Ashleigh & Cory | Hawthorne Garden Invercargill Wedding

Whew last weekend was a scorcher! But Ashleigh and Cory took Invercargill's record high temperatures in their stride on their wedding day and it made for a wonderful sunny day of celebrating! These two got married in the presence of their family and friends at Hawthorne Gardens, followed by an afternoon of celebrating with ice cold beverages and sticking to the shade to keep cool. 

Over the past year of getting to know Ashleigh and Cory on their wedding journey, I've come to know that Ashleigh and Cory aren't the type of people that wear their hearts on their sleeves. As wedding photographers we often see brides that tear up with emotion before they're even in their wedding dress, or grooms that struggle to hold back tears at the ceremony. These two were so laidback about everything that at times I thought perhaps I was more excited than them! But what I've also come to know is that Ashleigh and Cory both have big, kind hearts! They might not get bubbly with excitement or teary-eyed but I could tell just how happy these guys were to be pronounced husband and wife. Every time Ashleigh looked at Cory it was with a huge smile. They were totally relaxed and happy to go-with-the-flow on what was an incredibly hot day. And we had so much fun spending the day with them and their awesome bridal party!

Ashleigh and her bridesmaids got ready at the McKenzie family home. The house was filled with chatter and laughter all morning as everyone got ready.

Ashleigh you're simply gorgeous my friend!

Meanwhile over at the guys there was a definite hunting theme going on!

It was awesome to be back at Hawthorne Gardens in Invercargill - such a beautiful venue. And Cory looked pretty stoked to see his girl walking down the aisle towards him!

Check out this stunning bridal party!

Cory and Ashleigh's wedding reception was at the Invercargill Working Men's Club which looked incredible with all the wee hunting and country-themed additions. If you haven't guessed already Cory is a keen hunter!

I loved their elegant wedding cake!

Ashleigh and Cory didn't want a first dance where everyone stood back and watched, so they asked everyone to join them on the dance floor for their first dance played by Invercargill band; 5th Avenue.

Thank you to chief-bridesmaid Brittney for this shot! 

Ashleigh and Cory - thank you for having us as your wedding photographers! We've enjoyed getting to know you both throughout this journey and we had an awesome day on Saturday celebrating with you both. Your wedding day was so beautiful & fun! I hope you love the highlights blog and I can't wait for you to see all the photos!

Matt and I wish you all the happiness in the world for your marriage! xx

---

BRIDE'S DRESS & HAIR ACCESSORY: Love Me Do Bridal  |  BRIDESMAID'S DRESSES: Brides by Donna Rae  |  SUITS:  McKnight & Brown |  MAKEUP: Kendyl Tuilagi Makeup Artist  |  TANS: Southern TAN  |  HAIR: R & Co  |  FLOWERS: Debie Dickie-Lee  |  CEREMONY VENUE: Hawthorne Gardens  |  CELEBRANT: Megan McKenzie  |  CATERING: Country Manor  |  RECEPTION VENUE: Invercargill Working Men's Club  |  CAKE: Oh Cakes |  BAND: 5th Avenue.