it was exciting to hear that chris & val had chosen me to record their wedding day! chris has been a good friend for over a decade and it was awesome to have such a joyful excuse to travel down to see him & his family again. i had not met his bride before that weekend but val was lovely & made me feel very welcome.

here are a few of my favourites from their big day:

what a great day! because the bride & groom’s homes were nearby eachother, i was able to get to both to document the preparation of each party, which is always nice. swinny was gorgeous of course, she has incredible poise and holds herself like an experienced model so she was wonderful to photograph. paul looked very handsome in his formal suit, and everyone had a wonderful time. some faves from the day…

fixing the veil

paul’s ring

paul’s ring again!

garter details

swinny’s ring

groomsman corsage confusion

car details

the bride!

coming downstairs

time to go

bridesmaids

at the altar

beautiful bride

unity candle ceremony

a moment of prayer

just married!

portrait session

running in sand with high heels… good effort ladies!

curious gull

beautiful swinny

the cake!

check out where the groom is!

traditional chinese costume

champagne waterfall

the reception venue

good luck candles

another dress change for dancing!

merita and lance were so right for eachother – and lance knew almost from the moment they met! lance’s grown son and merita’s baby son were proud to feature in the wedding party, and they were married in the church where they first met. here’s some faves from the day…

i had a little fun with this shot, using merita’s traditional samoan dance