Melissa and Michael, featuring their special fur baby Doug who walked them back down the aisle as Mr & Mrs Langley! 🤍 This was such a relaxed and fun day. We loved being there for photos and video! We left with our cups full, reminded of why we love our jobs so much.
Vendors:
Hair: @amyrose_hair
Make up: @charlottelouisebeauty
Venue: @brackenridgecountryretreat
Celebrant: @wendymorrisoncelebrant
DJ: DJ luke
Flowers: @jillfranceshavill
Video: @traveller.video
Wairarapa wedding
Tarureka Estate - Wairarapa wedding venue review and wedding photos!
Mr & Mrs Becker-Stewart! A true love story that dating apps can work their magic and these beautiful humans found each other! A laid-back guy from the Naki and a stunning registered nurse, an absolute perfect match these two ♥️ They are now living the dream together in Melbourne and came back to NZ to celebrate with friends and family on their wedding day at Tarureka Estate in Featherson!
Review of Tarureka Estate - Rustic Barn Wedding Venue Wairarapa, NZ
I wanted to share this wedding day as an opportunity to showcase Tarureka as a New Zealand wedding venue and why we enjoy photographing and filming weddings here! It’s located in Featherson at the bottom of the Remutaka Range hill, only a short drive from Wellington and Lower/Upper Hutt, so if you’re exploring venues in the Wairarapa or Wellington region this would be a great choice.
Get ready on site in the Historical Homestead
The homestead sleeps 18 people and has a bridal suite on the second floor. As photographers, we appreciate that everyone can get ready on-site for their wedding day. This makes it easy for us to go between rooms and spaces, if we have a groom getting ready at the same time a bride is having her hair or makeup done for example. The historic homestead has been recently renovated but holds its original charm and character. Once you’re ready for your ceremony and wedding day, it is only a 30-second walk to greet your guests.
Your wedding ceremony
Tarureka Estate offers an indoor and outdoor area for ceremonies which is great for all weather conditions. This is the outdoor area situated in a grove of trees. After your ceremony, guests are invited to the main lawn near the homestead for cocktails, canapes and games.
Wedding photos
The gardens at Tarureka provide backdrops for all your wedding photos however if you would like to go off-site with your bridesmaids/groomsmen/wedding party crew there are optional locations nearby! Most of the photos below are on-site (aside from the photos taken in the Olive Grove which are at a private property).
The Loft Barn
Voted as one of the top barn venues the loft was built in 1868 and is one of the oldest and largest barns in New Zealand. Since 2001 it has been running as a wedding venue. The top floor can be used for your ceremony and or reception, which seats up to 120 guests. The ground floor is where the bar and dance floor are located.
Brac and Bow Catering
At the time of writing this blog post Brac and Bow is the caterer for Tarureka and their food is delicious! The venue also offers BYO alcohol for no extra cost.
I also wanted to make a special mention to the wonderful Sarah McEvoy who joined me for part of this wedding day, she took some of the cocktail hour photos that I’ve shared in this blog. Two of my wedding packages include a second photographer so while I’m photographing in one area with the wedding couple, I have another person capturing some of the candid moments that couples often didn’t see on the day.
Orui Station Riversdale Beach - Wairarapa Wedding
Feeling incredibly grateful to have photographed Hanna and AJ’s wedding at Orui Station in Riversdale! A week prior to this I wasn’t sure if I was going to be well enough to photograph due to recovering from Covid19, but everything worked out perfectly! It was soul-healing being back photographing.
I haven’t had any beach weddings recently and this venue was so unique! It was my first time visiting the little town which is about 40km east of Masterton. If you’re keen on a day trip it’s worth the visit! Have a look through these highlights for cute pics of their doggo who loved being in the photos and also some fun with sparklers at the end of the night.
Bouquet Flowers: @floriade_wellington
Catering: @bluecarrotnz
Dress: @astrabridal.wellington
Suits: @rembrandt1946
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!
Tarureka Estate Wairarapa Wedding - Amelia and Tom
Amelia and Tom first met at a Wellington Phoenix football match at Westpac Stadium. Amelia’s friends encouraged her to ask Tom, who was sitting in the row behind them, to take their picture as an excuse to talk to him. He took the photo and then took a sneaky selfie. For the rest of the game, they didn’t have much of a chance to talk. When Amelia got home that night she knew she needed to track him down on social media. She posted the photo of Tom on Facebook and by chance one mutual friend happened to recognise Tom and was able to tag him in the post. Tom added Amelia on Facebook and things grew from there. He moved from Palmerston North to Wellington, where Amelia was living, after one year of long-distance and they have been inseparable ever since!
Tom proposed to Amelia during an evening walk along Titahi Bay Beach. He stopped at the top of a hill that had views of the South Island and got down on one knee. The rest of the night was spent down on the beach with fish and chips and some champagne that Tom had smuggled into the car before they left home.
Tarureka Estate was picked as their wedding venue for it’s rustic but elegant charm, which many guests later commented on how well the venue suited their personalities. They wanted a location where their bridal party and immediate families could stay the entire weekend to hang out. Being able to hire the venue from Friday through to late Sunday was a bonus!
It was an absolute treat photographing their wedding. They were so organised by having their timeline broken down into 15-minute intervals which is extremely helpful as a vendor. I knew exactly what the day looked like and it meant that Amelia and Tom could just relax and trust that we would make things happen on the day. I adore the simplicity of their decor and the venue, it really did suit their personalities perfectly. I have so many photos from this day but these are some of my favourites from their preparations through to the first lot of the speeches. Thank you to Amy Schulz for second shooting alongside me on the day!
List of vendors
Venue: Tarureka Estate
Photographer: Jaymee Photography
Second Photographer: Amy Schulz
Florist: Juliette Florist
Makeup and Hair Stylist: The Makeup Artist
Brides Dress: Hera Couture by Katie Yeung
Bridesmaids Dress: Ruby
Groom and Groomsmen: Barkers
Cake: Stiletto Studios
Vineyard Wedding at Poppies Martinborough - Sofia and Andrew
Sofia and Andrew tied the knot at Poppies Vineyard in Martinborough. They decided to do a first look and have their bridal party photos before the ceremony, I love this idea. Having photos beforehand can ease the nerves and allow you to relax more after the ceremony, plus having a 'first look' is always special.
We decided to have some of their bridal photos at their new olive grove in Martinborough. What is it about olive trees that makes everything so dreamy? We then made our way to Poppies which is where their ceremony and reception was held.
Twig and Arrow did an amazing job as always of the flowers and venue styling. The cake, made by Cake Friday NZ, was stunning too. I had a lot of fun with the detail shots and there was an epic bouquet toss and the end of the night, take a look! For a full list of vendors, see below.
Florist/Styling: Twig and Arrow
Makeup: Eileen Donovan Photography & Makeup Artistry
Dress: Karen Willis Holmes
Cake: Cake Friday NZ
Hair: DollHouse Do
Venue: Poppies Martinborough
Second Shooter: Samantha Hamilton
Highlights from Second Shooting with Jenny Siaosi
I sometimes team up with Jenny from Siaosi Photography. I love being a second shooter, it's a chance to shoot from a different perspective (which can be challenging at times) and get creative without so much time pressure. Plus I get to meet even more amazing couples!
I usually bring a second shooter along to my own weddings at no extra charge. You receive a lot more coverage and it's great just having that extra hand to help the day go smoothly.
Here are some of my favourite moments from the previous season with Jenny.
