We first met Hannah + Blair for their engagement shoot in Lake Tekapo. As they live in Dunedin, and we live on Banks Peninsula, this was the perfect half way spot to meet up and chat through their exciting wedding plans. Plus, it’s an outstanding location for engagement photos! We include a free engagement shoot anywhere in Canterbury for all our wedding couples. As you can see from the photo below, we had some wild yet wonderfully epic weather, and the Southern Alps made for an incredible backdrop.

Hannah + Blair’s Otematata wedding day got off to a very relaxed start as Blair and his groomsmen headed out for a round of golf at Otematata Golf Club. Rob really enjoyed hanging out with the boys on this beautiful golf course and getting some really cool ‘getting ready’ photos with them. We love doing anything that’s a bit different!

While Blair was practising his swing, Hannah and her girls were getting ready at the family bach with ‘House of Hair’ and ‘Simply Stunning’ making sure their wedding hair and makeup all looked… well, simply stunning!

Hannah had chosen olive green for her bridesmaids dresses. A popular colour in 2022 and long may it continue. We love it! Blair and his boys threw on some suits and sunnies after golf and the banter continued… we love this black and white shot below of Blair and his good mate, and we’ll always include a black and white version of most photos in our client’s wedding galleries (if we think the B+W edit works). If you also love black and white photos, you’ve come to the right place!

Hannah + Blair’s wedding ceremony took place on the shore of Lake Aviemore in the awe-inspiring Otematata Wetlands. In terms of outdoor New Zealand wedding venues, you can’t get more impressive than this!

Our drone was the perfect camera to capture this gorgeous South Island wedding location and to get ariel snapshots of Hannah + Blair arriving in their jet boats!

Blair and his groomsmen were the first to arrive in style…

What an unforgettable way to arrive at your wedding ceremony!

Here comes the bride…

Hannah’s bridesmaids hopped off their own boat, and walked down the aisle, led by her lovely sister.

Under a wooden wedding arch beside Lake Aviemore on a glorious summers’ day, Hannah + Blair said their vows to one another. It was simply picture-perfect.

Wedding ceremonies with lots of love and a few tears are the best, and we’ll always make sure we’re ready to capture the spontaneous emotions.

The classic shot ‘Celebrant running out of the way for first kiss’ always makes us giggle!

Giving a ‘good luck’ horseshoe to a bride is an old tradition thought to represent the crescent moon and is, therefore, a very potent fertility charm!

The drone wins again for best camera in our tool kit, as you can’t beat it when it comes to doing the ‘One big group photo of everybody at the wedding’.

The South Island is an amazing location for a summer wedding in New Zealand, as we have so many wild lupins for our brides to get amongst!

Rustic wedding locations make for the best bridal party photos. Hannah had arranged in advance for us to venture on to some private land near the lake. Old sheds, long grass and dry hills are our favourites!

Hannah’s beautiful wedding dress was from ‘Brides by Donna Rae.’

There’s always time for a bit of larking about during your wedding portraits! Make sure you bring something refreshing to drink too…

We love champagne showers so much. Make it rain in champagne on your wedding day!

After more larking about, we left the shores of Lake Aviemore and headed to Otematata Hall for our happy couple’s wedding reception.

After speeches and a beaut buffet by ‘Pozzobon’ it was time for Hannah + Blair to hit the D-floor for their first dance…

These two made a sterling effort for their first dance together, including lots of lifts and twirls. With Brad Staley Trio as the wedding band for the night, it wasn’t long before Hannah + Blair’s friends and family hit the dance floor and started carving it up. We’re talking backspins and all sorts of antics. We found it hard to drag ourselves away, and we had the BEST day photographing this amazing wedding.

Hannah + Blair: “Rob + Andie are outstanding photographers. Right from the start, they were approachable and understanding. The engagement shoot they include in their packages was well worth it, making the wedding day photos so relaxing and easy! Rob + Andie captured our day perfectly, and we cannot thank them enough for the amazing memories we now have for a lifetime.”

Otematata Wedding Photographers: Robin + Andie

• Venue: Otematata Wetlands and Otematata Community Centre https://www.otematata.nz/communitycentrehire

• Celebrant: Edie Pont https://sites.google.com/view/edie-pont-celebrant/home

• Dress: Brides by Donna Rae https://www.bridesbydonnarae.co.nz/wedding-dresses/

• Make up: Simply Stunning https://www.simplystunning.nz/

• Hair: House of Hair https://houseofhair.co.nz/

• Shoes: Mi Piaci https://www.mipiaci.co.nz/

• Rings: Michael Hill Jeweller https://www.michaelhill.co.nz/

• Suit: Alex Campbell’s Menswear https://alex-campbell-menswear.edan.io/

• Florals: The Florist Oamaru https://thefloristoamaru.nz/

• Caterer: Pozzobon https://www.facebook.com/pozzobonscatering

• Cake design: Tutu Hills Cakes https://www.facebook.com/TutuHillCakes/

• Wedding Band: http://bradstaleymusic.weebly.com/

• Car: Jet Boats (Friends)