I'm very lucky - I've got some cool weddings this season.. if you found my last blog post about a sleeping dog entertaining... prepare yourselves.

I met Sarah and James a few months back, when we met to discuss their wedding photography at a nice eatery in town. On first impressions, they didn't seem the type to go for a Zombie themed engagement shoot, or a wedding reception filled with old medicine bottles, or even a magician doing tricks after the wedding meal for that matter. But they are. After I got the email about the zombie shoot (WHAT?!!?!!) Sarah then let me know that their wedding theme was "1920s Apothecary Medicine". I know, how cool is that??

They're also super lovely people. Case in point: Sarah gave me two presents for Elmer when we met up the second time. She just fished them out of a cupboard and handed them over. (Note to future clients - I will probably take more photographs at your wedding if you give me Elmer presents.)

The wedding was a long day, I started at 8am, and after a break in the afternoon went on until midnight!!! Mind you, if you're going to pack in getting ready, a drive in a vintage car, a wedding, a drinks reception, a tea ceremony, a picnic in the park, a relax, another hair-do, canapes and magician tricks, a multi-course meal, a zombie slideshow, speeches, a magical show, drinks and dancing... you've got to start pretty early..

I thought I'd do a separate little blog post on the details from Sarah and James's wedding, because 1) I have a LOT of images from the day, and 2) They had such a great theme for the wedding.

Sarah and James are both medics (a dentist and a doctor respectively), James is an accomplished magician, Sarah has an artful eye, and they both like the quirkier elements in life. Along with Jolene from Estelle Flowers, Sarah came up with the idea of "1920s Apothecary" for their flowers and details. Strange and wonderful medicines, flowers in old jars, preserved and dried herbs, elixirs, old books, nests, medicine vials... relics from an era when medicine was a more mysterious, magical world - perfect!

Jolene discussed ideas with Sarah, and then sourced ALL of the items you see - florals, books, glassware, flower press (!) and everything is impressively colour co-ordinated.

James and Sarah's reception was at Gaslight restaurant, where the old piano, vintage cameras, stripped brick walls and 1920s music all gave an added air of nostalgia and glamour...

Wendy and Brendon married on Friday, 11/11/11. They booked the date with me a long time ago (it was a popular one!) and began planning (with Alana at www.planitperfect.co.nz) a very exciting, un-traditional, surprise wedding for their guests .

Wendy and Brendon wanted their wedding to be fun. They have a very close relationship that allows for silliness, and laughing, and whispering jokes to eachother, and they wanted the wedding they planned to reflect all of that, and also be quite different, and dramatic.

The date wasn't a surprise, luckily, just the venue. The guests were to convene at the railway station at 2.30pm and wait for instructions. Brendon arrived to meet them there in his suit, and like a well groomed version of the pied piper, he led them in a random fashion through town to the Rialto Cinema. Each guest then received a box of popcorn, before being seated in one of the old fashioned cinema theatres to watch a funny slideshow of Wendy and Brendon growing up (and then meeting - by speed dating!! Isn't that cool? I don't know anyone who has actually met doing that, and they were BOTH there as wingmen to support a friend too!)

Once the slideshow finished, Wendy was escorted down the aisle by her brother to meet a very smiley Brendon infront of the big screen. They had a very sweet ceremony, with personally written vows, and then a huge onscreen fireworks display to coincide with the kiss.

Pretty cool ey? It was also all lovely and dark and romantic (ISO 5000 people!) and so cool to be part of something a little different.

Last Saturday, Natasha and Clem got married on a cold, windy, snowy spring day in the forest of the Catlins, New Zealand.

It wasn't meant to snow. It was meant to be a nice warm spring day. The wedding would be outside, infront of the huge green hills surrounding Woodstock, and Natasha would arrive by helicopter, before walking across the lawn to meet Clem.

That didn't happen. The helicopter was called off, and after the snow, it rained heavily all day. Those were just a couple of the things that didn't go to plan on the day, but Clem and Natasha genuinely didn't care. All that mattered to them was that they were married. That their friends and family were there with them, they ate good food, danced, and had an incredible time.

These guys are very down to earth, happy, caring and forgiving people. They are also completely in love with eachother and I think they're great.

Oh and my shoes.... are not waterproof.

Erin and Adam married last week at Erin's family crib (holiday home, for the non-Kiwis amongst us) in Taieri Mouth. It was a lovely simple outdoor ceremony, where the rain held off, but the cold did not. It was freezing cold! I had a coat on, but my fingers were turning blue - poor Erin in her wedding dress. But hey, who cares how cold it is as long as you look good ey?! That's Elmer's philosophy anyway, he hates wearing coats.

Liana and I spent a couple of hours with Erin and Adam, before heading home to watch Wales lose in the rugby. The less said about that the better.......

Here are a few of my favourites.. with a couple from Liana this week too!