Riley + Kimberly’s Wedding Day, Waiomu, Thames Coast, New Zealand
Whether you’re a fellow photographer or a soon-to-be-wed couple, welcome! Here, I share the behind-the-scenes of weddings I’ve captured—the magical moments, the unexpected challenges, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. You might also find a few affiliate links sprinkled in, which means if you click on them, you might just be fueling my coffee addiction (and I deeply appreciate it!).
After coming home from the Vows shoot in Ngariumu Bay, I couldn’t help myself - I downloaded the photos to my computer and threw them straight into Lightroom.
I scrolled through and put a quick edit on about a dozen of them just to see how they turned out (I’m always checking to make sure there’s SOMETHING good in my photos!).
And I sent them off to the girls via Facebook, hoping they’d like some of them.
Thankfully, they put me out of my misery pretty quick and said that they really loved them, which made me feel more relaxed about moving into the shoot the next day. This is only the second wedding that I’m shooting (the first was 4 years ago…) and even though I feel way more confident in my skill level, wedding photography is a whole other kettle of fish.
This time I created a booklet in Canva to be not just a single page checklist, but about a dozen pages with photos from other photographers that I’d found and liked - so that I would have it with me for inspiration. Then I bound it at the stationery store, so it looked professional to take with me!
Preparing the Venue
The morning of the wedding, I knew that the girls and family would be down at the local Thames Bowling Club, setting up for the reception. So I asked if I could pop down and get some candids while they were just chilling and getting things ready. It’s always a nice way to touch base with some of the family and friends before the ceremony so you know a few more people in case you need to ask something and don’t want to interrupt the bridal party.
Plus it’s lovely to just get the candids of family and friends chipping in to make their day special. :)
The Girls Getting Ready
Everything was pretty chilled out at the Bowling Club, and so I popped back home, uploaded those few photos and had some lunch before I headed back up to the girls place while they were getting ready. I assumed half the family would be up there - but for the majority of the time, it was just us chilling out. I took photos of things while the girls got ready.
Both of them were at home, so it meant I didn’t have to go to two locations, and there weren’t any bridesmaids or groomsmen, so it was relaxed and simple.
So I grabbed some photos of the dress, rings, both girls’ Korowai (that’s the blue and white feathered cloak), and a few other details.
For other photographers: One thing I did struggle with, was the macro shots of the girls’ rings. I just couldn’t get them solidly in focus…. I’ve since bought some macro extensions and that’ll be my next blog post. :)
Then Riley’s parents came around to pick up the girls, and I got a few shots of them to remember the day. Although Riley was ready, I told Te Ana to just fluff around and make sure all the feathers were sitting just right. And I got some really lovely shots.
But, Dad being Dad… no serious shots. lol.
One of the things I noticed with this wedding, was how many images I saw through a mother’s eyes, not just from a photographer’s perspective. Subtle changes in expressions, the way the girls looked at each other with such adoration - especially Kimberly, and the beauty and stature and confidence Riley just exudes.
What a true gift to photograph and edit.
The Ceremony - by Allan
During the morning, I met Te Ana’s brother in law (Riley’s Uncle Allan) who had done wedding photography many years prior. Armed with this piece of information, I asked if he would mind second shooting for me just for the ceremony, so he could focus on Kimberly, and I could focus on Riley for a few extra perspectives. So I gave him my 80D (the same 80D that I’d used the night before to film and had crashed sideways, but lived to tell the tale) and I’d like to give kudos where due, because he took some beautiful shots.
The Ceremony from My View
After I left the house, I headed home to download the photos again - even though I now have 2 sets of cards, I prefer to be “better safe than sorry” and offload the cards as often as I’m able during the day if it’s possible. I grabbed something quick to eat, jumped back in the car, and headed up.
Thankfully, the traffic was good heading up the coast and the brides were fashionably late… so I arrived with tonnes of time to spare. I got the chance to meet their celebrant Kristy (from Rotorua) who was lovely and excited - and it’s great to meet others who are starting their own journeys too in new avenues, as she’s new to the area of Celebrancy. She realised that the way the sun was tracking, the chairs and small gazebo were going to be too far away from the actual ceremony (especially since there wasn’t a microphone) so we quickly moved everything forward ready for the couple to arrive.
After pulling up in an epic vintage Holden SS, the girls arrived and made their way one by one to the front.
The thing I realised is that - to the outside anyway - neither of them seemed nervous. When I asked them earlier what they were looking forward to the most for the day, Kimberly piped up with “the food” - to which we all laughed, and I realised that although this was a special day, it was just one in a lifetime of being best friends. And the celebration, sharing food, and having all their family around seemed like the most valuable part of their day.
A Few Technical Notes for any Photographers…
We were once again battling with the wind - which you’ll notice again on everyone’s hair! The best way around this I’ve found is to take 2 or 3 times more photos than you think you’ll need, to make sure that you’ve caught some good ones. My goal is to always have at least a dozen that I’m really proud of, and then put in extra’s that I think the couple will like.
As I’ve said before, it’s not about my ego, it’s about their day. So ones that are lovely - but blurry; or funny ones of people pulling funny faces behind the bride (or her brother doing bunny ears behind her in the group shots… I did say to her “it’s your wedding day, but…. he’s still your brother”. lol); or ones where someone looks amazing, but someone else doesn’t… so be it. Perhaps it will give them a laugh in years to come. Let your clients know that you won’t gatekeep the photos, even if they’re not “technically” perfect.
And also on the technical elements - in editing, because of the sun coming through the trees (dappled light is always a pain!) in Lightroom I pulled down the contrast slider and played with the highlights and shadows to get the best final photos I could.
I’m sure the more experienced I get, the more solutions I’ll find - but for starters, this was the best option I felt I had.
Oh, and you’d be right if you guessed this was the exact same location as my first wedding from 4 years ago… ;)
The Reception
After the wedding, I once again stopped in at home to download the photos before heading back around to the bowling club for the evening.
Family had travelled far and wide to share the day with the girls - with one family even flying back from Samoa that day and driving straight to the wedding! (Those kids were totally my favourite of the night. I often try to take photos when people aren’t looking so they don’t feel self-conscious, but these monkeys noticed me and started posing, and they were just the most gorgeous kids ever!!)
The food was absolutely amazing. It just kept coming and coming, and there was enough to feed them for weeks to come I think! I was invited to grab a meal too, and my favourite was totally the cobb loaf dip - I’ve asked for the recipe, and I’ll absolutely share it on the blog if I get a copy!!
It was self-catered and amazing to see all the family getting in and helping. Riley’s brother Harris has a band, so they played some music through the evening, and it was just a super relaxed night. I got candids for the rest of the evening as people caught up and chatted, and it was beautiful to see so many people using the polariod cameras the girls had provided and pinning them up to the memory board.
After a hot day in the sun and so much excitement, a lot of the families started heading off about 8.30, after the dinner and speeches had concluded. We didn’t even get to bring the cake out before I left, so I was in the giant fridge out the back taking photo’s of the cake before I left! lol.
All in all, it was a day that reflected the girls - it was all about family, cruising through, and saying “I do”.
And what a great honour it was to capture their day.
