Heidi Horton Photography

Tim and Toni planned their wedding day to be laidback, fun and informal. All about celebrating with their family and friends. The ceremony was held on private property in Te Anau overlooking the lake and they had a marquee for the reception, which was less structured and more about the party with a BBQ for dinner and bar leaners dotted all around outside to enjoy the summer air.

The whole day had such a relaxed vibe to it and I think a huge part of that came down to just how organised Toni was as they planned the wedding. I remember our first meeting and the cute planner notebook Toni had with all her wedding inspiration & ideas. It was at that first meeting that I knew to be very excited about Tim and Toni's big day! All the wedding details were both gorgeous and meaningful. The styling of everything was just perfect. The day flowed smoothly and everywhere we turned people were enjoying themselves.

I'm so excited to share this blog with you. Here's just some of my favourites from Tim and Toni's awesome Te Anau wedding...

Toni and her bridesmaids had a very chilled out morning getting ready.

I think the blokes had an equally chilled morning, sinking a few beers and telling yarns.

Tim and Toni had their wedding on a friend's lakefront property in Te Anau. The view was spectacular and the day was a beauty.

It was great to work with celebrant Rachel Williams again. Tim and Toni's ceremony was filled with cute stories, a good dose of laughter and a lovely poem from Tim's grandma.

Can we take a minute to appreciate this EPIC archway that Tim and Toni created for their wedding ceremony?! So gorgeous!

After the ceremony the bridal party took off up the road to Toni's parent's farm for photos and some impressive views of the surrounding mountains. This awesome bridal party were a laugh a minute and we loved spending a fun afternoon with them celebrating the new Mr & Mrs Evans!

Kate Stone worked her magic with these stunning bouquets!

Last stop was the lakefront before Tim and Toni headed back to their party!

Congratulations Tim and Toni! We wish you a marriage filled with love, happiness and plenty of adventure. Thank you for including us in your beautiful first day of marriage - we loved being there to capture your love and fun.x

DRESS: Brides by Donna Rae  |  MAKE-UP: Danika Keast Makeup Artist  |  HAIR: Anna Hillis at Finesse Hair & Beauty  |  FLOWERS: Kate Stone Wedding Flowers & Design  |  CELEBRANT: Rachel Williams  |  VENUE: Private property.

Back in 2017 I received a message from Scott and Hannah. They'd been engaged just 24 hours. They didn't have a wedding date in mind yet, but in their words "we needed to touch base so we can lock in our dream team photographers!!!" We always know we've found 'our people' when we get messages like this. It's a huge privilege when couples go out of their way to have us as a part of their day and we absolutely cherish the friendships we make because of it.

On Friday Scott and Hannah's wedding day arrived and we LOVED being there to capture all the fun, laughter, celebration and beauty! Scott and Hannah are a laidback, fun-loving duo and their day was a true reflection of that. Hannah had thought of every last detail and the day ran like clockwork. We were made to feel so welcome and we had many laughs with their epic bridal party.

These two chose the awesome Hawthorn Den just out of Gore for their ceremony celebrations. And having a first look timeline, where they got their portraits done before the ceremony, they had all afternoon to hang out with their guests in the garden before moving on to the RSA in Gore for the party portion of the day.

Hannah and the girls got ready at Bell's Cottage out at Hawthorn Den Inn. The cottage was filled with sunshine and laughter all morning.

Hannah had the cutest gifts for her bridesmaids including personalised makeup totes. There were tears as Hannah received a gift from Scott - hands down the most EPIC gift I've ever seen from a groom! A box filled with memories, letters and photos, with room for all the more memories they have yet to make.

Scott got ready at their home in Gore. I'm slightly obsessed with the guys outfits! They did well - relaxed chinos, navy jackets and shoes to match the bridesmaids' dresses.

During speeches later on in the night the subject of Hannah's slight addiction to online shopping was brought up. Funnily enough a package turned up on the morning of the wedding to Scott and Hannah's house - and the lads thought it fitting to get a photo with the courier! 

Hannah and Scott saw each other first at Hawthorn Den before getting their bridal party together for portrait time. Look at those smiles!

Scott and Hannah loved the greenery of Hawthorn Den and for their second location they wanted a forest look. The problem with a lot of forestry is the undergrowth and how dark it can be. I found a wee block of pines tucked in by the Hokonui's on the other side of Gore and I think we nailed the pine forest look these two were dreaming of!

So Scott is a twin and these cheeky buggers totally pranked me! I'd turned around to change a lens and they swapped in James. I adamantly contest that I was too busy giving posing instruction while looking through my camera getting my settings right to notice! Even Matt was chuckling away to the side of me. When I look at these two photos it's so obvious who is Scott and who is James, but at the time...I got totally tricked! ​​🤦🏻‍♀️

Jokes aside, this bridal party were so AWESOME - thanks team for such a fun day!

Scott and Hannah had their ceremony in the new Barn at Hawthorn Den Inn. 

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Coyle!!!

Family and friends spent the afternoon in the garden at Hawthorn celebrating before heading to the Gore RSA for the reception and a night of dancing.

We might have snuck into a couple of photos ourselves...​😜

Team Sugsy's thank you so much for choosing us as your photographers! We loved celebrating with you, your families and friends. It's been a heap of fun getting to know you both better and we're excited to see what the future has in store for you on this next adventure of marriage! x

BRIDE'S DRESS: Bride & Winter  |  BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Evolution  |  SUITS: Hallenstein Brothers  |  MAKE-UP: Brinly Weller at Scape  |  HAIR: Sarah Wallis & Cassie Crawford  |  FLOWERS: Lily Jackson's  |  CELEBRANT: Janine Byars  |  CEREMONY VENUE: Hawthorn Den Inn  |  CATERING: Heidi Blake  |  STATIONERY: The Avenue Design Studio  |  RECEPTION VENUE: Gore RSA  |  CAKE: Jude Taylor  |  MUSIC: Road Block.

Get comfy in your seat. Grab your favourite drink. And get ready...this is a big blog! I just couldn't help myself with too many gorgeous moments & details to share from Matt & Gabbie's wedding in the Catlins last weekend!

Matt and Gabbie got married on their farm near Balclutha and then headed to Pounawea for their reception at Kuramea Lodge. It rained on and off all day, then the sun came out & it got windy...basically one of those four season Southland days! But none of that mattered & nobody was phased by the weather. Matt was marrying Gabbie, the love of his life & mother to their gorgeous son, Mason.

I feel like words don't do Matt and Gabbie's beautiful first day of marriage justice. Hopefully these photographs do the job of showcasing all the love and celebration. There were sweet moments, a few happy tears, so many meaningful details and wonderful memories made. ​

Gabbie you looked stunning. And ladies...#bridesquadgoals right there!

Matt got ready at the Sinclair family home in Cannibal Bay.

The spot Matt and Gabbie picked on the farm for their ceremony was perfect. The rain clouds cleared just in time for the ceremony and Sharyn Payne made the marriage official.

The grin on Matt's face as Gabbie walked down the aisle said it all!

Mason stole the show, destroying a few flowers while he was at it!

Matt and Gabbie have this incredible old stone barn on the property. You might remember me being obsessed with it at their engagement session. Well as the rain showers returned during portrait time, this old barn gave us shelter and an epic backdrop!

These two certainly didn't let the rain dampen their spirits.

And by the time we arrived in Pounawea the sun was shining.

Congratulations Matt and Gabbie - thank you for having us as a part of your magical day!

Kuramea Lodge looked incredible with the theme of lace & greenery flowing throughout.

There is so much happiness in each of these photos. An incredible first day of your happily-ever-after friends! Sinclair family - it was great to see you all again. And the Trevenen's - it was lovely to meet you all! We had a fun day joining in the celebrations and photographing all the love!

I hope you enjoy your blog Matt & Gabbie...SO many more photos to come. Congratulations again. Matt and I wish you a lifetime of love together! x

DRESS: Brides by Donna Rae  |  HAIR & MAKE-UP: DeVine Hair & Beauty  |  SUITS: RB Sellars  |  FLOWERS: Floral Group Owaka  |  CELEBRANT: Sharyn Payne  |  CEREMONY VENUE: On farm  |  CATERING: Cathy Haar Catering  |  RECEPTION VENUE: Kuramea Lodge  |  CAKE: Diedre (M.O.B), Esther (M.O.G) and Cathy Haar.