continued from yesterday’s post… after the ceremony we walked over to the restaurant and found our seats. we were served a delicious turkish-style entree and then various family and friends shared stories and well-wishes for the couple. large platters of mains arrived at the tables, followed by dessert and cake – some of the best wedding food i have ever eaten, props to platter restaurant! here’s some photos from the evening…

the koha tree

speeches and well-wishes

stories bring back memories

shoes!

you never quite know what someone will say

giona addresses his wife

groomsmen

bridesmaids

mother of the bride welcomes giona to the family

evening falls

the boys

a quick lesson on cake-cutting

cake cutting for real

elise & giona

cake!

thanks so much for inviting us to share your day!

yesterday afternoon saw us all gathered under the pohutukawa trees, waiting to celebrate the marriage of my cousin elise to her fiance giona. this wedding was unusual for me: it was the first time i’d been a guest at any wedding without the responsibility of providing photographic coverage!

but that didn’t stop me taking my camera along – i didn’t plan to take any particular photos, i was just shooting to please myself – and i made sure to relax and enjoy the day with my family. however i still somehow ended up with quite a few photos (i wonder how that happened?) so i have decided to split this blog post into two. here are my favourite moments from the ceremony…

beautiful music from the string orchestra sets the mood

giona awaits his beautiful bride

and groomsmen display various stages of anticipation

elise arrives at last!

walking the aisle with her father

i love this look she gives her groom

and the look he returns to her

at the altar

gorgeous bridesmaids look on

exchanging rings and vows

the kiss!

is all that kissing stuff over with yet?

presenting mr and mrs bridler

don’t they look perfect together?

congratulations elise and giona!

photos from the reception will follow

yesterday my beautiful cousin married her sweetheart of 8 years in a simple ceremony by the beach… more photos to come!

what a gorgeous little ceremony; a 2-car internal garage was converted into a chapel filled with fairy lights and candles, and all the family went overboard on the food and preparations to help kit & darwin have a memorable and beautiful day! their only daughter performed beautifully not only as flower girl but read and sang during the ceremony, and other music and readings were offered by close friends and family.

but first… getting ready! i couldnt choose between so many shots so i made a bunch of montages to help capture the preparations:

and then, the ceremony began (very intimate lighting, made my job more challenging than usual – but, we work with what we get!)

then it was time to laugh and relax together with cake, toasts, speeches and of course, the yummy food!

the evening sky was beautifully painted and lit the whole garden up with gold shafts, before the sun finally set on a wonderful day!

it was exciting to hear that chris & val had chosen me to record their wedding day! chris has been a good friend for over a decade and it was awesome to have such a joyful excuse to travel down to see him & his family again. i had not met his bride before that weekend but val was lovely & made me feel very welcome.

here are a few of my favourites from their big day: