have to be moved to an alternative venue due to weather.

So this started the hunt for a new wedding venue with less than 24 hours until the wedding. Continental staff stepped up and came up with a few options for Anna and Jonny to look at and consider.

Waipuna Estate Wedding Photos | Anna & Jonny Video

I think we all knew that when we stepped into Waipuna Estate at 4.30pm the day before the wedding that this was going to be the new wedding venue.

Sarah from Waipuna Estate had made it all sound so simple, and nothing was a problem, and the venue itself was stunning, so I think when we all walked out of there at 6 pm we knew we’d made a good choice, well Anna and Jonny had!

These two truly showed how strong a couple they are, watching them go through this with less than 24hours to go to their wedding and remain calm throughout the entire day was tremendously impressive to watch; I’m not sure if I were in their shoes I would’ve remained that calm.

Bride Getting Ready

After the dramas of the day before it was nice to show up to the girls early in the morning and see that everything was going so smoothly and running right on time.

The girls got ready at the Heritage Hotel when we arrived the hair was in full swing with the first bridesmaid about half way through. It was a pretty relaxing morning, chilling out watching hair be done, listening to some good tunes and having a few too many laughs.

The one joke that springs to mind is about Bras, and the girls we all extremely impressed that I was wearing one, I won myself a few extra points for just that. (sorry for the inside joke) The girls went off-site to Body and Soul to have their makeup done where Oz went with them. I was remarkably impressed by how quick they worked, for two bridesmaids and the bride they were only there for one hour, and the makeup stayed looking perfect all day long.

From there it was back to The Heritage Hotel to get dressed. This next bit was by far one of my favorite parts of the day. We had been warned from day one of meeting Anna and Jonny that her Dad was a cryer and wanted to be a part of the photos. So we made sure this was going to happen.

I led Paul (the bride’s dad) in with his eyes closed to the room for him to be able to see Anna for the first time dressed as a Bride. That first instance when he was allowed to open his eyes you could see how proud he was to be her Dad and how much he adored her. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room (it’s even bringing tears to my eyes writing about it now too) Once we all gathered ourselves we headed for the beautiful staircase inside the hotel for some more photos then off to the venue we went.

Groom Getting Ready

Jonny had had a pretty relaxed morning. He spent the morning with his boys just relaxing at Rogers place and waiting for me to turn up for photos.

I’d said the night before not to be dressed when I turned up (I really have to watch my wording sometimes!) this turned into another joke of the day, so when I walked into the place the first thing Jonny said to me was, you’ll see we didn’t get dressed but weren’t naked!

The boys were pretty cruisy getting ready, they had pocket squares to fold, and the cute thing was the company they got the pocket squares from also sent a wee fold out instruction panel of how to fold them, this was quite entertaining. With the boys dressed and photographed I left them to get to Waipuna Estate, and I headed back to the girls.

The Ceremony

It was a bit further to the new venue, but because they had already had to allow time in their schedule for them to get up the gondola, so this extra time was now used to get to the new venue, and it worked out perfectly. When we all arrived at Waipuna Estate, it was drizzly outside, so we shuffled the girls inside out of view of the guests.

The ceremony was held on the deck, outside but under shelter so everyone was protected from the elements. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, just what Anna and Jonny wanted and the Celebrant Julie Lassen made sure that was the case. The bride and groom had put a lot of thought into choosing a date for the wedding, the 1st of September was not only the date of their first date but also the date they got engaged and now their wedding date! Makes remembering a wee bit easier, but it also makes it pretty darn special.

Bridal Party Photos

With the weather being quite miserable outside we tried our best to keep most of the photos inside the house (of which there were some beautiful spots we were able to use). We spent most of our time in the master suite, with a couple of trips outside into the cold.

Anna and Jonny had told us they were pretty brave and up for anything when it came to the photos. We had found a spot with some rocks at the top of the hill which is less than 1km up the road from the wedding venue. So we all loaded into the cars (it was only light drizzle at the venue) and took a ride up the hill.

When we got out of the cars to walk up the hill, it wasn’t too bad, but once we got to the top of the hill (only about a minute walk), it was completely a different story. The wind was howling, and the rain was coming down good! Mother nature claimed two of our umbrellas which are now right offs.

We made it as quick as we could at the top, there wasn’t that much we could do up there with that weather, so we trekked back down and used the gravel road for some shots as well, before taking them back to the house to warm back up!

The Reception

Sarah and her team at Waipuna Estate had done an incredible job with the venue. When we turned up at 4.30pm the day before, then entire reception area was set up like a house, with a large dining room table with chairs and a massive lounge suite, and less than 24 hours later it was set up as a stunning wedding reception room with no lounge suite in site!

I know I say it about most weddings, that by the end of the night we feel like family, but this one felt different, and I think some of that came from spending the day before the wedding with the couple as well. Because of this (and the build up Anna had given us), I was looking forward to speeches, especially Pauls. And it delivered beyond belief! The funny stories and the emotional ones. Just like the morning, it was so easy to see how proud he was and how much he loves his little Anna!

Anna and Jonny had a choreographed dance; they were pretty nervous about this, I’m not sure why as they absolutely smashed it! The entire family was hanging out for this part as they were chomping at the bit to get on the dance floor, which is not surprising, as Brendan from Boogie Beats was playing killer music all night. All the classics that make everyone want to dance!

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Waipuna Estate Wedding Venue

Heritage Hotel Christchurch

Wedding Music by DJ Brendan Holt of Boogie Beats

Bridal Hair by Bridget Crump

Makeup by Body and Soul

Photos by – Wedding Photographer Christchurch – New Zealand.

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Akaroa-Mt Vernon Lodge Wedding Photography

Sun, 23 Jul 2017 07:00:56 +0000

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Akaroa-Mt Vernon Lodge Wedding Photography

Akaroa-Mt Vernon Lodge Wedding Photography: This was always going to be a unique wedding to us right from the first time we met these two.

Caroline is the sister of the owner of Mt Vernon Lodge, so it’s always an added responsibility but a great privilege being recommended to a family member.

The weeks before the wedding the weather was quite miserable, so we all had our fingers and toes crossed it was going to be a beautiful day. I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we woke the morning of the wedding, and the sun was shining – admittedly it wasn’t super warm when the day first started, but that’s to be expected at the beginning of May.

Bride getting ready

We arrive just before 10 am, as the hair and makeup people were setting themselves up.

Caroline and her girls got ready in Mandy and David’s house. Caroline had one of her best friends, her daughter and son in her bridal party. Gabe was pretty lucky; he got to spend time with both Mark and Caroline getting ready.

Caroline had bought them all beautiful blankets and had them embroidered as well, just what you need on a winters day.

Once all the girls had their hair and makeup done Gabe came over all dressed from the boys, and we got the girls into their dresses.

We had plenty of time before the ceremony was starting. We like to guide our brides with the timeline for the day and suggest that they aim to be in their dress an hour before they want to leave for the ceremony.Believe me, when I say, there comes a time with every wedding day where time truly starts to fly – so we suggest this to give the bride plenty of time for photos with family and the bridesmaids beforehand and it gives everyone a chance to have an opportunity to relax and just take at the moment.

Believe me, when I say, there comes a time with every wedding day where time truly starts to fly – so we suggest this to give the bride plenty of time for photos with family and the bridesmaids beforehand and it gives everyone a chance to have an opportunity to relax and just take at the moment.

Boys getting ready

Mark and his boys got ready in one of the Chalet Cabins. I arrived at lunch time, and Oz stayed with the girls. The boys had a pretty relaxing start to the day, just some finishing touches to the ceremony and reception areas.

Just as I arrived Mark was jumping into the shower, and his best man has taken off to finish his speech, so this gave me a chance to do a few detail shots. Mark had his good friend and his son in his bridal party. It was great to see how involved the kids were in the wedding.

So this gave me a chance to do a few detail shots. Mark had his good friend and his son in his bridal party. It was great to see how involved the kids were in the wedding.

Ceremony

Caroline and Mark had chosen to have the ceremony on the lawn area overlooking the harbour – this spot on the property is one of my favourites. Caroline rode in Mark’s other baby (a classic black Ford) from the house up to the lodge, you could hear her coming.

They had chosen Kate as their celebrant, Kate has such a lovely way of performing each ceremony and gets emotionally invested in each couple, and this truly shines through.

Caroline’s daughter sang during the ceremony, and this not only got everyone laughing but also welling up.

Bridal party photos

The wedding couple decided they wanted to do some photos with the entire bridal party on site.

We used a barn that’s behind the lodge. The beautiful warm light made for some amazing photos.

We then took just Mark and Caroline along with their best man and maid of honour down to the waterfront for some more pictures and an opportunity to use Mark’s car.

On our way back to the venue we made one more quick stop where we had a view overlooking the harbour, I thought the light in the barn was fantastic, but this was just incredible.

Reception

The first thing Mark and Caroline did when we got to the reception was their first dance. They had this choreographed, and I think they were a bit nervous about it so wanted to get it done and dusted so they could then relax.

The speeches followed, and not long after dinner, the couple cut their wedding cake.

As wedding favours, each person got a cupcake in a decorated small square box with the names of the bride and groom on the outside of the box.

We soon said our goodbyes but not before we had a play with some sparklers out on the lawn and running circles the bride and groom.

And as we drove off, we were both pleased with how the day had gone.

Akaroa-Mt Vernon Lodge Wedding Photography Gallery:

Services Providers

Wedding Celebrant: Kate Clark PH-021 126 4797

Photography: Wedding Photographers Christchurch Pip and Oz

Venue: Mt Vernon Lodge Akaroa

Catering: Verve real food catering

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Farm Wedding in Loburn

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 05:36:58 +0000

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Country Farm Wedding – Loburn – Julian & Ana’s wedding

Farm Wedding; Julian and Ana’s Loburn wedding ceremony took place at Ana’s family farm in North Loburn. The farm has views to die for; this was a wedding in paradise for sure.

The wedding was one of our tailor-made wedding packages, and I was shooting solo without Pip, something I haven’t done in a very long time, no pressure.
It brought back some memories of when I first started shooting weddings and was shooting solo.

Bride getting ready – Rangiora

The bridesmaids got their hair and makeup done before meeting up with the Bride Ana and her maid of honour Jess. They all met up in Rangiora where the girls changed into their wedding attire.

All the girl did some hair and makeup touch ups before heading off to Loburn where the rest of the day’s proceedings were going to take place.

Growing up, Ana spent a lot of time on the farm, and she wanted to have some photos taken around some of her childhood memory icons. One of them was a big walnut tree which stood in the middle of the lawn just in front of the farm’s main house.

We photographed under the tree and even did this one amazing photo of the bride and groom before the ceremony without them setting eyes on each other.
For this shot, the bride and groom got blindfolded and led to the walnut tree in front of the house. They had a tree branch between them which blocked them from seeing each other’s face and got to hold hands instead.
We all got a few giggles out from it too. What a priceless moment. See photo above.

The Wedding Ceremony – Loburn Farm

For the farm wedding ceremony, we headed deeper into the property and amongst the hills and onto a plateau overlooking a valley and river. What a view to have as a backdrop for wedding photos.

Ana and Anaiah (Ana’s daughter)rocked up to the top of the hill accompanied by her granddad, and they were in a cage at the back of a tractor which was driven by her uncle.

The ceremony itself was short, sweet, affectionate and very emotional for both the bride and the groom. Don’t you just love these emotion-filled weddings!

Bridal Photos – Family Farm Loburn

After capturing all the family group photos, we headed even further up the hills to a unique location. The bride and groom wanted to get some photographs around an area in the mountains that they frequent.

Joining us on the climb were the groomsmen ( Dustin, Lenny and Will), The maid of honour (Jess) and her partner Ben and the bride and grooms little adorable girl Anaiah. The climb was steep but fun. I think I got my exercise fix for the next month or so from all the running around on the hill.

Talk about running circles around the bride and groom as I tried to capture the fantastic surrounding views.

It was all worth it in the end. Julian and Ana seemed to be in their element and got lost in each other’s company, and all that was left for me to do was capture the love and passion they have for each other.

On this day I must say I did more running and less directing because the bride and groom felt and looked so comfortable together that they literary posed themselves, and I did not want to interrupt them.

Unfortunately, when we came down from the hills, it was time for me to say goodbye and head home. The bridal party went on to join the rest of the celebrations at the North Loburn Hall, and I can only image how yummy the hangi cooked food tasted.

Ana and Julian’s Wedding Photography Review

Photography by Pip and Oz – Wedding Photographers Christchurch

For information on how we work, head to our Wedding FAQ page.

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