I have had the privilege of knowing Jamie and Helen much better than most of my clients, probably because Jamie is my little brother. We are given few opportunities in life such as this, so it was an honour to be able to be their wedding photographer. Being able to be a part of their day was so much fun. I spent the morning with Jamie and his groomsmen smashing some golf balls at the driving range in Upper Hutt. We managed to get a few shots of the guys getting ready (and Jamie looking very proud of himself with his new hat from Helen), before heading to the ceremony, which was held at St Andrews Church on The Terrace.

Following the ceremony, we walked down to Parliament grounds for a few family photos, then the wedding party and I headed to Wellington’s waterfront and Oriental Bay for some formals. We battled the gale northerly wind for a while before heading to Moa Point on the south coast. Jamie’s best man Scott proved how he had earned his title by stripping to his undies to rescue Jamie’s wedding hat from the freezing water, providing entertainment for the rest of the wedding party. Scott dried himself off and got decent, we finished up with the formals, then headed to the reception at Soi Restaurant on Greta Point Wharf.

I was lucky enough to put my camera down and enjoy the party thanks to fellow Wellington photographer Kathryn, who took over the photographic duties for the night and set up a photobooth.

A huge congratulations to Jamie and Helen on your wedding. I’m so proud of my little bro, and I’m stoked to have Helen as a new sister, and the newest member of the Sims family.

Thanks for visiting, and don’t forget to leave a comment for Jamie and Helen.

Click on thumbnails to view larger.

I had the pleasure of shooting Kate and Matt for the second time a few weeks ago. They first appeared here in February last year when they asked my to shoot their engagement session (here). I have known Kate for a number of years, and have had the pleasure of getting to know Matt more recently, so I was stoked to be able to be a part of their wedding in Whiteman’s Valley, Upper Hutt (just outside Wellington). Kate is somewhat of a creative genius, and she had poured crazy hours into designing and creating one of the most beautifully detailed weddings I have seen. From the Tea Party to the reception, the day was full of fantastic little details that are a photographer’s dream!

Thank you both for such a wonderful day, and congratulations on your wedding! You both looked amazing, and it was a privilege to be a part of it.

[geek note] I have tried something a little different with this blog post. I have inserted images in a gallery format (called ShadowBox for fellow geeks) rather than large images that slow down page loading time (just click on thumbnails to view large). I would love any feedback about whether you like it or not. Comments are always welcome and appreciated! [/geek note]

I have known kate and her family for a few years, so when she told me she and her partner Matt were engaged, and asked me to shoot an engagement session for them, I jumped at the opportunity. She lives on a small farm in Whiteman’s Valley, Upper Hutt, so I decided to head out there to use the property for the e-session. We picked the right evening for it, but I didn’t realise how much shorter the days had become over the last couple of weeks, so the light was disappearing quickly and we had to work fast!

We made the most of hay bales, the tractor (which they REALLY wanted photos with), their private creek running through the property, and empty rural roads. We had a lot of fun, and it was a nice way to send them off on the three-month trip to the UK that they were leaving for the next day. Enjoy, and please feel free to leave them a comment!

Aimee and Phil took a bit of a gamble with their “summer” wedding here in Wellington. They planned to have the ceremony at Percy’s Reserve, which is a stunning park in Lower Hutt with beautiful paths, bridges, a duck pond, and a large grassy area. Unfortunately, Wellington’s “summer” has so far turned out to be more rain and wind than anything else, and Aimee and Phil’s wedding day was no exception. They were married at Crossroads Salvation Army in Lower Hutt instead, which still looked fantastic, and we managed to get to Percy’s Reserve for the formal photos, as the weather had cleared by then.

We were spoiled for choice with so many different scenes and backdrops for the photos, and we had a lot of fun doing it! The bridal party were a real hard-case bunch, and my only real problem was that the whole lot would regularly collapse in hysterics. It was nice to be able to show some of their personalities in the photos. It turned out I knew a few of them from years ago, so it was great to catch up and have a laugh with them.

The reception was at the Silverstream Retreat, Upper Hutt, where they had a nice relaxed, low-key reception. Thanks for including me in your day Aimee and Phil. Congratulations!!