Brackenridge Country Retreat Martinborough Wedding - Theresa and Shavin

We spent the day with Theresa and Shavin at Brackenridge in Martinborough starting with their preparations/getting ready photos, ceremony and right through to their party! @traveller.video was on video duty for the ceremony and speeches, while I had the lovely Jess from @jessdewsnap helping me with photos. Having a second photographer with me means that we can be in two places at once for the getting ready photos! I love at this time of year (October) the blossom trees blooming in the backdrop for the ceremony space! This was an incredibly warm and sunny day so we decided to split their wedding portraits with their bridesmaids and groomsmen up into two parts - 20 minutes after the ceremony in the shade and then 15 minutes after dinner/speeches for sunset. The sunset was amazing, make sure you scroll down to see what we captured.

Some of our favourite vendors were on board for this wedding including Jaymie Jarvis for makeup, Floriade for flowers and The Amazing Travelling Photobooth. Theresa and Shavin thank you so much for trusting us with your day (and for your beautiful Google Review talking about your experience!)

Martinborough Tree Church Wedding Photos - Grace and Jarrod

Mr & Mrs Watson! 🤍 It was such an honour to photograph Grace and Jarrod’s engagement in 2022 and more recently their wedding at Martinborough Tree Church.

There are a few things from their day that I look back on as a highlight! Grace got ready at her family’s farm in the Wairarapa which felt really sentimental for me as I grew up in a rural area also. She found her dress while visiting family in Australia (with the help of her Grandma) from @luvbridal. Their bridesmaid Emma made their wedding cake, big shout out to @rainbirdscakes! Grace’s cousin designed their invites and save the date cards, her page is @dolly.and.moo and she also sang their first dance song (a very talented lady). All of their wedding signage was designed by Grace herself. Every little detail was curated perfectly as Grace loves designing and has a background working in events. There were so many amazing people within their family who helped make their day happen with all these special touches.

Vendors IG pages:
Venue - @martinboroughtreechurch
Live singing - Aisley Allen
Flowers - Jill Havill
Celebrant - Felicity Warren
DJ - Partya DJ (Ben)
Makeup - @charmakeupnz
Dress - @luvbridal
Signage - Designed by the bride
Wedding invites - @dolly.and.moo
Cake - @rainbirdscakes
Second phptographer - @jessdewsnap

Our top Wairarapa Wedding Venues - Tarureka Estate, Brackenridge Retreat and Martinborough Tree Church

The Wairarapa has a range of stunning wedding venues for your ceremony and reception. This list showcases different venues with links to their websites where you can access more information!

TARUREKA ESTATE FEATHERSTON

Located in Featherston, Tarureka Estate has been voted as one of the world’s top 10 barn wedding venues. The 130 year old historic homestead can accommodate 18 guests, while the restored loft can seat 120 guests.

BRACKENRIDGE RETREAT

Brackenridge is a country-style wedding venue in Martinborough, Wairarapa. Their venue can host up to 130 guests for your reception and ceremony, and has a number of on-site cottages available for accommodation. We love photographing and filming here as everything is in one place and their team of staff and coordinators will have you covered in all areas making our job more enjoyable.

MARTINBOROUGH TREE CHURCH

Martinborough Tree Church is an outdoor ceremony space planted in 2015 which can seat 180 guests. They have recently expanded this venue to include a reception area called The Vue, a renovated 100-year-old historic woolshed. There are so many places on-site for photos after or before your ceremony.

LACEWOOD

Lacewood is a wedding venue located on Tuhitarata Estate, South Wairarapa. The 1860s homestead is surrounded by old English trees and formal gardens. There a number of cottages which can be used as accommodation for up to 22 guests and a barn for your reception which can seat up to 200 people.

ROSE & SMITH

Rose & Smith is a boutique venue at The Tauherenikau Racecourse, located 15 minutes from Greytown and Martinborough. Rose & Smith was named after the “Rose & Smith Builders” who built the newly renovated Racecourse Tea House in 1923. The Tea House can seat 200 guests and their onsite accommodate in The Ranch House can sleep up to 37 guests.

THE LANDING AT HOMEBUSH

The Landing at Homebush, located 5 minutes from Masterton, is an elegant country wedding venue with a number of outdoor spots for your ceremony and an indoor area for your reception of 140 guests. The main house is also available for hire with 4 bedrooms available.

Marlee and Kieran - Photography and Videography at Parehua Resort Martinborough

Marlee and Kieran’s wedding day! Marlee grew up in Martinborough so it felt extra special photographing her preparations at their family’s farm where she grew up, it still felt like her home. When we arrived at the farmhouse she came out to the car to meet us, she had such a warm welcoming smile and was wearing her gumboots (relatable footwear as I grew up on a farm). It was our first time meeting in person as all our communication had been over email, we hugged straight away after and I knew we were going to have an awesome day with them! For their wedding I had a second photographer with me which meant we captured so many incredible moments from both angles, it also meant that while I was with Marlee while she was getting ready, I had Jess with Kieran and the boys for their preparation photos, so we could be in two places at once!

There were so many parts to this day that had so much thought, intention and love behind them. After their first look at the farmhouse, we drove to a point that looked out on their family’s farm, it was special getting photos here with the view. Their wedding venue was Parehua Resort in Martinborough. This venue has a ceremony area beside a pond under a row of willow trees. Kieran made the coolest backdrop for photos that you’ll see we used for photos after their ceremony. After cutting their cake, we headed out for some photos of just the two of them in the long grass and vines. I always enjoy this part for couples as they get 15 minutes to be together and take photos while no one else is around.

We stayed for the best parts of their dancing before finishing up for the day! We had our evening planned out carefully as the Remutaka hill closed on this night and we had to be at the hill at a certain time to be escorted over. Turns out we had heaps of time between finishing and needing to be ready for our adventure over the hill, so we got to enjoy a glass of wine with them before leaving! We left this day feeling so grateful for these kind and beautiful humans! Thank you for asking us to capture your special day.

Tironui Farm Wedding - Abbey and Lewis

My first time at Tironui Farm in Martinborough was so much fun with the best kind of people. The banter, the vibe and their kindness made our job too easy!
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A highlight for me was jumping on the back of the 4wd and going up the hill for sunset photos. Stepped in cow poo so I had the full experience. These little moments of sneaking away for 10 minutes always make for cool memories together and great photos! One for the books!

Kendyll and Michael - Wedding at The Martinborough Tree Church

Kendyll and Michael celebrated with their biggest party yet at The Martinborough Tree Church! In all of their wedding speeches their friends all said how much they looked up to them as couple goals. I feel so lucky to have captured their engagement photos and wedding day from preparations through to the dancing. I had so many laughs with them and felt like I could let my hair down a bit on the dance floor.

Brackenridge Country Retreat Wedding Ceremony - Gemma and Sam

Congratulations to Gemma and Sam who tied the knot at Brackenridge Country Retreat in Martinborough! Karl and I documented their day from preparations through to when the party started with dancing.

We did a first look before their ceremony in an olive grove on the property of a couple whose wedding I photographed back in 2018! It was near the same spot where we did their first look all those years ago, so it was really special being back in this location.

We lucked out with the weather. Did you know that cloud on your wedding day is not a bad thing! It makes the light so soft and we can take photos anywhere (makes our job much easier). The sunset broke through the clouds for not even 10 minutes during their reception. We didn’t think anything was going to happen but then it all changed so we quickly stopped eating our dinner and rushed out to catch it (dedicated clients, I'm all for it)!

The Weddingcoach NZ did the most incredible job of coordinating the whole day! It was the first time I’ve work with a coordinator and it blows my mind how much of a difference it made for us vendors and the couple. Everything was exactly where it needed to be and the whole day went so smoothly. Thank you Britt!

Martinborough Tree Church wedding ceremony - Becky and Rupert

Becky and Rupert tied the knot at Martinborough Tree Church and we had the most incredible day, from their preparations right through to their reception, there were so many beautiful moments for us to capture!

A highlight for me was driving out to Rupert’s family farm in Tora for bridal photos and the first look. I love being out on the farm and it felt so inspiring being at a new location. I don’t know anything about sheep and beef farming (despite growing up on a beef and dairy farm) but I do know how to make my way around a bit of poo and I still get a thrill from off-roading.

We also managed to get sunset photos in between their speeches! Sunset photos don’t need to be for 30 minutes, this is a perfect example of popping outside for not even 5 minutes to get the dreamy shots that you’ll see at the end of this blog post!

The best thing is if you want to see some of this beautiful landscape for yourself well you can because this is also where you go for the Tora Coastal Walk! Congratulations Becky and Rupert! Karl is currently putting together a highlight video which I can’t wait to share.

Peppers Parehua Martinborough Wedding Ceremony

Corona may have delayed their original wedding plans and restricted some guests from being there in person, but it did not stop them from having the best day! Congratulations Liz and Dom! Their intimate wedding ceremony at Peppers Martinborough was so special. They had zoom calls and Karl there to help capture the day through video. I'm so grateful to have been there to document the occasion for them!

Video by Traveller Audio & Visual, audio/singing by the Brides Sister.