Hawke's Bay wedding photography blog — Eva Bradley Photography - Hawkes Bay weddings

REAL NEW ZEALAND WEDDINGS

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Escape to the Country - Anna & Stu, Central Hawke's Bay Wedding

Escape to the Country - Anna & Stu, Central Hawke's Bay Wedding

Every wedding is special for me to shoot but when I already have a personal connection to the bride, the buzz and energy is just that little bit higher for me. That’s why I was stoked when wedding videographer, Anna Cudby, got in touch with me a while back to throw some ideas around for her wedding to long-time love and best mate, Stu. Having both grown up rurally in Central Hawke’s Bay, the couple wanted a wedding that reflected their roots so after a long hunt, the historic woodshed at Mangatarata Station was like finding a gold mine.

Made in NYC, Born in NZ: Peyton's Kiwi homecoming

Made in NYC, Born in NZ: Peyton's Kiwi homecoming

No, you’re not seeing double…and this isn’t a re-run of a gorgeous blog I posted a few months ago of baby Evie with her big, furry English Bulldog brother. It turns out there’s a little club of you out there who can’t think of anything more delicious than beautiful memories of your newly-minted baby with it’s older and wiser furry friend.

Babies & Toddlers, NewbornEva Bradley30 September 2019Eva Bradley Photographylifestyle newborn photographer, newborn, Newborn Photography, Baby Photography, Hawkes Bay baby photographersComment

Christel & Dan - Black Barn Underground Cellar & Bistro wedding

Christel & Dan - Black Barn Underground Cellar & Bistro wedding

Sometimes the stars align and I find myself working with a couple who think and feel about weddings so much like I do that the buzz, for me, almost has echoes of being a bride all over again. I felt that way when I first met Christel and Dan and they told me that not only were they to be ‘Mr. & Mrs. Eva’, but that they were getting hitched at the same location as me and loved the style and feel from my own ceremony so much that they’d used a photo from it for their invitations.

Hawke's Bay weddings, Weddings by Eva, Weddings by Andrew, Winery WeddingsEva Bradley2 September 2019Black Barn VineyardsBlack Barn, black barn bistro, Underground cellar, hawkes bay wedding photographer, Hawkes Bay photographers, new zealand wedding venues, New Zealand Weddings, Hawkes BayComment

Disaster to Happy Ever After - Jenny & Neil, Valley D'Vine

Disaster to Happy Ever After - Jenny & Neil, Valley D'Vine

Weddings are all about turning long-held dreams into reality, but for Neil and Jenny, their wedding turned to a nightmare before it even began. Having paid their venue in full, it went into receivership, taking with them thousands of dollars worth of hard-earned savings. It seemed like a saddest end to what should have been a fairytale story for this couple, until the Napier wedding industry pulled together to help give them the dream they had saved so hard for…

Hawke's Bay weddings, Napier Weddings, Weddings by Andrew, Weddings by Eva, Winery Weddings, Winter WeddingsEva Bradley7 August 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyValley D'Vine, Linden Estate, Hawke's Bay Weddings, hawkes bay wedding photographer, Hawkes Bay wedding photographers, Napier wedding photographersComment

How-to Guide: Making artworks from your amazing children.

How-to Guide: Making artworks from your amazing children.

I think it’s safe to say that most parents would wallpaper every wall of their home with photos of their children if it didn’t make them look a little obsessed. We only need to have a quick scroll through our camera roll to realise just how photographed our children are. But sadly, I’ve noticed that the easier it has become to take photos of our kids at EVERY moment of their lives, the harder it’s become to print and display quality family photography in our homes.

FamiliesEva Bradley26 July 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyFamily portrait photography, Family, Hawkes Bay family photographers, Napier family photographers, napier photographers, Hawkes Bay photographersComment

Wee Evie - One week old and chilling out at home.

Wee Evie - One week old and chilling out at home.

They say never work with children and animals but I have to say that (even though it’s challenging) I totally disagree. Some of my all-time favourite photos have involved children AND animals, and this first photo of Evie with Chopper is up there with them. I

Babies & Toddlers, Families, Maternity, NewbornEva Bradley17 July 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyHawke's Bay newborn photographer, Newborn Photography, lifestyle newborn photographer, Hawkes Bay photographers, Hawke's Bay baby photographersComment

Mirize & Alistair's Black Barn Bistro wedding in Hawke's Bay

Mirize & Alistair's Black Barn Bistro wedding in Hawke's Bay

The pressure of planning what we’re all told will be the best day of our lives can all seem a bit much right at the start of the process, so I thought the way Mirize and Alistair elected three aspects that mattered most to them and focused their ideas and energy around them was a brilliant way to create a wedding with wow that was unique to them. The top billing thing for them was location. They wanted a place that was central for guests coming from across New Zealand and Australia and somewhere that was an awesome destination in its own right, not just for a wedding.

Classic bride, Hawke's Bay weddings, Weddings by Eva, Weddings by Andrew, Winery WeddingsEva Bradley1 July 2019Black Barn VineyardsHawke's Bay Weddings, black barn bistro, winery weddings, winery wedding, Hawke's Bay wedding photographers, hawke's bay photographers, new zealand wedding photographers, new zealand wedding venues, hawke's bay wedding venuesComment

Blair's here....Autumn sunset family session

Blair's here....Autumn sunset family session

Oh my gosh, HELLO autumn…you beautiful, delicious, honey-coloured, heart-warming season. It is the time of year when Mother Nature produces her best show and the sun is seduced into playing along. Warm winter coats come out of the cupboard and kids can play in the golden hour and not be cranky because it is past bed-time when the photographer wants to shoot.

Babies & Toddlers, FamiliesEva Bradley15 April 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyFamily portrait photography, Family Photography, Hawkes Bay family photographers, portrait photographers hawkes bay, Hawkes Bay baby photographers, hawkes bay portrait photographers, Hawke's Bay portrait photographers, PortraitsComment

Authentic rustic DIY country wedding - Char & Russ at Taniwha Gardens

Authentic rustic DIY country wedding - Char & Russ at Taniwha Gardens

The first thing I ask a couple when they are considering working with us on their wedding day is ‘what elements are most important for you?’ This helps me understand who they are as a couple and how Andrew and I can work with them to create bespoke photography that reflects all their priorities. Every couple is different but the ones we enjoy working with the most talk about a sense of celebration and a focus on friends and family ahead of styling and colour schemes.

Natalia & Andy's nod to tradition at St Matthew's Church & Sileni Winery

Natalia & Andy's nod to tradition at St Matthew's Church & Sileni Winery

These days thanks to the beautiful but relatively new tradition of getting hitched in the great outdoors, we don’t get to document many church weddings. That made Natalia and Andy’s day a real treat for us, as there is a sense of ceremony, history and spiritual significance that comes from exchanging vows in a church. With a cathedral-length veil, morning suits and a long row of little attendants to lead the way, the ceremony almost had the feel of a royal wedding…and who doesn’t like a bit of that?!

Weddings by Eva, Weddings by Andrew, Winery Weddings, Church weddingsEva Bradley18 March 2019Sileni WineryHawke's Bay Weddings, Hawkes Bay photographers, hawkes bay wedding photographer, Hawkes Bay wedding photographers, New Zealand Weddings, New Zealand wedding photographersComment

Rob & Angela's tiny wedding at The Farm, Cape Kidnappers

Rob & Angela's tiny wedding at The Farm, Cape Kidnappers

It is hard to imagine anywhere with more beautiful views of New Zealand’s ruggedly beautiful coastline than The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. But the exclusive nature of the luxury lodge has meant I haven’t been able to share images from a real wedding shot there before. So I’m really excited that Rob and Angela so generously have let me do so, but also that their tiny wedding was perfect in every way - not just beautiful to look at, but emotionally quite special to be part of.

country weddings, Destination weddings, Elopement weddings, Hawke's Bay weddings, Weddings by EvaEva Bradley5 March 2019the farm cape kidnappersHawke's Bay Weddings, hawkes bay wedding photographer, Hawkes Bay photographers, Hawkes Bay wedding photographers, the farm, Cape Kidnappers, Robertson Lodges Comment

The Belle Époch - Styled Shoot with the HB Collective

The Belle Époch - Styled Shoot with the HB Collective

A styled shoot inspired by the golden age of the 'Belle Époch', an exciting era in history when women were breaking out of the man-made moulds that had bound them for so long to embrace a new freedom that was of their own making. We have seen this same theme in wedding stying in recent years and wanted to celebrate a modern bride's freedom to do as she pleases, her way...for her day.

Hawke's Bay weddings, Weddings by Eva, Styled shootsEva Bradley1 March 2019Eva Bradley Photographystyled shoot, Hawkes Bay wedding photographers, wedding photography hawkes bay, cactus photography, Hawkes Bay photographers, hawkes bay wedding photographerComment

Charlotte & Friends - Hawke's Bay Newborn Photographer

Charlotte & Friends - Hawke's Bay Newborn Photographer

Bringing baby home to meet their older siblings for the very first time is always a major deal for a family, but for Charlotte’s tribe, the Big Reveal had a distinctly rural Hawke’s Bay feel to it, as she was introduced to first-born fur-babies, Deersey and ??.

Babies & Toddlers, NewbornEva Bradley28 February 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyHawkes Bay, Hawke's Bay newborn photographer, Hawkes Bay baby photographers, Newborn Photography, newborn, lifestyle newborn photographer, new zealand photographer, Hawke's Bay wedding photographersComment

Les Misérables - Napier Operatic Society, 2019 production photos

Les Misérables - Napier Operatic Society, 2019 production photos

’ll admit it…I’m a musical theatre geek. I love me a good live show and nothing gets my bum on a seat quite as quickly as Les Miserablés. I’ve seen this powerful story about the French Revolution about 10 times and every time it’s a tear-jerker. The personal stories of triumph and tragedy are heart-breaking. Add in songs I’ve been singing since I was a little choir girl and it’s a recipe for a great night out. This week, I’m especially excited as I’ll be seeing Napier Operatic Society’s production of Les Mis, directed by my clever big sister, Lisa-Jane Easter.

Eva Bradley21 February 2019Les Misérables, Commercial Comments

Home & studio shoot for the NZIA Architecture Awards 2019

Home & studio shoot for the NZIA Architecture Awards 2019

I thought I’d share these photos with you as they represent one of the biggest achievements of my life (apart from creating two little humans!). Our house in Bay View, Napier, is kind-of like my third child. The design and build process was every bit as exciting and challenging as a pregnancy and took twice as long so we were stoked when it got awarded at the 2019 Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards.

PersonalEva Bradley5 February 2019Eva Bradley PhotographyHawke's Bay architects, Gisborne Hawke's Bay architecture awards 2019 Comment