The day I married this incredible human was literally the of the best day of my life, sounds cliche I know, but that doesn't make it any less true. Pete and I held our wedding in Nelson at the beautifully restored Fairfield House. We celebrated in May, the natural colour palette lent itself to warm Autumn colours, using a dreamy fusion of dried florals for the styling.
In the still of the evening, once everyone had gone home, we held each other in the middle of the dancefloor, I wish I remember what song was playing... We looked around the room at the aftermath, a beautiful chaotic mess of belongings, wine glasses, bouquets, jackets and toi toi. I had tears of happiness rolling down my cheeks. This is a moment I’ll never forget.

Recently, I was encouraged to start a personal project, my focus had become so heavily wedding-related, and I realised that every now and again I need step back and do something for myself. I decided to photograph my 95-year-old Nana, and I wanted it to be an experience she'd never forget. On her birthday, I invited Nana to join me for morning tea at a local cafe, she had a lemon tart and I had a pecan pie. Afterwards, I'd booked us in for a facial treatment as a local spa. Neither of us had ever had one before, so it was a new experience for both of us and Nana couldn't quite believe that she'd been missing out on that luxury all her life! I drove her home and put on her favourite pearls, I softly applied makeup to her delicate glowing skin and combed her hair into place. She looked so regal, our matriarch, my Nana. I took a total of eight photos plus a couple on self-timer so that I could have a photo of the two of us together, it's a photo I'll treasure forever.

Last year, Aylah and Eamonn, one of my lovely couples who'd originally planned to celebrate their wedding in Nelson, decided to change plans and say their vows surrounded by turquoise water and the impressive Italian Dolomites at the picturesque Lago di Braies in Northern Italy. It was an opportunity I couldn't refuse! On the day of the elopement, we got up well before dawn to arrive at the lake before the masses of tourists. We began our hike to a secret spot I'd found the day before while I was scouting in the torrential rain. It was the perfect natural archway, a stunning reflection of the mountains in calm water. After the ceremony, we walked around the lake and made our way to a local village where there was a festival taking place. We ordered a couple of steins and some traditional food and savoured the realisation that we were all in Italy and Aylah and Eamonn just eloped!

Sometimes we as wedding photographers will go to extraordinary lengths for our couples and their entourage. For one particularly adventurous wedding, to avoid the groom and groomsmen getting covered in clouds of dust during the hour-long four-wheel drive we were about to embark on, I gallantly volunteering to ride in the back of the ute, due to very limited seating. By the time we arrived at the ceremony location, complete with impressive sprawling green valley and snowcapped mountains, I looked like a ghost, covered in grey dust, but the views were worth every speck of dirty that had landed in my eyes.