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.

Tips for styling your engagement session - Whitireia Park Wellington

Jessica and Nathan spent a week in NZ and to celebrate the end of their trip before heading back to the US we met at Whitireia Park in Porirua for an epic sunset and engagement photos. When this location was first mentioned in our emails leading up to the shoot it made me so excited. Being an engagement session I knew how important this experience was for Jessica and Nathan which made me so grateful to be taking these photos for them while they were in NZ.

Couples are deciding to have an engagement shoot before their wedding day for lots of reasons, one being it’s great practice getting used to having a photographer take your photos and then you have some really great photos that can be used to announce your engagement. I’ve put together some tips for couples who are thinking about booking an engagement session and how you can style it in a way that is made easy.

FIND A SPECIAL LOCATION

Let’s make the most of it by choosing a location that’s going to inspire you (and your photographer) and make you feel good. Turn the session into a memory, somewhere you think you will enjoy the scenery. Light is everything, so talk to your photographer about the best time of day at a particular location.

HAVE OUTFIT OPTIONS

My engagement sessions tend to be 1 hour long, which is plenty of time for an outfit change. While you and your partner don’t want to look too matchy-matchy, pick outfits that will complement each other. Neutral colour pallets tend to work best, or fabrics with some texture but not overly patterned. Flowy dresses look stunning but keep in mind the length if it’s going to be windy at your location. Don’t be afraid to wear white, this looks great during sunset.