The Connolly’s || The Atrium Hamilton
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
