Some people are created to make beautiful little people.  Anna and Hamish are clearly among them.

Meet Arthur.  At only five months old, Arthur blows the cuteness scale right out of the water.

But that's not all.  They also have Alice.

Alice is two and adores her little brother almost as much as she likes having her photo taken.

Alice's Dad Hamish doesn't like having his photo taken, like most blokes, but he handled himself splendidly.

I'm not that great at making boys.  After six tries, I only have one.  So I wouldn't mind keeping this one for myself.  Seems only fair.

And while we're at it, you can't take one without the other.  I have plenty of girls for Alice to play with.  So Anna, the offer is there.

Tomorrow is Frith and Jeff's wedding and Anna will be the bridesmaid. I can hardly STAND the wait. Seriously, the combination of awesome stuff planned for tomorrow is making me just a little bit giddy.

And then, just like that, it was over...

Ainsley first spotted Jared when he arrived as the relieving teacher at her school.  A teacher herself, she quite liked the look of him and it didn't take long for her to send a spy to check his availability.  Success!  The PE teacher was single!  But not for long...

Five years later and they're engaged to be married.  And neither of them could be happier.

We had our Engagement shoot yesterday on Ainsley's parent's farm.  It has got to be the most picturesque farm I have ever seen.  As soon as I drove up the driveway, I knew I was going to be in heaven! *another photographer happydance!*

When Ainsley's Grandad came back from the war, he was granted a whole bunch of land.  This land has been in the family ever since.  Her Dad has spent his whole life living there and one day Ainsley and Jared hope to see their little ones running around on the stunning fields.  What an amazing heritage.

Excuse me Autumn, but I LOVE YOU!

Never work with children or animals, they say.  So to make it work sometimes you just have to get on their level!

And while we're lying on the ground anyway....

Often I like the 'outtakes' even more than the posed photo!

These are the Pinot grapes that Ainsley and her sister worked hard on during their teenage years.  I guess it would have been kind of like when my Dad would make me stack the wood.  Except way yummier.

Hands up, who thinks Ainsley is going to make a GORGEOUS bride?

This is Finella, Ainsley's niece.  She is going to be a flower girl.  She's really quite cute. 

Jared and Ainsley, I hope you love these images as much as I loved taking them.  I couldn't possibly be more in awe of the work that you guys do with kids.  I think teachers totally rock!  Bring on January, when we can take more pictures that will make the kids in your classes go "OOooooooooooo!"

Sean and Adrienne met while studying in Christchurch.  Adrienne was the first to fall, although Sean assures me he wasn't far behind.  Since those early days they've travelled the world and settled down in Germany.  Germany!  Major coolness point for anyone who lives in Germany.

Adrienne is a Blenheim girl, and so they've come home to get married. This Saturday, in fact. Like a lot of our couples who aren't local, I did their engagement shoot a few days before the wedding. A brilliant warm up for the real thing.

Living in Germany, and being pretty well landlocked, they were really quite keen to get some photos on the beach.

The light was absolutely to die for!

Adrienne and Sean have such a fun and natural chemistry, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be shooting them on Saturday!

And then, on the way back from the beach, we stopped at Marshlands where the light was equally awesome.

Adrienne, you are absolutely STUNNING!

I love this place!

I can't WAIT for Saturday!  It's gonna be great!

In other news: While we were in Christchurch for Doug and Heather's wedding, we finally took the plunge and picked up another car. It's shiny and gold and has a button on the keys to remotely lock it. Don't mock, I've been wanting one of those buttons FOREVER! It's the little things people, the little things! So now our car is respectable enough to take our couples in...YAY!

Leanne makes beautiful things. 

Her most beautiful creation so far is Kobe.

When we first met Kobe he was a brand new squishy newborn.  It's hard to believe it's been six months.  But it has, and my my what a cute little man he is becoming!

But as yummy as this baby is, this post is not actually about him. 

Or Aaron, for that matter, as nice as he is.

It's not about Kobe's cute-as-anything smile.

Or his puzzled and slightly grouchy face at the crazy woman with the camera making the strangest animal noises you ever did hear.

It's not about how cute he is when he cries.

No, this post is about Leanne.  Leanne who makes beautiful things.

Leanne runs Vanilla Hayes, and she makes this:

and has ideas like this:

So, when I started feeling overwhelmed with life recently and started stripping back all nonessential activities, I began rethinking the way we do our Queensberry Albums.  I'm all for delegating if someone can do the job better, prettier and faster than I can.  So we proceeded to woo her one evening with chocolate and treats, and pitched the idea that she might want to become our design department.  We didn't have to try too hard, she was in!

The following week she brought us homemade muffins (one for each member of our very large family!) and we were truly wooed in return.

So we now excitedly announce that Leanne, from Vanilla Hayes, who makes beautiful things, will now be designing our Queensberry Albums.  When she agreed to do it for us, I felt a HUGE weight go off my shoulders.  I don't even mind saying that I DID dance a little jig.  So when you order your Queensberry Album from us, it is Leanne who will be sharing her amazing talent with you.  For this I am extremely grateful. 

She will continue creating invitations, seating plans and all thing wonderful for your wedding, baby shower or party, so if you're wanting something custom made for you, don't waste anymore time.  Drop her an email!  Go and like her facebook site too.  Share the love.

Ok, so let's be honest.  This post was kinda about Kobe too?.. and why not.  Just LOOK at him!

I'm so spoiled, you know.  I didn't realise this planet could grow so many lovely people, and that so many of them would find themselves hiring me as their photographer.  Next weekend Paul and Emma get married, and they belong to the group of lovely people I speak of. 

This is Phoenix and Finlay.  I told them to sit nice and close, and even cuddle.  This is exactly the reaction I was expecting.  boy GERMS!

Phoenix belongs to Emma.  I have no idea how she stays looking this young.  I even asked her about her skincare regime.  For real.

Finlay belongs to Paul.  Some seriously amazing genes going on there.

I offered to take them home with me, maybe I could keep them?  But they seemed happy to stay in their own family.  Ah well. 

Look at them.  Just look at how beautiful they are.  As someone on facebook said - it looks like I picked them out of catalogue.

Emma is a preschool teacher.  It takes a special kind of person to do a job like that.

I don't really need to point out how pretty this wedding is going to be, do I?

This is Ayla, Emma's doggie.  She didn't want to be left out.

I was a little worried about the weather, I really should just learn to let it go.  Couldn't have been better.

Beautiful, beautiful people.

Emma and Paul are getting married on the beach.  Oh yeah!!

Paul and Emma - I can't wait for next weekend.  It's going to be beyond gorgeous.  See you soon!

She rather fancied him when they first met at the ripe old age of 19.  When Frith was 20 she declared she would marry Jeff one day.  Fast forward several years and they meet up again, this time the attraction was mutual and a lifelong relationship blossomed.

Who knows why it took them so many years to fall in love, looking at them now, they're just perfect for each other!

The Malthouse!  Oh how I love the Malthouse!  I also love the fact that it's here in New Zealand.  If it were in Australia (where Frith and Jeff currently live) I would absolutely not be as happy to go poking among the cobwebs.

Frith is a Nanny and has cared for about 100 children in her time!  How's that for amazing?  Makes my effort with my six look a bit meh.

Jeff and Frith are such a gorgeous couple, I can't WAIT for the wedding.

Jeff is a builder and assured me that we were not going to fall through the floor.  I was grateful for this knowledge, as at one point, I was wondering...

Yep, that's an outhouse behind them.

Getting all dangerous.  Frith and Jeff are a super fun couple.

How's this for Oh-My-Goodness bling?!

A brief stroll in the rain, throw in a gorgeous yellow field and a bit of love, and all is well with the world.

It was the greatest pleasure to meet you both yesterday Jeff and Frith.  I had such fun with you both!  Bring on April!

I met them for the first time last night, but within minutes I was sure we had been friends forever.  Kris and Michelle are fabulous on the outside, sure, but what matters to me more is how lovely they are on the inside.  We chatted effortlessly all the way out to my favourite new spot, well, first we got ever-so-slightly detoured by my rubbish sense of direction, and THEN we got to my new favourite spot.

I would like to blame something, or someone for me taking the wrong turn initially, but sadly I should have known better, because I took the same wrong turn last time too.  Now I'm scared that the wrong turn has been hard wired into my brain.

I had planned for lovely evening light, but what we were blessed with was dramatic clouds and the threat of rain at any moment.  Give me drama over blue skies any ol' day.

Kris and Michelle have been through a lot lately.  Kris is a miner, and was actually inside the Pike River Coal Mine only hours before that explosion that killed 29 miners in November.  Michelle also works for Pike River and had the harrowing job of dealing with the families of those lost underground. 

These guys are truly inspirational, and seem to be coming out the other side of this tragedy with what I'm sure is an inner strength, and even more importantly, each other.

On a scale of one to ten of how much she loves to be photographed, Michelle gave herself a one when we first started.  By the time we were finished she was claiming she had now become a nine!  Woohoo!  Another convert!  You look gorgeous Michelle, no more hiding from cameras!

I love this old building.  I want to take it home and love it for the rest of its days.  I love the burnt out bits, the falling down walls, the fact that it has no roof at all, and that it has trees growing inside it. 

Michelle and Kris loved it too, which made me love it even more.

Gorgeousness.

The energy that Kris and Michelle had was amazing.  Keen to try just about anything, and totally in love with each other.  My kind of couple!

On the way home we stopped at the blue wall.  Kris had some mad jumping skills.

Kris and Michelle, we're so grateful that you chose us as your photographers, thank you.  I can't wait for your wedding!!