 Last week we documented Luke & Chrissy's wedding at Argyle Cottage Garden just outside of Invercargill. The day was a celebration of their love & the official joining of families. Over the course of a year Chrissy & I have sat down over many cups of coffee to talk about their plans for the day, her excitement when she found her dress, what colours the flowers would be and so much more, so when I turned up to the girls getting ready in the morning Chrissy gave me a big hug & I felt like we were old friends. Luke & Chrissy's love is the kind that is easy and tender. The kind where when they look at each other nothing else in the world matters because to each other they are their world. And the love that Chrissy & Luke share goes beyond them, to their beautiful daughter Sadie who stole the show when she came up the aisle with her nieces as flower girls! My morning started at Chrissy's parents documenting all the details that tell the story of their day, and then it was off around to the Kelvin Hotel in Invercargill where the girls were having the most relaxed morning. I feel like every wedding I rave about how chilled out the girls' mornings are and how my brides always give themselves plenty of time so nothing is rushed - but it's true! And I love that all my couples are so relaxed and easy-going, it makes for such a fun day!   Um these shoes...WOW!   The pastel shades in the bouquets from florist Debie Dickie-Lee were amazing! Definitely one of my favourite bouquets this season!    Chrissy had thought of everything, from robes for the girls, right through to gift bags for the bridal party which included personalised bottles of wine!    Matt hung out with the guys for the morning who had their own gift packs complete with cigars and beer.     While the guys got the cars sorted, the girls began getting in to their beautiful dresses, starting with the cute flower girls! The flower crowns were the perfect finishing touch for these girls!    Family is so important to Chrissy & Luke. So it was cool to have all Chrissy's nieces and nephews in the house as she got ready. They were all so cute running around in their wedding attire! And then it was time to get Chrissy in to her dream wedding dress from Brides by Donna Rae in Invercargill.   I loved the inclusion of Chrissy's nana's gold pin on her bouquet. Such a special thing to hold & carry on her wedding day.  This was my first experience of Argyle Cottage Garden and I fell instantly in love! These gardens are beautiful. Owners, Annie & Greg, went above and beyond as hosts and they had transformed the church ruins in to a magical spot for Chrissy & Luke to say their vows.         Celebrant Megan Mckenzie officiated Luke & Chrissy's ceremony with care and grace.  And with the seal of a kiss they were Mr & Mrs!   Luke & Chrissy chose to cut their cake straight after the ceremony, which was fitting because the stunning cake was made of layers of Whitestone Cheese, to then be served to guests with the afternoon tea in the beautiful garden setting.   And what better place to do their portraits than around the stunning grounds of Argyle Cottage Garden.  Did I mention how much I loved these flowers?! And the bridesmaid's dresses were gorgeous!  Oh my goodness there were some personalities in this crew! I spent the day calling two of them Snoop Dogg and Majestic because, well, that was what they introduced themselves to me as! You guys made my job easy & I didn't have to come up with any jokes because you guys had it covered!   These two are a bit cute alright!  Chrissy you are absolutely gorgeous!   Next stop was the beach, where we had a little fun with Chrissy's veil in the sea breeze! This is one of my absolute favourite images from the day.      So much fun spending the day with this bridal party!   Just before heading into the reception we pulled up around the block to take a few more portraits with this brick wall. I love these shots!    Luke & Chrissy held their reception at the Kelvin Hotel in Invercargill. And the room looked magical! I've only ever been here for conferences before so it was awesome to see this place in a different light. All the staff were awesome to deal with as well.    How great do these wooden signs look?! And those cake pops at the candy bar...cute!  With speeches that included many laughs, tears and a personalised rap from the maid of honour, it was then time to take their first dance as husband and wife.   Luke & Chrissy, thank you so much for having us be a part your beautiful wedding. It was a day of utter joy and perfection. Thank you for treating us as friends and trusting us to capture your day for you. I can't wait to show you all the photos and I look forward to our next coffee date when we start talking albums ;)
So much love to you both! Congratulations and best wishes on this new journey of marriage together.xxx Credit to the creative team: Hair: Nicole from Kulture on Windsor Makeup: Steph Mac Dress: Brides by Donna Rae Flowers: Debie Dickie-Lee Ceremony venue: Argyle Cottage Garden Celebrant: Megan Mckenzie Cake: Whitestone Cheese Co Reception venue: Kelvin Hotel Band: Little Green Men |