Wedding Date on Aug 12, 2021

I met Zainab & James at Catherine & Chris's micro wedding at Cornwall Park in November last year. Chris and James are brothers I really hit it off with the whole family. Elopements and micro weddings are great as you get to interact with almost everyone and you feel privileged to be part of such an intimate gathering. I was really excited when Zainab's email popped into my inbox asking about my availability to be their wedding videographer. They had decided on having a similar intimate micro wedding but instead of having it in their backyard, they hired Gracehill Vineyard Estate. I had never shot there before and was really excited to be their Gracehill Vineyard Estate wedding videographer. Zai's close friends were at it since early morning decorating and prepping the reception area in true kiwi DIY fashion, and they did a terrific job. The whole place looked moody in the overcast weather conditions, which also made it a dream for a videographer to work with due the flattering soft light. It seemed like the weather wouldn't co-operate with us for the ceremony though, and sure enough, it was forecasted to rain the entire time. Almost everyone in NZ is a weather expert with the ability to read winds reports, rain radars. So the venue manager, the celebrant, the photographer were all on their specialised weather apps and it seemed like their collective powers convinced the rain gods to give us respite – and they did! There appeared to be a break at 1.00pm, which was their ceremony time. Zai was clearly ecstatic as it would've been a shame to not be married with the beautiful outdoor backdrop Gracehill Vineyard Estate offers. James arrived with his brothers and it was great to see Chris and Cath with their newborn – almost a year after their wedding. Zai looked stunning in her Chosen by KHYA dress, walked down the aisle by James' brother which was followed by a beautiful ceremony and some of the best vows I've heard. It was so moving and I could not wait to get started on their film. After a short portrait session, they retreated into the reception room for canapés and lunch. ‍ Kind words "We were blown away by your work! Thank you so much for everything you have put into this. We love it! It brought back so many special memories". ‍