It's half past midnight, and rather than go to bed after finishing some editing, I thought I would blog some images of my boys from last week. We visited friends in Arrowtown, and had the most beautiful warm, sunny day. We went up the mountain on the skyline gondola in Queenstown, hung around picking plums, paddling in Lake Hayes, eating nice food and generally thinking how amazing New Zealand is in summertime..

Milo had his first dip in the sea the other day. He wasn't that keen. I dug out some images of Elmer having his first dip in the sea - a similar reaction, poor babies!

It's been very sunny in Dunedin recently, and this lovely wedding took place on one of the hottest and sunniest days we've had. It was the kind of day I feel sorry for guys in suits, but otherwise I think most people hope that their wedding day will be sunny, and bright and warm.

Claire and Chris are very deserving recipients of such a lovely day. They are kind hearted, thoughtful and easy-going. Their wedding was a beautiful yet simple affair that focussed on family - there were roles for lots of different people throughout the day. Claire is the organisational genius who had everything planned so well that nothing went awry, and everyone was able to relax and enjoy the day.

Our portrait shoot after the ceremony involved just us, Claire and Chris. No bridesmaids or groomsmen - it was just like back in the UK and I loved it! Claire's uncle provided the coolest wedding car (there is a glut of uncles in Dunedin with cool cars I've discovered), and we drove to some quiet spots and the light was amazing and it was just sooo romantic!

Ahhh. Also, another cool item in the day was that Claire's brother and auntie MC'd, and they did a comedy compere deal at the reception where wedding guests were interviewed as they ordered their dinners. It was good fun.

Claire and Chris have been together for years, and have such a lovely way with eachother. They fit together perfectly...

Sometimes I get to know couples before their big day. I learn about their tastes, their relationship with eachother and with their families. I see them when they are at a beautiful, happy time in their lives, planning with excitement a day that is unique to them. Sometimes I feel like I know people quite well, but I always love listening to the speeches at a wedding, and finding out even more. At Sarah and Mark's wedding, I learned that two people who from first contact with me seemed to be really genuine, lovely humans, are deeply respected and loved by their family and friends for that very reason.

Sarah and Mark married at the Church of the Holy Name in Dunedin, and their reception was at Knox College, Dunedin. I've only shot at Knox once before, at Natalie and Will's wedding in 2011, you have to be a secret-insider type / ex student to have a wedding reception there. I tell you what, both of these venues provided us with spots of really beautiful and dramatic light. I had a great time capturing it all.

There was a slight panic before Sarah and Mark's wedding, as unbeknowst to them when they made their wedding plans, Knox college was to undergo some serious renovation work (still in progress). The Great Hall and adjacent rooms were finished only a few days before the wedding! It looks fab, but I did miss the stag heads on the wall.

Another item of note at this wedding were the flowers. Everything floral was produced by Sarah's auntie in Sarah's parent's garage. A true labour of love from someone who isn't even a professional.

Oh oh, and groomsman/bestman Paul Tito used to be captain of the Cardiff Blues!!! What a small world it is.

Sam and Simon's wedding was a much anticipated, beautifully crafted affair, that took the entire year of their engagement to create. They live and work in Wellington, so thankfully Sam's mum Emma, and her grandmother Clare who are based in Dunedin, did an incredible amount of work to help Sam create the wedding of her dreams. From scouring second hand shops all over the south, to sewing, crafting, sourcing ideas and finding materials online, they worked tirelessly so that everything was pitch perfect for the big day.

The reception at Arana College (where Sam and Simon met in Dunedin), looked incredible. By day, a lowly canteen, the place was transformed into a vintage central otago themed wedding spectacular. One of Simon's landscape photographs was printed onto an enormous canvas and this provided the backdrop for tables adorned with Central Otago Schist rock, antique glasses, flowers and details. Pretty much everything was handmade and must have taken hours and hours.

All of this is testament to how much this wedding meant not just for Sam and Simon, but for their families too. A beautiful ceremony in Port Chalmers town hall was followed by high tea in the grand room next door (prepared by hand of course). Sam's previous job at Arana College and her friendly, outgoing personality meant she had connections at the university, and we were able to use a university residence lodge in St Leonards for photographs afterwards. Sam and Simon also scouted out another very cool spot with an old stone wall and apple trees that was perfect for the look and feel of their wedding. I was so impressed with their dedication to the cause.

All of this was topped off with one of the best first dance routines I have ever witnessed! Sam is an ex dancer (that helps!) so she and Simon managed to wow their guests with an incredible flawless dance. Add to that a photobooth, funny and tearful speeches, great music, beautiful, loving people, and a warm sunny day that was actually meant to be cloudy and rainy... and you have a pretty perfect wedding. Which is why... this will be a LONG blog post!!