Pip & Andy: Wedding at Hygge, Clifton Bay

Young Love is all well-and-good but sometimes the best love stories are those that come at a time in life when you’re least expecting it, and when you think heartbreak and loss has closed the door on your heart for good. The backstory behind Andy and Pip’s chilled out wedding at beachside Hawke’s Bay wedding venue, Hygge at Clifton Bay, is one that will give you all those warm, fuzzy feelings so read on…

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Both in their sixties, Pip and Andy were not looking for love when a friend set them up on a blind date at a local Havelock North bar. But as they talked, they discovered so much common ground, including having lost their long-term spouses to cancer in the same month, several years ago.

“Our date turned into two and a half hours as we laughed a little, cried a little and shared our life stories with each other. That first meeting was incredibly special and we were both keen to spend more time together,” explains Pip.

Before they knew it, the couple were head-over-heels in love and planning their lives together. “Who would have thought that in our sixties, and after what we had been through, we could feel like this?”

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‘Hygge’ is a Danish word that means a feeling of coziness and comfortable contentment. Their amazing food follows through on this theme and the classic New Zealand barn aesthetic completes the relaxed, rustic vibe. As a wedding photographer, it’s awesome to have the ocean with the dramatic cliffs of Cape Kidnappers rearing out of the sea and then just spin around and be shooting in the long dry grass of Hawke’s Bay farmland.

The venue had become a favourite spot for Pip and Andy so it was a natural choice for their small, laid-back wedding which kicked off at 5pm with no set timeframes, we just went with the flow.

Pip and Andy just told me to grab them any time it felt right for some creative time together. It was so easy because I could make the most of everything Hygee had on its doorstep then take them for a quick burn in my car to another epic Hawke’s Bay wedding photography location, the Tukituki Road lookout. I mostly shot with a long 200mm zoom lens, meaning Andy and Pip could enjoy some private time together while I was creating some beautiful, candid wedding photography for them to remember the day.

We returned from our shoot for a casual walk-and-fork style dinner followed by dancing and a special appearance by the groom and the band he used to rock with all over New Zealand. For me, the day was incredibly special because it showed that love is not the exclusive preserve of the young, and in fact it’s the hard and shared lessons learned along the journey of life that can provide the best foundation for true partnership.