"Mummy, can we keep him?"  It's all about family with Natalie, so when she finally let Max meet Sean, his reaction couldn't have been better.  And keep him they did.  So next month they're getting married.  On a boat.  And we're going to be there!

You know those stories where boy sees girl across a crowded room, and birds sing and love starts?  Well the first time they met was nothing like that.  Natalie, an events manager, was sent to settle a rowdy table down at a function one evening.  Sean was on that table and didn't settle nearly enough for Natalie's liking.  Not quite love at first sight.  It wasn't until they met again months later that a friendship formed.  It just goes to show, you just never know who's around the corner.  Always wear your prettiest smile, even if you have to call security.

Ya just gotta watch those waves!

If I had a dollar for every man that doesn't like having his photo taken, I'd be able to buy myself coffee.  In France.  While on an around the world trip.  First class.  Approximately 89.2% of guys are just not into getting their picture taken.  But it's just one more step along the way to get the girl.  And actually, when you just run with it, it's actually kinda fun! 

Beautifulness!

One day these window panes are going to finally fall off, and I, for one, will be very sad when they do!

This is Natalie's come hither look.  She's got it down!

Sean's a great guy.  He set up the proposal with young Max, 'finding' the ring on the side of the road he then turned to Natalie to ask her to marry him.  I love how it's all about family.

Thanks so much, Sean and Natalie, for the fun.  Thanks Sean for going along with it, and Natalie for laughing at my jokes!  See you in a few weeks.  It's going to be GREAT!

Jess was 16, only just old enough to do the course.  Clint was 17, and had no idea that he was about to do the course.  Little did either of them know that they were about to meet the one they were going to marry over a decade later.

As the Outward Bound website says, "Over the 21 day adventure you will develop friendships that will last a lifetime."  Man, they weren't kidding!

Now, 9 years on, they're engaged to be married and they wanted to come back here for photos, where their friendship started.

As we were taking photos on the jetty, the newest group of Outward Bounders came past.  Ready to be pushed into the water in their kayaks, and then no doubt off for some adventure.  They were all smiling, seemingly oblivious to the cold. 

Doing their best 'mean' face.

'Mean' didn't last more than a split second, without any coaxing, out came the cute smiles again.

Then onto the ropes course.  This place is amazing, frightening, but amazing.  See those two platforms at the top of the ladder, way up in the trees there?  Well, you're supposed to jump between them.  Backwards.  Without looking.  Sure, you've got safety harnesses on and stuff, but I think I would still cry.  I'm such a sissy.

Jess and Clint are not sissys though.  Not even a little bit.  Nothing was too much trouble for them!  When it started to rain, ah well, they didn't mind.  "We're not made of sugar!" Jess says.  Awesome!

Sadly (well for me anyway), Jess and Clint are getting married way up in the North Island, and so we won't be photographing their wedding.  We are simply a small link in the chain. 

We had SUCH fun, so many laughs along the way. 

Cute. 

After all of the stories Jess and Clint shared about their Outward Bound adventure, I thought they would not be keen to ever do it again.  To me it all sounded like hard work.  Nights alone in the bush, days on end in a little boat heading out towards the sea and  high scary ropes courses.  But amazingly they said they'd happily do it all over again!  Apparently all of those adventures taught them that they really can do whatever they put their mind to.  That even though something seems scary, it doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a good go.  By the end of our time together I was almost convinced that I should do a course too.  Almost...

 

Jess and Clint, thank you so much for travelling all the way down here to do this session with us.  It was such a fun time, and we absolutely loved hearing all about your adventures and getting to know you both.  You're an absolutely wonderful couple and we wish you all the very best!

The car turned up to Kat's house and a chauffer hopped out and asked her to come with him.  Kat knew Josh was behind all of this but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead the chauffer had the start of a series of clues for her to follow.  All over Christchurch they followed the clues, restaurants and bars and places Kat and Josh had shared together.  Eventually, the clues led her to Josh, where he got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

She said yes.

***CUE GIRLY GUSH***

Josh was keen to have their E Session in the barrel hall at the gorgeous Wither Hills Winery.  The mood down there is just amazing.

Fabulous doesn't even begin to describe Kat.  We were only minutes into our E Session when I asked if she had done ballet.  I can usually tell because it shows.  Just the way she holds herself, stands and in pretty much everything she does - it comes through.  Perfection!

It made me feel better about our four daughters who do ballet.  I've been a ballet Mum for eleven years now.  Someday, some photographer, somewhere, is going to thank me.

 

Josh taught me a little more about wine.  I'm not terribly well educated when it comes to wine, but Josh is.  He's both a winemaker and teaches people about it.  I was thrilled to discover that the old open bottle of red in the cupboard, that I use for cooking, is perfectly fine to keep for several months.  Ya see, small things make me happy. 

One of the things I love the most about Josh and Kat is their chemistry. Every now and then we come across a couple that look like they were made for each other. They are so comfortable together, they simply belong.

Shoes to die for.  Apparently they come in all sorts of colours, and I'm OH so tempted to go hunt them down and buy some for my very own self.  Well, for my cupboard.

Then off outside, and things got even more gorgeous.

You're so fierce Kat, I love it!

Kat and Josh, what a great time we had with you both.  Thanks so much for making the time to come over here and do our E Session.  Your wedding is going to be one out of the box.  I just know it.

It took three months for Chris to woo Claire after they were introduced by a mutual friend.  Ah, you just gotta love a matchmaker!  Three months of trying his very hardest to show her his mad cooking skills, and she was sold.  Stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon, so I was told.  (I do have to wonder why I remember so clearly the conversations discussing food...) 

Anyway, I digress.  Have a look at this.  You can see why he wanted to woo her, can't you?  She's stunning.

"Have you seen the park down Orchard Lane?"   I emailed Claire when we were deciding where to do their E Session, I knew it had been full of gorgeous blossoms.  The reply came back that not only had she seen the park, but she was even thinking of that spot herself.  Turns out it's actually named after Chris's Dad!  That was enough for me, McKendry Park it was!  I can't say I've ever shot in a public place actually named after a clients Dad.  Super coolness points right there!

Chris's Dad used to be the Mayor of Blenheim, three terms in a row, in fact.  He worked to create this park as a reserve for the whole community to enjoy.  I, for one, am hugely grateful for the plums in summer and the walnuts in Autumn.  What a wonderful treasure for us!

 

Gorgeous Claire!

This is Ben.  Cutest dog.  But not just cute, he's really obedient.  Must have good parents!

This is Riley, Chris's daughter who joined us for the session.  She's pretty cute too!

Claire and Chris seemed to think I would struggle to get good photos of them, that they are particularly difficult models - well I guess I showed them! 

This is exactly why I recommend everyone gets an E Session done before their wedding.  Everyone thinks they're unphotogenic, everyone seems to think they're particularly special in that way.  If I can just show someone how to relax in front of the camera, the rest is a piece of cake.  (cake.  I like cake.)  If you all just see how gorgeous you really are, you'll look forward to your wedding day photos that much more, without the dread.  It's pretty much a walk in the park.

Me and my new 85mm 1.2L lens have made good friends.  Really good friends.  I like it a lot. 

Chris and Claire (and Riley and Ben!)  Thanks so much for our 'walk in the park', you guys are truly fabulous!  I can't wait for the wedding!  And, by the way, after our session I went home and made stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon...

Paul and Rachel met at a party.  They spent some time chatting, and Paul knew pretty quickly that Rachel was worth pursuing.  A little bit of clever investigation on Facebook the next day and Paul tracked her down.  It took one month of emailing back and forth, the letters getting longer and longer, before they finally met again.  This time Rachel discovered what Paul had known all along.  They were meant to be.

They wasted no time becoming best friends, and before long a proposal was sprung upon Rachel, because, well, when you know you just KNOW.  So in a few months we have the huge privilege of photographing their wedding for them. 

Paul is the perfect gentleman.  Constantly looking out for Rachel, making sure she's warm and comfortable.  She's one very lucky girl!

It was pouring down with rain. Teeming, in fact. And as I was driving towards Locks and Lashes I was praying hard. I like the rain, but shooting in pouring rain is less than ideal, and I was really hoping for a bit of fine weather to play with. I can't control the weather, but I know someone who can. I didn't know why He would, but I thought it was worth asking anyway.

So our engagement session was held inside Deirdre's very awesome barn.  Lots of mood to work with.  Meanwhile the rain continued to pour.  Knowing Deirdre's place so well now, I was a little disappointed that we wouldn't be using outside.  Little did I know that things were going to clear.  Just long enough to get the shots we wanted.

That lovely scarf (or shrug?  shawl?) was a gift to Rachel from a random person at a garage sale.  Extremely old and found in their attic, they noticed how beautifully it suited Rachel and insisted that she take it with her.  A testament of both the kindness of strangers, and how HOT she looks in it!

Paul thinks she looks hot too.  No doubt about that!

Then the sun burst out.  Not just dull overcast not raining-ness, but gorgeous light.  Beautiful, sublime, amazing light. 

I could hardly believe how awesome it was to get the rain, which pushed us inside the cool barn, and then THIS which meant we had the best of both worlds!

Paul secretly photographed Rachel's jewellery and took it to a jeweller for inspiration, and together they designed this amazing engagement ring, all without Rachel knowing a thing!

They absolutely knew how it was done.  Complete and utter naturals, both with each other, and in front of the camera.

Leaving Locks and Lashes late in the afternoon, and just before the rain began to fall again, we stopped to get a few quick shots before parting ways.

Hello fairy-tale shot!

Paul and Rachel, thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing us!  I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had with you both!  It's made me look forward to the fantastic day you have planned for your wedding even more!  See you soon!

They met at a U2 concert, and it wasn't long before the meeting became a friendship, and the friendship became love and now the love has grown into an engagement which will next Summer turn into a marriage! 

Gene and Kerryn are brimming with fun and life and a whole bunch of love for each other.  This makes my job OH so easy.  They laugh at each other, they laugh at me (with me?  at me?), they laugh at the silly black cat that followed us around Brayshaw Park for our entire shoot.

Brayshaw Park is a great place to go for the not-your-usual kind of areas.  This is Gene's please let me out face.

Kerryn is going to be a stunning bride, that much I know.

Kerryn and Gene's journey together has been full of adventure, living in Europe and now spending time in New York, there's never a dull moment! 

These guys are seriously cute together.  They told me that they weren't comfortable in front of the camera, although after about two minutes flat they were busy posing away like there was no tomorrow.

This shot on the left is Gene's 'come hither' look.  It made Kerryn laugh.  A lot. 

This was Gene's first time in beautiful scenic Marlborough.  So where do I pose them?  In front of the toilets.  Because I'm odd, and because it was on the way back to the car.  But mostly because I'm odd.

Gene and Kerryn it was my great pleasure to meet and get to know you both a little bit.  Thanks for the fun time, and all of the laughs.  You guys are a great couple, and I can't WAIT for January!

She adores him.  It's all over her face.  And he feels the same.  That's really all I needed to know.  When two people like each other this much you just can't help but get good shots.

We met for the first time on Friday, the day before their wedding.  Neither Mark nor Tania live in Blenheim, and so we planned their engagement/prewedding shoot when they arrived here right before their wedding.  It gave us a good chance to get to know each other, and scout out some great spots and ideas for their wedding photos the next day.  And we laughed.  A lot.  Because they're both cute and funny!

Don't ask me why I love this shot so much.  I just do.

Tania and Mark are super easy to work with.  They're so comfortable together, and naturals in front of the camera.

I asked them to look at each other seriously.  Turns out it's not all that easy to do.

Tania just smiled and smiled and smiled.  She knew that tomorrow she would marry her darling.  And I can assure you, she didn't stop smiling during the entire wedding day either!

So this is just a little preview to the wedding blog that's coming REALLY SOON!  Watch this space!