It’s hard to believe I only met Celia and Alex for the first time a few months ago. Their beautiful wee boy William is one of my Christchurch pop in portrait regulars, and kindly introduced me to his mum and dad who happened to be looking for a wedding photographer! You will see quite a few shots of William in this blog! He’s a tiny bit delicious and never failed to bust out the most adorable wee grin for me, no matter whether he was eating his lunch, getting his nappy changed, or just chilling.
Celia and Alex were married at Pemberton on a beautiful Sunday at the end of January. One of those days that’s warm with a bit of a breeze, and the most beautiful light all day which really made the stunning colours of Pemberton come alive. Combine that with the stunning floral styling skills of Kim Chan Events. Not one, but two beautiful dresses for the bride, and a seeeeeeriously photogenic couple and you have one of the prettiest weddings I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. More than that though, it was an all round incredible day with laughs, games, traditional ceremonies, and some really fantastic speeches. I left feeling like an extended part of this wonderful, crazy beautiful family :)
The day started with a traditional wedding game, which involves the girls locking themselves in the house, and the boys trying to ‘break in’ through a combination of bribery, flattery, and begging! ;)
Once inside the house its not over, they still have to ‘break into’ the room the girls are hiding in.
Once inside the groom still has the job of finding the brides shoes, hiding in various creative places, and place them on her feet, making her promises about how he will treat her once married. Poor Alex really had to work for it!
Games done (for now) and time to get ready for the main event! 
Would ya look at this little guy!!? LOVES the camera I tell you! I cant even stop myself from photographing him. Alex and Celia are lucky that I found the time to photograph anything else! 
I feel like I could do a spin off blog just for Williams wedding day story! First some lunch, then time to get cleaned up and changed! 
Back with the parentals, and this getting ready business was getting serious! 
Aaaand I got distracted by the baby again… I might have a problem
And over at Pemberton things were looking totally stunning, as per usual! 
Beautiful floral displays from Kim Chan Events everywhere from the tables, to the isle and the floral wall, which also made an appearance at the reception later on! 
What a way to exit!! Who says you have to do the same as everyone else!
Cocktail hour, and group photos done, its time to head away with the bridal party to explore Pemberton.
Speeches done, and cake cut, its time to make the best of the beautiful light, and get some family portraits! How this little guy is still smiling this far into ‘witching hour’ I have NO idea!
haha, I cant even explain this one… 
Back to their reception it was time for some more games!
And lastly, a few more portraits before I left for the evening! You could be forgiven for thinking these guys must have spent HOURS and HOURS of their wedding day off with me getting photos taken, but you would (pretty much) be wrong! We opted to break their portrait session into several small chunks, so they could spend time with guests, make the most of the beautiful light, and get some amazing shots. Winning! Such a great way to do it :)
If you think I’m a wee bit obsessed with the back of Celias dress you would be right about that though!! 
And with dessert being served it was time for me to say goodnight! A huuuuuge congratulations if you made it to the end of this MAMMOTH blog! Phew! I simply couldn’t distill this beautiful day down to any fewer words/images though!
Celia, Alex, and family. Thank you SO much once again for having me along to photograph such a special day for you. It was a huge privilege to be invited into your lives so warmly, and to be so well looked after. I cant wait to capture your next big adventure! xx Tegan