When Mikey saw Shari he knew there and then, "just wow I need her in my life." Through close friends and the reputation that had been built up in the community he said he pretty much made it his mission to make Shari his wahine. That was going on five years ago...
Shari said "their union started through a Kapa called Te Rangiura o Wairarapa. Michael came to join up and this is where he said he fell in love with Shari. Watching Shari teach and tutor, he said a while before this he was talking to his friends about finding a woman such as Shari that was passionate about helping our community.".
One of the ways I help couples feel relaxed on your wedding day (and avoid awkwardness!) is by really getting to know you before hand. I do this during the engagement session. I love learning about you, your love story and what you do in your daily lives.
All my wedding photography couples have an engagement shoot. This session allows you to see how I work and relax having your photos taken. Plus you'll have some gorgeous nature-based portraits to document this unique time in your lives: your engagement. So when I turn up on the morning of your wedding, it feels like a new best friend just arrived.
I had the pleasure of photographing this gorgeous engaged couple at Henley Lake as part of the Wairarapa Lovebirds Book, in support of Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. We went for a relaxed walk through the leafy park during an afternoon golden hour. We explored the river and returned by the water's edge. Scroll down to see a bonus photo with the geese!
Shari and Mikey initially planned on getting married in October 2020, but made the tough decision to postpone their wedding a year due to Covid-19.
Their Wairarapa wedding venue is Te Taperenui o Whatonga (Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre), with their reception to be held at Te Oreore Marae. "We decided what better place to be married then where his ancestor Whatonga dwelled for a time, Pūkaha. It’s a beautiful location surrounded by the long lasting essence of his forefathers, redwoods, such a beautiful backdrop and we have spent so many years researching Whatonga and his footsteps that we thought it would be the best place to unite our lives together, and Te Oreore Marae is our home.". I absolutely love photographing couples who have chosen to be married in a deeply meaningful natural location.
Shari and Mikey have these top wedding planning tips for fellow engaged couples:
Wedding Planning Tip 1
It is good to remember that the day is about your union and the love you two share together, not somebody else’s expectations of what your wedding should look like.
Wedding Planning Tip 2
The people that love, support and value your union will be the ones that will make the day less stressful for you and take the pressure off of by doing small things.
I provide outdoorsy couples who hate awkward poses, getting married in the Wairarapa and Tararua regions, with documentary-style photography by a new best friend, so you will feel relaxed, and your photos will be an authentic memory of your day. Please feel free to check out my Wairarapa wedding photography.
I provide outdoorsy couples who hate awkward poses, getting married in the Wairarapa and Tararua regions, with documentary-style photography by a new best friend, so you will feel relaxed, and your photos will be an authentic memory of your day. Please feel free to check out my Wairarapa wedding photography.