When Takahiro + Aimi got in touch with us from their home in Tokyo to ask if we were available to do their wedding photos in New Zealand… we were so excited! We designed an incredible two day wedding portrait shoot in Akaroa and Lake Tekapo for our Japanese couple and we couldn’t wait to show them around.

Takahiro + Aimi flew in to New Zealand in spring and after spending one night at The Muse in Christchurch, we collected them from their hotel the following morning and drove them over the hill to Akaroa. First stop was lunch at Akaroa’s finest restaurant in town… Akaroa Fish & Chips. While we were sitting outside enjoying the harbour views, we noticed the wind had picked up considerably! Next thing we knew, we were holding on to our chip paper while severe wind warnings came in via text message! It suddenly felt like we had invited our international guests to partake in a major weather event. This kind of extreme weather isn’t really ideal for photo shoots… but we know how to pivot!

Determined to carry on with the shoot as best as we could, we took Aimi to Akaroa Hair Studio for the hair and makeup appointment we had made for her. After making sure there was plenty of hairspray holding her hair for wind protection… we made our way to a sheltered bay on the harbour away from the wind. That’s local knowledge for ya! Later in the afternoon the wind died down a bit and it was safe to go up the tourist road and other hilltop locations.

The good thing about windy weather is that the sky and light can be quite wild visually which translates to awesome photographs. Takahiro + Aimi were such good sports and took it all in their stride! They were both just so happy to be in New Zealand.

Aimi had hired a wedding dress in Tokyo to bring with her on her trip to New Zealand. It was a beautiful, soft, flowing gown which was great for twirling in!

One of the stops on our whirlwind photo tour of Akaroa was our very own wedding beach - Okains Bay. We always love showing our couples where we tied the knot and we know all the best spots for photos ;)

When a portrait works in black & white, we’ll always deliver the B+W version to our clients.

Aimi, who is also a photographer (in Tokyo) had found us on Instagram. She was really keen for us to do one of our drone shots at Dalys Wharf while the sun set in Akaroa… This was the perfect end to ‘Day One’ on Tour with Robin + Andie.

Early morning on ‘Day Two’ of our epic destination wedding itinerary, we drove Aimi back to Akaroa Hair Studio for bridal hair and make-up, before driving over to beautiful Lake Tekapo.

En-route to Tekapo we made a quick stop to treat our lovely Japanese clients to lunch at legendary ‘Barkers’ in Geraldine and then started our Lake Tekapo wedding shoot in the afternoon until the sun set.

We really enjoyed putting together this dream destination wedding itinerary for these guys and showing off all our favourite South Island spots. It was a nice change to spend two full afternoons on wedding portraits rather than just an hour and a half which is usually what’s allocated by our couples on most wedding days. Taka + Aimi got hundreds and hundreds of cool portraits and black & whites from their two day shoot! These are just a few…

The weather in Tekapo for our shoot was a little stormy, but that just added to the atmosphere and the incredible backdrop for their wedding portraits. Lake Tekapo is super popular with Japanese visitors and tourists from all over the world due to the snow capped mountains, turquoise blue waters and the cutest lakeside church in the southern hemisphere - The Church of the Good Shepherd. Taka + Aimi were so excited to finally be here in NZ after looking forward to this trip for such a long time. They got married in Japan during the pandemic and had promised themselves a trip to New Zealand to celebrate their wedding. We were the lucky NZ destination wedding photographers who were honoured to do their wedding portraits for them in New Zealand.

When the wind picked up (again!) we added Aimi’s veil to her look. The good thing about a windy day is that veils can be a lot of fun to play with!

We had an absolute blast showing Takahiro + Aimi around Canterbury, and our generous Japanese couple made sure we had a comfortable hotel to stay in at Lake Tekapo after the shoot on ‘Day Two’ which was so appreciated after all the driving etc

We love putting together destination wedding itineraries for the South Island, so if you’re an overseas couple looking for inspiration or ideas for a cool New Zealand wedding photo shoot and guided tour just give us a shout!

Takahiro + Aimi: “Taking our wedding photos in New Zealand and choosing Robin + Andie as our photographers was the best decision! The moments that they captured were amazing. Absolutely loved our days!”

Akaroa + Lake Tekapo Destination Wedding Photographers: Robin + Andie

Hair and Makeup: Akaroa Hair Studio https://www.facebook.com/AkaroaHair/

Lake Tekapo Hotel: Galaxy Boutique Hotel Tekapo https://www.galaxytekapo.co.nz