Couples engagement sessions in Wellington!

If you have recently celebrated your engagement, congratulations! This is an exciting time for you and your partner! Having an engagement shoot is a special way to introduce yourself to the photography side of things and celebrate this time together before you are married. Here are some reasons why I love these photo sessions with couples!

meet your photographer & get some amazing photos with your partner!

It’s a great opportunity to meet with photographers before making a final decision about who you are going to pick. Every photographer will have a different style and approach to how they direct couples. It’s important you find a photographer who makes you feel comfortable and fits with your aesthetic. It’s also the perfect time to get some photos with your pets because how often do we get the chance to have professional photos taken with them (I’ve done photo shoots with both cats and dogs before!)

Learn how easy photos can feel

I get it, I get super weird when a camera is pointing at me. Your photographer should be able to help you relax and overcome that awkward feeling. This is a great practice run for your wedding day. You might even have fun and when you look at the photos you will realise it wasn’t that bad.

WEDDING INVITATIONS

Use your new photos to announce your news online or to design your wedding save the dates or invitations, it will get people really excited!

MEMORIES

Let your engagement shoot be one of the milestones leading up to your wedding day. This is a chance to hang out with the person you love and celebrate new beginnings!

Sarah and William's Boomrock Wedding! It's all in the smaller details (cat lovers you'll like this one)!

When Sarah and Will first emailed me about their wedding plans they mentioned they had a cat named Sandwich, I knew they were my kind of people 😻

I loved everything about their intimate wedding with 30 guests at Boomrock. It was possibly the most relaxed wedding I’ve been to! They started with getting ready together at their home in Karori which was so sweet having their ‘first look’ in the comfort of their own home. We did most of their portraits before the ceremony so they could put all their attention into hanging out with guests for the rest of the day.

To get to Boomrock guests will usually travel via bus from the city which takes about 30 minutes. It’s exciting for anyone who has never been here, I imagine guests may think … ‘There is no way this bus can drive down this narrow road and up this crazy hill’. You go from city to very rural within a few minutes, it’s an incredible place! On this day the weather was so clear out at Boomrock that we could not only see the South Island but at sunset we could see Mount Taranaki in the distance (I grew up in this area so that was cool seeing it for the first time in a while).

An extra special mention to the smaller details from their day that I’m obsessed with. Sandwich appeared on their wedding invites, dinner menus and wedding cake made by our favourite @stilettostudiocakes. I also really loved how Sarah and William walked down the aisle to their ceremony together.

Venue: @boomrocklodge
Celebrant: Sam McDonald
Hair/makeup: @alana__muha
Florals: @melissajane_flowers
Suit: @barkersclothing
Dress: @wendymakinbridal
Tailor: @sues.repairs

Ohariu Farm Wellington Wedding - Abbey and Anthony

When your clients are from Taranaki (where I grew up) and you instantly click 😍 I’m so grateful that Abbey and Anthony asked me to capture their engagement photos and wedding day! The girls had a great Airbnb near Ohariu Farm, so if anyone needs a recommendation for accommodation please check out Ohariu Alpaca Farm Stay. If you have pets and you’d like some creative ideas for including them on your wedding day, scroll down to see how Abbey and Anthony incorporated their doggos into their wedding reception.

There is an incredible list of vendors from their wedding!
@marriedbyashleigh
@jaymiejarvis.makeupartist
@ohariufarm
@stilettostudiocakes

Preparing for family photos on your wedding day

Doing family photos on your wedding day after your ceremony doesn’t need to be an overwhelming experience! We have all been to a wedding where this part of the day took too long with many combinations of the same photos. Quite often on the day couples will ditch their original list or skip a few groups just to get it over and done with. It doesn’t need to be this way though, there are things we can do to prepare so it goes smoothly and quickly!

Quick Tips for your family and group photos on your wedding day

• We will need 2 guests to help with family photos - one person who can call out from the list and one person to be a runner/find people, while I'm photographing. You might like to have one helper from each side of your family. 

• I recommend including the individual names of the people in each group photo so no one gets missed (I can't photoshop people into photos if they are missed on the day) 

• You may like to take photos with grandparents or any children first so they can relax afterwards

• I recommend no more than 20 groups. 15 groups is an easy amount to get through, any more than this and it can become overwhelming for couples on the day.

WRITE A LIST OF GROUPS/BE SPECIFIC

It can help to write down the names of everyone in each group so they can be read out on the spot and we can check to make sure no one is missing (it’s never a great feeling as a photographer knowing that someone important was left out of a photo when we had no idea they were missing). If your venue allows for pets, add your doggo to the list! Keep your combinations to no more than 25 groups (this seems like a lot of photos but it can quickly add up when you start to look at your guest list and make decisions for this part of the day).

ASSIGN HELP, WE CAN MAKE THIS QUICK!

Prior to the day assign some help for this part of the day so we can efficiently take family photos. I recommend having one person read from your list of groups, calling out names (while your photographer is taking photos) and a second person who can be a runner to find people. This could be an MC or a family member so they are familiar with everyone on the list. It’s a good idea to ask people who are confident, if your venue has a microphone reading the names out loud can be a quick way to gather people and get their attention.

ONE LARGE GROUP PHOTO

If you would like one big group photo of everyone, do this first before guests spread out across your venue area. The bonus of having Karl with me for weddings (my husband who does videography) is he can sometimes take your large group photo using his drone which makes a great image where everyone can be seen. This bonus service isn’t included in every job we do, it is weather-dependent and only if you have videography booked. Here is an example of a drone photo versus a photo I have taken standing on a large ladder (supplied by a venue).

ORDER STRATEGICALLY

First do your big group photo with all the guests as mentioned in the previous paragraph, followed by any images with grandparents or children. Then work through one side of the family, then the other. Try to move people around as little as possible. 

KEEP IT SIMPLE

For our own wedding we made it really simple and had basic combinations with no double-ups. It was more important to spend time with our family than overdo it with multiple photos with the same people. I highly recommend approx 15 groups if you want to keep this easy and spend less time on these.

Why you should or shouldn't have a first look and bridal photos before your wedding ceremony?

Have you heard of doing a first look for your wedding? Rather than the traditional approach of seeing each other down the aisle before having bridal photos, you do all of your photos before the ceremony and have a reveal where you see each other all dressed up for the first time on the day.

There are some pros and cons to doing first looks. I love both options and will always go with whatever the individual couple wants to do. If you’re on the fence here are some really good points to consider before making a decision. All of the photos in this blog post are from weddings with first looks.

Better light after your ceremony

I know some photographers prefer to do bridal photos after the ceremony. This is because the later in the day you do your photos the better the lighting is going to be. Say your ceremony is at 3 pm, which is pretty standard, that would mean your bridal photos would most likely be either 1-2 pm or 4-5 pm. The closer to sunset time the better but it doesn’t mean that doing photos earlier in the day is going to give you bad photos. Talk to your photographer about finding a location with some shade or tree cover, or do what we did and take most of your photos inside a building. If you’re still worried about the lighting in your photos, work into your timeline 15 minutes for sunset photos, this will give you another opportunity for great photos!

Take away the nerves

If you’re not really into old traditions and wanting a more relaxed approach then doing a first look will be perfect for you. Seeing each other sooner will ease any nerves and you’ll have more fun during the ceremony.

Photos first, party later

Personally, for our wedding we did a first look purely because we wanted to do photos for a shorter amount of time so that we could party and be with our guests (ironic that the photographer wants less photos for her own wedding day, right)! Even an hour away from your guests for bridal photos can feel like a long time and can leave couples feeling like they didn’t get to talk to everyone on their wedding day.

Ohariu Farm Wedding Ceremony and Reception - Leah and David

Beautiful people and a beautiful wedding! Leah and David’s wedding had us all in happy tears. The love they have for one another is truly something special and I feel so lucky to have captured it alongside Karl who did their videography. Thank you to Ohariu Farm for having us two weekends in a row!

Ohariu Farm Wellington Wedding - Bryleigh and Ruben

Ohariu Farm is a wedding venue located 20 minutes North of Wellington city, it’s perfect if you’re wanting a farm or barn type of wedding setting without the hassle of traveling too far from home. Bryleigh and Ruben asked me to photograph their full wedding day from preparations through to the beginning of the dancing. Karl also made a highlight film for them documenting the most important parts from their first look through to their first dance, he captured it so perfectly!

They both had airbnb’s/accomodation for their prep photos which were stunning! A tidy space for getting ready makes a huge difference in the quality of your photos. A lot of thought went into the smaller details of their whole wedding... like designing and crafting their own arch, wedding invites, signage and rings, just to name a few. I loved the personal touches! Bryleigh works in the wedding industry so she has a good eye for detail.

It has been a pleasure getting to know Bryleigh over the past year. She actually played an important part in helping Karl design my engagement ring when she was working with the team at The Village Gold Smith.

Bryleigh and Ruben thank you so much for asking us to document your special day!

Summer Romance Styled Shoot at Anam Cara Gardens Kapiti Coast

This styled shoot gives me that summer romance feeling! Britt from The Wedding Coach NZ did an incredible job of bringing these elements together. Our wonderful models Caitlin and David who are married (in real life) made the vision come to life and honestly made my job of photographing so easy.

Thank you to my partner Karl from Traveller Audio and Visual for this incredible highlight film! We now offer videos like this with our wedding packages too! Full list of all of the other talented vendors below.

venue: Anam Cara Gardens
planner and stylist: The Wedding Coach NZ
florals: Love Stomp Floral
signage: Day Dream NZ
mua: The Makeup Artist
hair: Wedding hair by Rachel
props and furniture: Made Lovely Hire
cake: Cake It Forward
dresses: Astra Bridal Wellington
suit: Mandatory NZ
video: Traveller Audio and Visual

Two stunning Brides Married at Sudbury NZ - Grace and Gemma

A big congratulations to these beautiful ladies who got married out on the Kapiti Coast at wedding venue Sudbury NZ, Mrs & Mrs Prescott-Whitaker!

Grace and Gemma met through work, Gemma being Grace’s mentor in her first year of nursing practice. After 3 years of friendship they fell for each other! Grace proposed to Gemma at the peak of The Cardrona ski field in Wanaka. After convincing Gem to climb the hill in her ski boots “for the view”, Grace waited for the right moment to ask the question and she said yes!

They envisioned a day of love, family and friends, with relaxed vibes and a romantic atmosphere to create a day that everyone would look back on and smile. They wanted the mimosas flowing and the food plentiful. Some special features about their day, Grace’s brother wrote and read a personalised reading during the ceremony and their nephew who is just about to turn one danced his way down the aisle with his mum, it was the sweetest moment! Where they could they used local businesses and close friends with businesses and materials that could be recycled and used again, for example, their table names are now made into a birdhouse behind their house.

Karl and I had the most incredible time photographing and filming their special day. I’ve been photographing for the Whitaker family for a few years and had happy tears during their ceremony (did my best to keep my cool). It’s a day I’ll never forget and I feel incredibly grateful to have been a part of it. This was my last wedding for 2020, it was the best way to end the year.

Florist: Holly and Twine
Makeup: Kerry from Amber and co.
Outfits: Grace wore a Made With Love dress that she bought on Still White, second hand and in perfect condition. Gem found her dress on ASOS and it was magical.
Cake: Courtney Wylie
Catering: Sarah Senecke
Celebrant: Sarah Topliff

Foxglove Wellington Wedding Ceremony and Reception - Claire and Brendan

Congratulations to Claire and Brendan! They tied the knot at Foxglove on Wellington's waterfront and it was my pleasure to document the full day for them. Claire was wearing a beautiful Sophie Voon Bridal dress, which you don't realise is actually made up of two pieces, a dress and a lace top.

My favourite spot right outside the venue is a brick wall, which you’ll see in their photos. Thank you mother nature for looking out for us, the rain stayed away long enough for us to have their bridal photos outside!

Clem and Lox's Garden Wedding - Lower Hutt Wellington

There's no place like home so why not make it your ceremony venue. I loved this outdoor garden wedding at Clem's family home. It made the day extra special and intimate, plus their house was incredible so it was a photographer's dream to be there. The Bridesmaids looked stunning in their emerald green dresses, which also matched the Groomsmen’s bow ties.

Clem and Lox met through friends in 2013 and after spending time together they started dating in 2014. Since then, they have spent time in Canada working and road-tripping the entire country. They then moved back to NZ and adopted a cat called Robert Redford. Lox proposed on the wharf at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne as the sun was setting, he knows romance!

A big thank you to Amy Schulz for photographing alongside me on the day!

We are engaged! Surprise Proposal at Whitireia Park Wellington

I’ve known for a while that I wanted to marry this man but now it's officially a thing!! What I thought was just a fun and casual couples shoot with Wellington photographer Yvonne Liew turned out to be a wedding proposal. WE ARE ENGAGED!

There’s a little bit of a back story to how this all went down, along with some epic photos of the moment Karl proposed. I had been wanting to book a couple’s shoot because I realised Karl and I hardly any photos together and thought it would be nice to have some updated photos for online and putting up around the house, feels a little vain but it was a new experience.

It turns out Karl had started designing a ring with The Village Goldsmith back in November. Another cool part of this story is a client who has booked us for photos and video at their wedding happens to work at The Village Goldsmith, so she was able to help Karl with the designing process which makes it extra special.

Here’s where it all came into action. We booked a couples session with Yvonne. Karl had been emailing her, I had no idea that it was actually going to be a proposal (it had crossed my mind for sure like ‘what if’, but I quickly told myself no way I’m dreaming). And then it happened out of nowhere! Below are some pics of me losing my shit.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out and taking photos along the hillside. The sunset was insane and the atmosphere felt electric. Thank you so much to Yvonne for capturing these moments for us, the photos are such a true representation of how I felt that evening and I’ll treasure these photos forever.

A note to end on, I’m so grateful to Karl and our relationship. I’ve never felt as supported and loved as I do with him. We have so much respect for one another and the relationship side of things is actually kind of easy, that’s how it feels when you’re on each other’s team. I say I’m not a big romantic but I fricken love this feeling.

Wedding Albums for Christmas Gifts - Momento Pro Photo Albums

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! To celebrate the end of an incredible year for my business I reached out to previous wedding clients with a special on my wedding albums.

Printing is the best way to get more value out of images and relive moments from your wedding day. Quite often photos will only sit on a USB stick or live somewhere on your social media feed, this can mean moments are lost over time. Physical prints add so much value to your investment as they will last for generations to come so your children and their children too can enjoy a little piece of your history.

Yuming and Bevan picked a red linen cover and gold text for their album cover, perfect for the holiday season and it matches the red dress Yuming wore on her wedding day. Momento Pro is the printing company I have picked to use for my wedding albums. I love their European linen range for cover materials which comes in 18 colours for clients to pick from.

To protect your album and add that finishing touch, a clamshell box is included with all of my orders for no extra cost. This means you can leave your album on your coffee table or book shelf with peace of mind.

I’m consistently blown away by the quality of Momento Pro’s prints. They have created a printing platform for professional photographers who take pride in quality. I truly believe in these products which is why I choose to pay a little more for these albums compared to other lower end printing companies.

If you’d like to know more about my albums, get in touch! Here is my album pricing guide.

INCLUDED

Linen cover available in different colours
10 spreads (20 pages) with multiple images per spread
1.1mm page thickness
Custom text on the front of the album cover
Box to protect album is also linen covered
Pick your favourite images and I'll handle the rest!

PRICING AND SIZES

8x8” - Regular
10x10” - Large
12x12” - Extra Large

Please get in touch for the latest pricing update!

Planning your wedding - How to choose the right wedding photographer

Researching wedding vendors can be a lengthy process. It can also start to feel overwhelming when it comes to making your final decisions. When picking the right photographer for your wedding day there are a number of things you can consider. I’ve put together some key points that will hopefully help make this choice easier!

PHOTOGRAPHIC STYLE

Think about the kind of photos you want and ask photographers what their style is. There are different approaches when it comes to taking photos. Traditional or formal photos are often planned or posed by the photographer. They can also be ‘looking at the camera’ images. This approach is usually used for family photos and group shots.

A documentary approach is used for capturing candid moments as they happen naturally. This is when there is little to no engagement with the camera. This can capture emotion and real moments throughout the day.

For some couples it’s mostly about capturing the memories, for others there can be a stronger appreciation for photography as an art form. Look through examples of work and pick a style that captures your eye. It could be the colours, the creativity or composition of an image. Every photographer will have a different style, look for something that speaks to you.

BOOK EARLY

Turning down clients because I’m already booked on their day isn’t a great feeling. Once you have secured your date with a venue, start looking for your photographer. Or even better, get the conversation going before you finalise your date. It can be worth enquiring 12 - 18 months before.

RESEARCH

Check out a number of websites and social media accounts. When you see a style that connects with you, start to look deeper into who that photographer is. Their website should be easy to understand and tell you further information on the services they are offering. Testimonials and Google reviews are a good way of checking feedback.

GET IN CONTACT

Next get in contact and get a gage on their personality. See how they interact and respond to your emails, when I respond to emails I do my best to stay authentic, I talk to people because want to get to know more about them (which is genuinely true, not because I only want to sell them my product). Do they make you feel comfortable and have they listened to you?

MEET FOR COFFEE

I like to meet couples for a coffee (or wine) before they book. This makes it easier for people to see who I really am and gain extra trust. You want to make sure your photographer is a match for your vibe.

PRICE

I’ve saved the hardest one for last. Budget will be something you need to consider. Getting married isn’t cheap, but shopping around for the cheapest deal might leave you disappointed with the results. It comes down to one simple question - is photography something that is important to you and do you want awesome wedding photos? Anyone reading this will probably answer YES. It will be an investment if you want a photographer with higher skills and experience.

The price tag isn’t how many hours your photographer is with you for on the day. A photographer needs to consider their travel costs, paying their assistant, the 6 (or more) hours it takes to edit a wedding and then have enough for their bills and costs of living at the end of it (lets not forget that hefty student loan).

If you find a photographer who is perfect for you but you can’t justify the price you could continue looking for someone who has a similar style, or ask that photographer if they have payment plans available. We are all human and the chances are they will want to make it work for you!

It’s a long conversation! Start talking it through with your partner and reach out to a few different photographers. See who sparks the best interest and connection with you from the get go. Better yet, get in touch, I’d love to answer any questions you may have.

Engagement Shoot at the Botanical Gardens - Anita and Leon

Congrats to Anita and Leon who won my engagement shoot giveaway a couple of weeks back! I love meeting couples and hearing about their wedding plans. It's an exciting time and there's no better way to kick of the celebrations with some new photos together.

We met at the Wellington Botanical Gardens and explored a different area to where I usually meet couples at this location. I loved the cactus and succulent garden!

D.I.Y Rustic Bohemian Wedding at Tarureka Estate - Kristen and Glenn

Back in January I photographed this gorgeous wedding and I have been patiently waiting for the right moment to share it with you all.

Kristen and Glenn met in high school and started dating at 17 years old! They decided to get married in Wairarapa at Tarureka Estate.

Their inspiration was rustic, bohemian and D.I.Y, I loved this aspect of the day.  Kristen put so much thought and creativity into her wedding, it felt special to document the efforts she had gone through. The bouquets, cake, reception decor (including the beautiful dream catchers), hair and makeup was all done by the wonderful bride herself. 

I loved the vibe of this wedding. The whole day felt relaxed and fun. We had a bridal shoot before the ceremony, this was all about the bridal party hanging out and having a good time in a beautiful forest setting. 

Bohemian Style Wedding at The Milk Station - Georgie and Andrew

I'm so excited to share images from Georgie and Andrew's wedding with you all! I shot these alongside Jenny Siaosi at The Milk Station in Otaki. The day was so perfect and these two were just the sweetest to photograph! 

Foxglove Venue Wellington - Winter Bridal Shoot

I teamed up with some incredible Wellington wedding vendors to create a winter themed styled shoot. This was something we shot during the winter season as it was the perfect time to team up and do something creative and fun. We wanted to create an atmosphere of love and warmth, to show couples that winter weddings can be really beautiful too.     

Our theme was 'Enchanted Romance'. The 'Enchanted' theme was carried throughout our locations and venue, using continuous rich colours and earthy textures.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the day. You are all so wonderful and generous! A special thank you to Melissa for all of your ideas and support during the planning process.

Photographer: Jaymee Photography
Photographic Assistant: Samantha Hamilton Photography
Model/Talent: Voda Model Management (Olga and Kyle)
Florist and venue styling: Melissa Jane Flower Studio
MUA/Hair: Rebecca Connor Makeup and Spraytan Artist
Dress: Sally Eagle Bridal (Marie dress)
Suit: Frank Casey, Wellington
Cake: Sweet Bakery & Cakery
Venue: Foxglove
Stationary: The Wild Ones
White Chairs: Enchante Wedding Design Ltd

I'm really excited to finally show you these images! I hope you enjoy!