BREANNA + DAVID - DIY WEDDING

With a blossoming industry based around the creation of the picture-perfect wedding, it has become very easy for the focus to fall on 'things' rather than what I feel really matters at a marriage; connections, history, feelings and - most importantly - people.That belief is the reason why Breanna and David's wedding was one of my favorites of the summer

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BAILEY + JAMES - ORETI, LAKE TAUPO

 

It was a treat for us to take our creative show on the road to Oreti Village in the tiny lakeside settlement of Pukawa, on the western shores of Lake Taupo. A wilderness of native New Zealand bush and early Maori and Colonial history, the area promised us some exciting opportunities to play in a very different landscape from our normal haunts as Hawke's Bay wedding photographers.

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BEN + RUTH - COUNTRY WEDDING

Ben and Ruth are a chilled out Kiwi couple who believe in keeping it real. They wanted a wedding that reflected that, with a focus on friends, family and the things that matter rather than the complicated trimmings. A country wedding at the chocolate-box-cute church down the road from Ruth's parents' home was followed by a reception at the local hall of small Hawke's Bay settlement, Maraekakaho.

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MADDOX - 11 MONTHS

As a Hawke's Bay photographer who adores storytelling and emotional connections between people, it doesn't get much better than having one of my couples get in touch a few years after their wedding to ask me to spend some time with them documenting the next big milestone in their lives, the arrival of children.

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LAURA + ROB - BLACK BARN RIVERSIDE

Hawke's Bay native, Laura, describes herself and new hubby, Rob, as 'truly laid back humans' and so it went without saying that was the vibe they wanted on their wedding day. Under the stars and beside the slow-moving Tukituki at Black Barn Winery's riverside wedding venue, roving canapés replaced a formal sit-down dinner and guests sat down on large vintage rugs strewn amid lanterns and flowers to enjoy the speeches. 

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Matt & Jenna - Engaged. Te Mata Peak in the Golden Hour, by Eva Bradley.

Anyone planning a wedding knows they can be complicated. That's why we adore engagement sessions. They are, quite simply, about two people in love. There's no dress to fuss over, no bridal party looking on, no timelines to stick to beyond those set by Mother Nature and there aren't 100 people waiting for us to hurry up and be creative so the party can get started.

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Kate & DK - A beautiful Oruawharo wedding in Central Hawke's Bay

Every time I've had an email from a bride asking me to shoot their wedding at Oruawharo in Central Hawke's Bay, I've rushed to my diary in a fever of excitement and always been gutted to discover I'm already booked. When Kate got in touch almost 18 months ago, I was like a kid in a candy story to discover I was free as a bird on her date. When we met at the grand old homestead for High Tea and a planning session, my excitement levels blew out entirely...

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All About Caitlin - Family portrait session by Eva Bradley

Photography is important for so many reasons but mostly because it presses pause on a passing (and precious!) moment in time. I feel so lucky to have been part of a number of passing moments for the Tod family. Firstly it was to celebrate Matt and Kirsten's engagement, then, of course, the wedding. A newborn session followed with the arrival of their first baby, beautiful little Caitlin. And just last week I got to see her all grown up (well, almost four which is kinda the same when you're almost four, right?).

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Craggy Range Fairytale Wedding - Hayden & Monique by Eva & Andrew

What are the things you enjoy the most on holiday with the people you love? Do you even remember? Hayden wanted to make sure they never forgot their Grand Tour around Europe, so during dinner one night at the Imperiale Palace in Santa Margherita, he asked Monique to take turns with him writing down all the highlights so far. Of course he had the trump card up his sleeve - "will you marry me?"

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