Shelley had warned me that Tim was a bit of a kid sometimes, so neither of us were surprised when he suggested that she should go and sit on "that log over there".  Great idea Tim, except that that log was dangerously close to that water. 

"Why don't you go sit on that log then?"  We suggested.

So he did.

Pure awesomeness. 

Sorry Tim, but we kind of saw that coming!  Totally worth the shots though!

*cue awesome proposal story*

Tim had all of the right ingredients to an awesome proposal.  One romantic dinner, throw in a trip in a helicopter, add a pinch of "MARRY ME" in fairy lights seen from the sky and a jaw dropping ring = one giant YES.

*cue a collective sigh from all of the women*

Gorgeousness!

I love this shot.  The beach blown hair, the look of total happiness.

Hello Rarangi!  You look awesome!

Then we headed back into town.  Another special request for 'my tree' took us up the hill.

I love letting my couples do their thing, I just stand back and watch to see what they do.  These guys are awesome!

Shelley and Tim could really leap!

Wonder Woman indeed!  Tim is hiding behind the tree, he's such a clown.

Thanks for a fun afternoon guys.  I'm so excited about your wedding, let the countdown begin! 

They sure like each other now, quite a lot.  So much so, in fact, that come next March they will be married. 

The weather has been less than lovely here lately, but thankfully it opened up into a beautiful day for us.  We headed over to Taylor Dam where I thought we might get some nice country feeling images.

I just LOVE this shot.  Nikki is just beautiful.

I've been trying to get more use out of our 16-35mm 2.8L lens lately, and although I adore it as a scene setter....

I just keep coming back to my 70-200mm 2.8L.  And although I was MOST excited about finding this tree, Nikki and Simon are really what make this picture. 

Then on to Harling Park, throw in some gorgeous late light... and you have a major win.

Gorgeous!

Hello awesome hilltop, with gorgeous light and sky!

Nikki had seen 'my' tree featured on the blog before, and seemed quite keen to meet it. 

This following picture is because I'm strange, and I make people do funny things.

Just before we left the sky broke forth with this amazing show of colour.  I like it a lot.

Nikki and Simon, thanks so much for your time this afternoon.  I had a blast!  I'm so excited about shooting your wedding in the Summer, it's going to be great!

It was an amazing day, not just because the weather was perfectly still and crisp.  Not just because of the jaw dropping gorgeousness of every detail, but because Glenn and Carina became man and wife.

Carina was absolutely breathtaking.  Every single detail was planned, and everything flowed like clockwork. 

Nina from Pink Poppie orchestrated the flowers, and they were simply divine. Not that I expected any less!

This is Gracie, she's nearly four, so she tells me.  And she's cute.  Way cute.

More gorgeous detail.

Meanwhile Paul was with the boys as they prepared to get the show on the road.

Glenn and Carina decided to see each other before the ceremony, so they met at this cute little cottage.

The dress stayed under wraps under this amazing cape, so there was still a nice surprise at the ceremony.

We went up Mt Robert, and although there wasn't any snow, it was still a pretty awesome spot.

I like signs.  I like them a lot.

Down by the lake.

This was Paul's capture.  I love the reflections of the trees in the glass, and seeing the nervous wait going on inside the chapel.   

As Glenn sees his bride walking towards him.  Win.

The vows nearly made me cry.  They were so lovely and heartfelt.

This photo is a major win.  Awesomeness.

And they're married!  This was Paul's view of the group shot.

Then back down to the lake for some more photos. Gosh I do love this spot.

Some of the best shots are of what goes on right before or right after a posed shot.

I've fallen in love with Lake Rotoiti.  I was told that there were sand flies, but they seemed to leave me alone.  Clearly they knew not to mess with me!

More beautiful detail on Carina's dress.

This bridge was Glenn and Carina's idea as well.  I love it!

Looking smooth Glenn!

Then onto the Lodge for the reception.  Everything was absolutely perfect.  Stunning even.

I love the emotion in these shots.

Thanks guys for inviting us into your spectacular Winter Wonderland Wedding.  You're a very special couple, and we wish you huge amounts of happiness for the rest of your lives together.  Enjoy your honeymoon!

Even more photos on facebook!

Vendor Shoutout:

Hair: Chrissy, Urban Hair

Makeup: Grace

Gown: Bernadette Thomas

Flowers: Nina - Pink Poppie

Reception and Catering: Alpine Lodge

Cake: Chocolate Velvet

He giggles. 

"No one has done that to me since school!" she laughs.  I assured her that that's how boys show girls they like them.

To say that Mark and Lisa suit each other would be a tragic understatement.  They belong together, pure and simple. 

Mark makes Lisa laugh, Lisa makes Mark spend 2 hours getting their photos taken.  I don't know where the time went, it flew past so quick, so at least I know that I was having fun! 

Oh yes, this amazing-as-anything location?  Provided by Deirdre from Locks and Lashes.  Not only did she make Lisa look like a Hollywood film star, but she let us use her AMAZING property for the shoot!  Thanks Deirdre!

Add in a little bit of lovin'...

A bucket load of laughs...

And I think we've found the perfect combination!

Stunning, hu?!

And Mark scrubbed up pretty well too!

I love the way Mark looks at Lisa.

And the way he makes her laugh.

Often kisses don't look all that gorgeous close up like this, but what do you know?  Lovely!

Loving this location!

Mark and Lisa - thanks for today! I can't even tell you how excited I am that we're photographing your wedding!  It's going to be such a fun day!  For those facebookers, there's more pics over here.

Josh and Fiona are totally in love with this little guy, and who can blame them?  Look at him!

He didn't want to do much sleeping for us - but that didn't matter, it was lovely to see his eyes.

Clearly he was having sleepy thoughts though.

Such teeny tiny toes!

Congratulations Josh and Fiona - he is absolutely scrumptious. 

Look at her, she makes me smile all the time. How could you not?

Sophie is 3 now, and I think she enjoyed Charlotte's presents more than Charlotte! 

Poking dolly's eyes.  It's what you do when you're a toddler. 

It's mostly about the wrapping paper.

And the ribbon.

See Sophie?  It's RIBBON!!

Happy Birthday baby girl!  You brighten every single day. 

I first met Melissa and Kaiser a few months back.  Since then Melissa asked me to come and photograph her lovely family at her Grandad's house, as he hasn't been very well, and so I was able to capture some memories for them.

Check out Kaiser's cute-as-anything smile. 

I love this one, I love it a lot.

Becky and Melissa having a laugh with Mum.

Melissa had baked the most scrumptious afternoon tea, she's a girl of many talents I tell you! 

Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your lovely family!  May you create many more happy memories together!

But when you've got great genes like this, why wouldn't you have lots of beautiful babies?

See?  Look at them!  Fabulous!

This is Amelie.  She's the newest addition.  Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?

Anika.  This little girl just melts your heart. 

Malachi, doing boy stuff which always should include sticks, dirt and a river.

Elias totally knows how to turn on the charm.

Micah, goes with the set of beautiful girls.

And Levi, the big brother that seems to have suddenly grown up.

I simply can't help adding this photo.  I love it for so many reasons.  Not the least of which is the milky spill running down Dot's side.

Such cuteness. 

Sometimes fat cheeks need to be kissed.  A lot.  That's the price you pay when you are so loved.

Near the end of the family shoot Anika had a serious bout of disappointment at the thought of going home for a nap. I spotted Al comforting her, I don't think he even knew I was clicking away.

Thanks to Grandma looking after the short people, I was able to steal Dot and Al away for a bit of a play.

If Dot wasn't such a nice friend, I would totally begrudge her looking so darn amazing after having six kids.  It's just not normal.

We have the most massive series of jump photos - but this has to be my favourite.  Totally their idea.  Kissing in midair, not for the fainthearted, or for couples with braces.

Thanks for an awesomely fun day guys.  Your family is an absolute testament to your great parenting.  Can't wait for your next visit so we can do it again! 

Adam and Amanda remind me a lot of us when we were young.  Sweet and young.  They're living in separate cities and looking forward to getting married at the end of the year when they will start their lives together. 

They're so cute together, it makes me want to dance a little jig.  But naturally, I won't, as it wouldn't be pretty.

We took a walk up the Wither Hills, where they had their first 'date'. 

Such an awesome spot!

Beautifulness.  A lot of beautifulness.

The view from the lookout, just as the sun was setting.  I really doubt that there's a prettier place one could live.

Cute!

What a fantastic time we had.  I was so pleased to be able to capture you guys together.  I can't WAIT for the wedding!

IN OTHER NEWS:

A massive thanks to Celeste from the Blenheim Sun Newspaper for doing such a lovely article on us!  For those of you who don't live in Blenheim, you can see the article here: http://www.blenheimsun.co.nz/  It's on page 10.

Here is the picture that went with it.  This is us.

Heather and James had everything beautifully planned, so the day flowed with minimal fuss or stress.  Heather was as beautiful as I had imagined, and James was beaming from the very start of the day, to the moment we bidded them farewell. 

I adore Heather, she's sweet and relaxed and she looks like she's just stepped out of a bridal magazine.

Bring on the bling on the shoes!  (say that five times, go on, try it)

Paul had started his wedding coverage with the boys.  I love the special moments between a Groom and his Mum.

The entire day was held at Montana, which was an absolutely inspired idea.  No one had to worry about what the weather was going to do, as we were all going to be staying warm and dry regardless.

Love the nervous wait.

Hello there beautiful moment!  Love it, I love it a lot.

And another one.  This is just as Dad presents James with his new wife.  Beautiful.

And she just beams.

Guests at weddings = lovely.

And then they were man and wife!  Congratulations guys!

This was the weather I was talking about.  Could it be more perfect?  I really don't think so!

Back inside Montana.

The flowers were just fantastic! I love the combination of soft colours and succulents.

It's always fun to watch people reacting to speeches. 

Those flowers on the top of the cake are icing.  Aha.  Really.  I could hardly believe it either!  I almost wanted to taste them just to be sure, but I'm pretty sure that would not have been a good look.

Montana by night.  As usual, Paul rocked the night shot.

Thanks Heather and James for inviting us into your most precious day.  It was such a privilege to capture it for you!

Yesterday we went to the park so we could get some fun and relaxed photos of them together before the wedding.  This was the time to let out the butterflies bottling up inside, and for them to be able to learn to truly relax in front of the camera.

It didn't take them long!

James works in construction, and is really the strong dependable type.

And she just adores him!

I LOVE that they are having a midwinter wedding!  What a fantastic idea!  They've planned everything absolutely perfectly, so regardless of what the weather may throw at us, it's all sorted.  We're going to be warm, and dry, and have a wonderful time.

Ah, you know it has to be done.  The legs shot.

Can you believe for one second that Heather thinks she's unphotogenic?  Like, seriously.  I simply can not WAIT to see how gorgeous she's going to look tomorrow!

Heather and James, you two are perfect for each other!  You're both such fun and relaxed people, I can't wait to see you get married.  It's going to be such fun tomorrow!

What was that old saying....?  First comes LOVE then comes MARRIAGE..... now we're just waiting for the baby carriage!

Fiona looked as spectacular and radiant as she always does.  And the bump is just perfect!

It's been an absolute privilege to be part of this whole process, watching this amazing little family blossom.  I think if I can space these pregnancy and baby shoots often enough, I might just get enough of a 'fix' to get by without having more babies myself.  Maybe. 

Josh is still as sweet and caring as ever.

One thing I really love about this final month of a pregnancy is the expectant waiting.  To be honest, it's the one thing I hate about the final month too....the loooong wait.  But just imagining meeting this little darling for the first time, and all the plans you have for him or her.  It's probably the most miraculous time of anyone's life. 

Fiona, you look breathtaking.  Enjoy these final weeks with your little one.  I can't wait for the next chapter, see you soon!

It's been pretty quiet 'round these parts lately.  The blog I mean.  But life itself has still been quite busy.  Kind of a different sort of busy, and I'm not sure I like it as well.  My Mum has been pretty sick, and so last weekend I went out and spent the weekend with her at my sister's place.  It was great to just hang out, her and me.

There were a couple of stray nieces floating around while I was out there and I've been meaning to photograph them for the longest time, so I seized the opportunity while I was out. 

"Let ya crazy old Aunty take some pictures girls."  They didn't seem to mind.

This is Anneliese.  You can't get a bad picture of her.  You just can't.

This is Tessa.  When I was her age I had a spiral perm, don't mock, it was all the rage.  I looked like, well, I don't know what really, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that flash.  Tessa's hair is naturally curly, and what I wouldn't do for hair like that!

This is Tracey.  She's not related to me in any way.  She's Anneliese's friend, and also quite gorgeous!

I remember being young.  In fact, I often still think I'm a teenager, and then I catch a reflection of some old chick looking back at me in the shop window.  Ah, yeah.  It's just life.  You can't be young forever. 

I'd be here all day if I uploaded all of the cool jumping shots.  I love them.

I love this too.  Often it's the shots between the shots that come out really great.

Gorgeous sisters!

We had to go into a paddock to get these shots with the hay.  I wasn't too sure about a cow who was looking at me, kind of mad like.  I was quite pleased not to be attacked by that cow, even though they assured me it was harmless.  How was I to know for sure?

Thanks girls - that was fun!

Thanks Nic, I love it!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I wasn't the typical girl that lived next door and had her wedding day all planned out since the age of 5 or so, I was more of a tom boy who loved riding my bike & playing sport.  The whole idea of marriage didn't really grab me too much, possibly as I hadn't met Phill yet. (ohhh that will earn me a few brownie points for sure) & after meeting Phill obviously all that changed.  Phill was also into his bike riding and skiing etc so lots of sport as well, so a match made in heaven.  He's originally from Christchurch and this is where the majority of his family is from and I grew up in Wellington, although my extended family is all in the UK.

How did you guys meet?  Who liked who first?

I'd just come back from 3˝ years in the UK, and starting working at a company where Phill was already working.  I never really believed in love at first sight, although you see it in the movies quite a bit, I never really believed that it could truly happen to people ... That was until I met Phill.  It was an instant attraction and I knew then that I had to get his attention, so I followed him around like a little lost puppy always interested in what he was doing and always wanting to be a part of it... I don't think he was that keen to start with.  He thought of me as a party girl, although I only went out as I thought he was a party boy... the things we do for love... ha-ha completely different people now that we are honest.

How did he propose?

Even to this day I can't believe I didn't suspect a thing, even though all the signs were there.  He was crafty though and proposed on our anniversary, so the delivery of a dozen long stem red roses to work, didn't ring any bells, I just thought what a hunny, he is good like that, lots of love and attention. Then there was the secretive dinner date, and at one of the most iconic restaurants in Wellington, Logan Brown.  He was so romantic and booked the mezzanine floor table overlooking the other diners.  It was fabulous (still didn't have any idea why I was being spoilt so much but I was enjoying it), I didn't ask why, when he said you can order anything on the menu even champagne - you'd think then I would have clicked - but no still none the wiser just loving the attention!  We had entrees and then the main (& a few more glasses of wine, I think he needed a bit of Dutch courage)... then, "Nic there's another reason why I brought you here..." OMG you could have heard my heart break, I thought he's going to end it, I've done something wrong and he's brought me to a flash restaurant so I don't make a scene (just like in the movies... I think I watch too much TV!) but then when I turned around (I was people watching over the balcony - some people are so funny to watch) he was down on one knee asking me to marry him... I couldn't believe it, I didn't know if it was a joke & he was just being silly, I kept saying OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, are you serious? Is this for real? Are you sure??? Then I saw he had a ring so it must be for real, I was like, "Oh my god yes yes yes of course I'll marry you!" After all the excitement had calmed down (well maybe not the excitement just the volume of my voice - I'm sure the whole restaurant heard us) well the staff certainly did as they brought us some more wine and a desert we'd not ordered with congratulations written in chocolate sauce - dead romantic if you ask me!!!!

What did you find the most stressful part of planning your wedding?  And what would you suggest engaged couples do to minimise that stress?

Ha-ha funny question, well not really but I think you have to just accept it is a very stressful time, and even more stressful when you have split families who have different opinions.

I think it was hard for us as I have a small family in NZ and lived in Wellington and Phill's family is from Christchurch so we wanted somewhere sort of in the middle.  Someone recommended Blenheim to us, and the first time we went there I couldn't really understand why.  But then I think it was our 2nd time and we went for a ticky-tour around Blenheim and found Raupo café by the River and then went round the vineyards and found the ultimate location...  Drylands!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could picture it now, how I would walk up the aisle by the big trees in front to say our vows, where the guests would be sitting, the sun setting, it was magical... As soon as we met Dietmar, it was brilliant, he gave us coffee (trust me when I say I'm easily swayed or impressed with coffee) sat us down, took some details and it was all very relaxed and friendly in the most amazing setting.   He later e-mailed through a quote based on our guess of numbers and we couldn't believe it was well within budget.  Phill needed a bit more convincing and I think a bit of peer pressure from my family certainly helped, well it helped me as we booked it shortly after our engagement party. Yah my dream place (saying that I'd only seen it once). So it was full steam ahead after that. 

What was the best part of your wedding day?

I think my wedding day started a few days before.  We'd arrived in Blenheim and stayed at The Palms hotel and the lady who owned/ran the place was an amazing hostess, and looked after us well (unfortunately I can't remember her name).  We arrived on Wednesday and the sun was shining so I was sitting out baking (trying to even up my already uneven tan) sipping bubbles and feeling totally relaxed (trust me when I say probably the first time in 11 or so months) so it was total bliss.  Thursday, family and friends started to arrive and the weather turned on us, not so bad but threatening to be nasty on the Saturday of our wedding.  We all had our fingers & toes crossed. My parents & family were staying in the hotel across the road, the Bella Vista and by Friday most of the guests had arrived. The Bella Vista had an apartment style type of place and my parents stayed here.  They put on a BBQ for the friends and family, it was supposed to be an informal, "if you're not doing anything pop in for a small bite to eat" kind of event, but everyone came and it was a full on evening lots of fun had by all, but a pretty late night, and messy for a few that decided to pay a visit to Blenheim nightlife.  It was so lovely my step dad even had to pop out to the shops to get more food.  Mum had prepared all the meat at home herself and they brought it over in a chilly bin so it was lovely and fresh!  My mum & sister also had me wearing a bright pink veil and sash and big badges for the wedding party.

I think the best part was seeing all our hard work come together and we had an amazing day, everyone was saying it was the best wedding they'd been to in ages, so it was nice to know all the stressing/planning & organizing had paid off.  But to be honest I think the best part was knowing that I was married to the man of my dreams and hearing him say for the 1st time, "Hello Mrs Shaw" and that he was talking to me.  Everything seemed to come together right, which was down to months and months of planning, Phill thinks I was too organized but I don't believe that for a moment, I wouldn't have got the spectacular day that I had if it wasn't organized to the minute... maybe not that bad but not far wrong.  On the actual 'DAY', the ladies (sounds posh) (3 bridesmaids, 1 mummy & 1 mum in law to be) getting pampered at the most amazing hair salon I've ever seen, Arthur Devine.  Then being told the big chief himself was doing MY hair, I couldn't believe it... I certainly felt like the bees knees.  Then getting phone calls from my girlfriend in the UK and being banned from the phone because I couldn't stop crying (happy tears) and my make-up kept running and having to be re-done

Have you got any sage advice for creating a beautiful day?

Plan... that's the only thing I can suggest, do your research and book your team of helpers (venue, photographer, celebrant, flowers, hair & makeup, etc) well in advance as you could be disappointed if you miss out.  It's your special day so make the most of it.  People often said to us the 3 things you can't scrimp on are, food, photographer and entertainment so they were the 3 main areas that we focused on and we weren't disappointed.  It was hard work, working full time & planning a wedding remotely but knowing what we wanted and researching where we could get it from, meant our perfect day was made up of helpers from Christchurch, Blenheim & Wellington but it was well worth it.

Anything new and exciting happening in your life since the wedding?

We now live in London, catching up with the English side of the family and enjoying Europe.

Phill and I highly recommend the following:

Drylands - Ultimate wedding venue
Arthur Devine - hair and make up
Jess & Paul - Photographers
Raupo Café - pre-wedding drinks or morning after wedding catch up
Jenny Andrews - Celebrant
The Noodles - band from Wellington
The Cupcake Parlour - wedding cupcakes & main cake from Christchurch.