The Palmers || The Black Barn Lake Tarawera
Matt + Amber married at The Black Barn, Lake Tarawera amongst family & friends and the most stunningly warm and sunny Labour weekend’s I have ever seen.
Matt + Amber married at The Black Barn, Lake Tarawera amongst family & friends and the most stunningly warm and sunny Labour weekend’s I have ever seen.
Yo, friends & lovers! I’m so excited to share images from a recent wedding I did that took place at the absolutely stunning The Black Barn, Lake Tarawera, which was obviously the PERFECT location since the newlyweds had a romantic, rustic-inspired wedding! Matt and Amber thought this thing through from beginning to end, and there wasn’t a shortage of dreamy, Pinterest-worthy moments.
I mean, check out the images.. they speak for themselves.
I especially loved the ambers handmade mirror sign, not to mention all the stunning florals by Chloe Lefleur. And can we talk about that dress for a second? Amber found her dream dress at Felicity’s Bridal in Auckland and I don’t think she could have chosen a more flattering gown. Do you?
The groom was a total dreamboat, too: Matt congratulations on your wonderful wedding day! The organisation, and the hospitality was nothing but the best I have ever seen!
I will never grow tired of rustic weddings, especially when they’re done so impeccably like this one. Congratulations again on your wedding, you two, and may your years be filled with happiness and plenty of mason jars!
The Connolly’s || The Atrium Hamilton
Matt + Daniella married at the Atrium in Hamilton. It took awhile but Daniella finally found her man to marry. Matt and Daniella are lovers and go getters in life. Matt loves golf and Daniella loves staying fit.
Matt + Daniella married at The Atrium in Hamilton, New Zealand
Matt + Daniella met in a bar in Taupo on Queen’s Birthday weekend 2016 - He was on a boys’ golf trip and I was on a girls’ trip. Matt told me he was 26, but when I befriended him on FB I found out he was only 21. It took a whole year of chatting before I finally gave in and met up with him for a drink in Auckland while I was up there for work. We hit it off and it carried on from there. In 2018 in he moved down to Hamilton. We’ve now been together for nearly 5 years.
The Proposal: Matt had been throwing Daniella off for months telling her that a proposal was a while a way yet. They went down to Taupo to celebrate their anniversary of becoming a couple, but Daniella had no clue it was coming due to earlier comments. On the day Daniella was getting annoyed because she wanted to go for a nice walk at Crater’s of the Moon, but Matt told Daniella they would do it later in the day. They played Mini-Golf, and Daniella won for the first time ever! Then Matt turned around and said that he had heard the Botanic Gardens were nice so he drove up there. The couple went on a walk through the bush and he tried to get Daniella to go along the road and she protested so they went back the way they came, little did Daniella know there was a reason for this. Matt and Daniella then drove around the gardens and came to a spot with view of the lake and mountains and Matt suggested they get out for a photo. Daniella spotted a picnic had been set up and was like OMG someone’s having a romantic picnic, we can’t stop here. Daniella didn’t click it was for them. Daniella went back to car to get her phone and when she came back Matt got on one knee and pulled out a ring. His good mate was hiding in the bush taking photos. It was a great proposal, Daniella cried of course.
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Now I’ve photographed weddings at beaches, in churches, hotels, courthouses, backyards and barns, and there’s always something about heading into the big city that makes me giddy! Maybe it’s the fact that I grew up in the country and always get excited to see the skyscape, or the fact that cities are always buzzing with energy.
Some wedding photographers may not enjoy the whole city vibe because it means you have a lot more elements to deal with – such as bright orange cones or a sea of pedestrians – but I say bring it on! Which is EXACTLY what I did for Daniella and Matt’s recent wedding, which we photographed smack dab in the middle of Hamilton CBD on 28th Oct 2022.
The ceremony itself took place at St Mary’s Chapel and the reception was at The Atrium, which made for some really spectacular shots.
Their wedding party was poised for action the entire time, which made my life easy and the images fab, too.
I love the urban vibe, the venues, the details, the party – and I especially love this couple!
Congrats, lovebirds!
Cx
2022 New Zealand Wedding In Camera Photographer of the Year
Christina is the 2022 Winner of New Zealand Wedding Photographer of the Year. Check out the award winning images
I am very proud to say I have entered into the NZIPP Iris Awards for many years and come away with a number of awards. 2022 was the ultimate. In 2022 I won New Zealand In-Camera Wedding Photographer of the Year. See below for the collection of my entries & prizes.
The Quah’s || Bracu Estate
After 2 years of covid delays Daryl + Jill finally were married. Bracu set the beautiful scene for Daryl + Jill’s dream wedding day. Dream’s do come true Jill told us.
Here is Daryl & Jill’s story told by Daryl to New Zealand Bride and Groom magazine:
After 2 years of covid delays Daryl + Jill finally were married. Bracu set the beautiful scene for Daryl + Jill’s dream wedding day. Dream’s do come true Jill told us.
It was a bittersweet day for us. None of our immediate family members overseas could make the trip as the borders remained closed. Our big day was made special by all our friends who showed up to celebrate with us.
Our day started as the bridal party gathered in Crowe’s Nest for their preparation. The groom’s party was completing the finishing touches on the venue. Our venue turned into a blissfully magical feel by having living plants as our bridal backdrop and homegrown flowers by the florist. Most of our decoration was DIY at home. We had time in our hands with the extended delay, hence, we added a lot of personal touch into our setup.
After the wedding ceremony we were ushered to Bombay Hills to capture sunset photos. The sky was clear and we had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Our videographer piloted a drone to capture ariel shots, which was all worth it. Meanwhile the guests were waiting at the venue and were entertained by our MC. The wedding party started by dancing their way into the reception area.
Our vendors created lush, fresh flowers and table arrangements and we also had a stunning living plant wall backdrop in our reception venue. It flawlessly complement our theme and venue.
Our guests enjoyed a plated 3-course fine dining meal. Our wedding cake was exceptional, which included our favourite distinctive chocolate pineapple lump flavour. Guests wrote wishes for us on our engagement photo magnets into a frame and were given printed tea towels we designed as thank you gifts for celebrating with us. Our night ended with a surprise choreographed dance organised by Jill and the bridal party.
We did our best to create a wedding that is elegant but at the same time we were strict with our budget. We relied on DIYs, kept most things in-house to limit our cost. We also found great local vendors that were both affordable and gave us high quality products to use. Our wedding would not be the same if not for our wonderful vendors who stood by us for three years despite all the delays.
Cx
