On the Day:
Ryan and Lucas came down from Auckland together with their nearest and dearest family members. The couple rented two amazing Airbnbs for their guests, one overlooking Lake Hayes, which was perfect to shoot getting-ready photos with Ryan’s family. Unfortunately, Lucas’ family couldn’t fly in from Brazil, however, he’s very close with Ryan’s mum which was lovely. Ryan’s sister gave him a traditional Maori necklace and his mom attached both of their boutonnieres.
It was a beautiful summery day, and after getting ready, we drove to the second Airbnb where the rest of the guests were staying, right at Lake Hayes lakefront. We had the ceremony on the lawn overlooking the beautiful lake, with flowers lining the aisle and Ryan’s niece as the flower girl. During the ceremony, Philippa Thomas tied a Korowai/ Kahu Huruhuru (traditional Maori cape) to both of them, celebrating the rich indigenous culture of New Zealand. It was such a lovely time, and they had Ryan’s sister and Lucas’ friend do a reading after the couple said their vows. The guests showered them with flowers after the ceremony, and before driving to the airport, we took some family photos.
Landing on Cecil Peak, we took the most amazing golden hour photos. It was such a heartwarming photoshoot, with the golden sun shining over the couple, smiling and having the time of their lives. When we went back to the lakefront house, the boys said their speeches, took shots of tequila and some of the guests even positioned themselves to spell out the couple’s names, which was really funny. After that, the newlyweds cut their cake, has some of the reception nibbles, and ended the beautiful day dancing as the sun went down.
