elopement ceremony Wellington

Wellington Begonia House - Intimate wedding ceremonies for couples

In this world where we are presented with trends online and all the ‘must haves’ ‘must dos’ it can be extremely overwhelming for couples to plan a wedding. When couples come to me with ideas for a smaller wedding or elopement-style ceremony I’m all in.

Here in this blog, I’m showing highlights from a recent intimate wedding that I felt so honoured to photograph. This was a 2-hour package and we went to 2 different locations in Wellington, did a first look and portraits before their ceremony, plus a bunch of family photos afterwards at their reception venue.

Plan to have your wedding in a way that aligns with your ideas, your vision, your lifestyle and in your own timeframe. You don't always need to have the full day captured, let’s customise it to suit. These smaller weddings have just as much of an impact on me as my 10-hour bookings.

First look photos at Wellington's begonia house gardens
First look photos in garden glass house

Begonia House at the Wellington Gardens was the perfect first-look location for Brooke and William! When we arrived it was raining so being undercover in this stunning building with its impressive plants meant we could still capture the special moments before their ceremony. Just as we started to finish here the rain stopped for us to get some photos quickly outside. We then made our way to the Canape Room for their intimate ceremony.

Small wedding venue in Wellington

Big thank you to Brooke and William for asking me to capture their special day! And to the Begonia house for having us (just a little note for anyone interested, if you want photos at this location it requires permission and a small fee for use of the space).

Wellington wedding elopement - Plimmerton Beach

My very last wedding for 2021 was an intimate elopement with Theresa, Zack and baby Ezra! It felt like we were on a tropical island out in Plimmerton, you wouldn’t know that it had been raining earlier in the day. I loved these relaxed elopement style ceremonies! This was a simple 40 minute photo session without any guests, I was one of their witnesses so it was really small and intimate for them.

Thank you Patricia Robbie for joining us as the celebrant for their ceremony!

Postponing your wedding because of Covid19 and eloping instead - Magda and Fraser's Wellington Elopement

Magda and Fraser originally had a small wedding ceremony planned for earlier this year which was postponed due to Covid19. Their new plan to go ahead with an elopement style ceremony out in the hills of Ohariu valley was just as special and I know those who couldn't make it from overseas will be feeling so happy for them!

Wellington elopement ceremony photos
wellington-elopement-ceremony-1.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-3.jpg
Intimate and relaxed wedding elopement in Wellington, NZ

Some couples choose to elope instead of having a wedding so they can have that "just us" experience. Some couples want to have the freedom to spend the day together without all of the traditional rules and distractions that come with hosting a wedding.

Saving money is also a huge benefit and you're valuing memories rather than the materialistic side of having a traditional wedding. Overall elopements are less stressful and require less planning - perfect in today’s climate!

wellington-elopement-ceremony-8.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-10.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-11.jpg
Wellington wedding elopement ceremony
wellington-elopement-ceremony-14.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-17.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-13.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-18.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-20.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-29.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-19.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-30.jpg
Wellington wedding photographer
wedding photographer Wellington, NZ
wellington-elopement-ceremony-25.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-28.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-27.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-26.jpg
wellington-elopement-ceremony-31.jpg
Whitireia park wedding photos
Wellington wedding photographer
Sunset wedding photos, NZ
wellington-elopement-ceremony-36.jpg

Reasons to Elope! Wellington Elopement Ceremony at Makara Wind Farm

The number one reason couples choose to elope instead of having a wedding is so they can have that "just us" experience. Some couples want to have the freedom to spend the day together without all of the traditional rules and distractions that come with hosting a wedding.

Saving money is a huge benefit and you're valuing memories rather than the materialistic side of having a traditional wedding. Overall elopements are less stressful and require less planning!

Jess and Matt contacted me a couple of weeks prior to their elopement ceremony. We had to postpone due to weather but we were able to reschedule with the shortest notice possible (literally same day notice). They chose Makara Wind Farm as their location and their celebrant Mirandar Zander joined us for an intimate ceremony looking out over the ocean and hills. Karl and I are honored to have been their witnesses.

Wellington Elopement Ceremony at Makara Wind Farm
Reasons to have an elopement ceremony instead of a traditional wedding
wellington-wedding-elopement-2.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-3.jpg
Wellington elopement photographer
wellington-wedding-elopement-5.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-7.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-8.jpg
Wellington elopement photography
wellington-wedding-elopement-9.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-11.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-13.jpg
Miranda Zander wedding celebrant Wellington
Best photo locations in Wellington New Zealand
Makara Wind Farm Wellington
wellington-wedding-elopement-23.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-25.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-21.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-26.jpg
Wellington elopement photographer
wellington-wedding-elopement-30.jpg
wellington-wedding-elopement-31.jpg
Makara wind farm New Zealand location