Elyse & Ashlin - Crab Farm Winery

Ashlin and Elyse got hitched in Hawke's Bay at a lovely, laid-back little winery called Crab Farm, just on the edge of the coastal settlement of Bay View, near Napier. The wedding inspiration was 'chic boho' with a chilled and relaxed vibe, and Elyse said Crab Farm ticked all those boxes effortlessly.

Elyse got ready at historic Art Deco pad, The Dome, which meant I had time to sneak the girls across the road to a spot I've been waiting for the opportunity to shoot at...Napier's (relatively new) viewing platform. Thanks to all the awesome visitors to the Bay who cleared out for a few moments to make this work!

Because they wanted to officially get married on 06.04 (the dates of their daughters' birthdays), Elyse and Ashlin did the legal stuff the day before their wedding at a spot locals call 'Little Beach'. I adore the intimacy of this space so when they told me their pre-wedding plans I was super keen to make this the place Ashlin watched his bride approach. I was then given the freedom to go where the wind took me for our photo shoot, which was awesome since it was blowing a gale and we tucked into some really lovely little spots, perfect for early autumn (my favourite time of year to shoot weddings).

Local wedding dress designer, Rowan McLennan, created all 5 dresses for the bridal party and her work reminded me just how international the calibre of local wedding vendors is in Hawke's Bay. Elyse credits her dream team of helpers for making the day such a success.

"The whole day went so perfect and smoothly. I put that down to having all the best teams around us and perfect organising leading up to the day. Everything just worked like clockwork. We completely trusted everyone in their positions and nothing could have turned out better."

Elyse says it's almost impossible to pick a favourite moment from the day, but "completing my family and becoming a Meehan, sharing the same last name as my best friend and our two girls" probably took out top spot in her heart.

Thanks to Elyse & Ashlin for putting 100% faith in us to turn a dream into reality, and for candidly inviting us to share in such an important, personal moment..and then share it with all of our followers!

THE DREAM TEAM:

Photographers: Eva Bradley & Lynda Forrest // Venue: Crab Farm Winery, Napier, New Zealand // Dresses: Rowan McLennan Design, Florals: Lushka // Cake: Picnic // Hawke's Bay // Hair & MU: Abby Schofield & Candice Dear // Celebrant: Chris Kershaw.