Heidi Horton Photography

We literally couldn't have asked for a more FUN wedding to kick off a fresh wedding season!!! On Sunday Dwayne and Brittney married each other at Criffel Station in Wanaka, surrounded by their loved ones.

We've known these two gorgeous humans for a while now. They were in the bridal party of one of our previous wedding couples and then Brittney got in touch with me again earlier this year, emailing me with excitement to tell me that Dwayne had got his knee dirty and they were planning a winter wedding!

The styling of Brittney and Dwayne's big day was on point; from the wedding attire to the hues of the bouquets. Criffel Station was the perfect setting for a winter wedding with crackling braziers keeping guests warm. But I won't remember Dwayne and Brittney's wedding for how beautiful it was. I will remember the people; the laughter, the celebration, the love that filled the day. Brittney's proud Mum. Little Rylee in her cute navy dress and fur cape. The couples young and old who took to the dance floor to share Dwayne & Brittney's first dance. The bridal party who made me laugh so much during portrait time that I swear I had sore stomach muscles the next day! 

Brittney and Dwayne both got ready at the Oakridge Resort in Wanaka with their families. The morning was chilled out - as I knew it would be with these two. Brittney had organised the day wonderfully and thought of everything.

It had rained most of the morning but the weather gods played their part so Brittney & Dwayne could have the outdoor ceremony they dreamed of.

Brittney and her Mum, Shelley, made a spectacular entrance to the ceremony - arriving by helicopter!

It was lovely to work with Janine Byars again. She ensured Brittney & Dwayne's ceremony was short, sweet and had the perfect amount of laughs.

After spending some time celebrating with their guests Dwayne & Brittney along with their bridal party jumped into a van (with the heater blasting) and headed away for their very own 'portrait party'. We didn't have to go far to get some great locations at Criffel Station! And we were so lucky with the weather, while it was a cold wintery day there was no wind which made all the difference.

We had SO MUCH FUN with Dwayne & Brittney's awesome crew! The afternoon was filled with constant laughter.

You made a gorgeous bride my friend.

Winter weddings mean epic light during portrait time because sunset is earlier in the afternoon. You just can't beat that amazing glow!

Thank you so much for this shot Stacey! Haha man I felt even shorter than usual next to Dwayne & Brittney!

This was our first time shooting a wedding at Criffel Station in Wanaka and I think it's now one of my favourite venues! I'm a sucker for a woolshed setup and this one is done fabulously. Management were incredible and so friendly. Brittney and Dwayne put their personalised touches on the decorations to make it their own. It was a beautiful, warm space to party the night away. We can't wait to come back here again!

The speeches were great and the evening flowed like clockwork thanks to Brittney's good planning and Ewan's awesome MC'ing.

Congratulations Dwayne & Brittney! What a journey it has been! From the first time we met you at Cory & Ashleigh's wedding and you telling us then that one day we'd be your wedding photographers (when you weren't even engaged)! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you both and an honour to be a part of your incredible first day of marriage.

​I hope you love your highlights blog - there's so many more photos to come.xx

DRESS: Brides by Donna Rae  |  MAKE-UP: Kendyl Tuilagi  |  HAIR: Rachelle (R&Co)  |  TANNING: Southern TAN |  FLOWERS: The Green Room Flower Co  |  CELEBRANT: Janine Byars  |  VENUE: Criffel Station  |  CATERING: In2Food Queenstown  |  HELI: Wanaka Helicopters  |  CAKE: White Rabbit Cakes  |  MUSIC: Old School Duo.

I loved catching up with Lachie & Tansy last week for a family portrait session at their home near Dacre. It seems like not that long ago we photographed these lovebirds on their wedding day, and yet in November that will be two years ago!

Now they have a handsome baby boy, Frederick, who without a doubt stole the show for these photos! Freddie is twelve weeks old and was a delight to photograph - he has the cutest wee expressions! Here's a few of my favourites from the session...

Tansy & Lachie, it was so great to see you both and to meet Freddie! Thank you for asking me to take these portraits for you. xx

Weddings should not be stressful. Let me repeat that; weddings should not be stressful! Having been photographing weddings for over 6 years now we've seen a few stressed out couples both on the wedding day and in the lead up. Often on the day before the wedding, at the rehearsal, stress levels can be high in that last minute haze of setup!

Thankfully we seem to attract like-minded, easy going and fun couples as our clients so we haven't witnessed any full on wedding stress meltdowns! However, I totally remember the stress that came with our own wedding (before we were photographers) and how frazzled I was wanting everything to turn out just 'perfect', following wedding planning guides to the tee as if some writer for a magazine knew exactly how our wedding should be. If I could turn back time and tell myself what I know now, here's what advice I would give:
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• Remember the bigger picture of what your wedding day is about. Brides-to-be so often get caught up in the planning process worrying about things like table centrepieces, having perfect wedding favours and budgeting for ceremony decorations - letting the details stress them out. Yes wedding details are beautiful and bring together the style of your wedding day but in one, ten, twenty years times it's not those details that you will remember with fondness. Don't sweat the small stuff and keep the bigger picture in mind as you plan your wedding day. Remember that your wedding day is simply about marrying the one you love, surrounded by your family and friends, celebrating the beginning of a beautiful new chapter of your lives.
  
  
• Not everything will go to plan and that's okay. Something will run late, or get forgotten about - but again as long as you get to marry the one you love then the day is a success! The funny thing is usually you're the only one that knows that those table centrepieces weren't set up by the venue quite right, or that the order of events at the reception got out of whack - your guests have no clue & frankly won't care anyway! Matt and I cut our cake with a blunt kitchen knife on our wedding day which someone hurriedly grabbed for us from out the back of the venue - at the time I was embarrassed (how had we forgotten the knife for the wedding cake table?!) but now I look back & realise actually no one cared, it made for a laugh and in the scheme of things it really didn't matter one bit.
  
  
• Delegate. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I know brides often have a very clear image in their mind of how everything needs to look and they take on all the things because they know it will be done the exact way they want it if they do it themselves. Firstly refer to my previous point, then let go and delegate. I promise that you don't need to be doing all the things. Ladies I know we think we do, but we don't. Especially if taking it all on your shoulders is causing you stress.
  
  
• Prioritise. Let's face it, weddings are expensive! And money is one of the most stressful things in adult life! Most couples have a budget they need to stick to for their wedding and whether that's a big budget or a small one my advice is to prioritise for the things that are important to you. If the food is important, go big with that and compromise somewhere else. If the photographs are important to you (they should be 😉) then don't compromise on your photographer but make up for it somewhere else in the budget. It could mean using a cheaper venue or DIY'ing your flowers or decorations so that you can have the dress of your dreams. Whatever is most important to you should get priority and if that means making compromises elsewhere then that's okay. I don't see the point of throwing money at every single aspect of a wedding just because - especially when doing so can add so much stress. And remember your guests aren't there to rate or review your wedding out of 5 stars, they're there to celebrate you!
  
  
• It's just one day. When all is said and done your wedding day is just one day. For all the planning and money involved of course you want it to be the best freaking party ever, but after the day has been and gone you are left with the memories, the photographs, your husband (or wife) and maybe a bit of cake if you're lucky! There's no point letting stress cloud your wedding day. You want to have the best memories to look back on, not remember how stressed you were. You want to remember how fun it was, how much you laughed with your bridal party, how you danced all night! 
  
  
• Do it your way. Whether yours is a small intimate wedding, or a huge backyard party of 200 guests! A cheap DIY wedding because you're also busy saving to renovate your first home together, or a no expense spared wedding because you've dreamed of the big wedding since you were a child. Just do what suits you both, it is your day. There is no right or wrong way. It's not about impressing your guests or 'ticking' all the boxes. There is no rule book. This is your love story. This is the start of your marriage.