I first met Hannah and Hayden at Wild Hearts Wedding Fair. Hayden had been sweet talked into being a model on the catwalk (who also owns his own plumbing business Eco-Plumbing and won young plumber of the year), and Hannah is also a photographer. The photo I took of Hayden on the catwalk was one of my favourite photos from the fair and is still on my wedding portfolio if you want to go check it out with his long hair!

We connected years later when I was looking for a nanny for weddings for our Daughter Audrey when Hannah sent me a message, and have been lucky to have Hannah helping with Audrey for the past few wedding seasons – we actually couldn’t do what we do without both of their help.

I was so excited when Hannah and Hayden got engaged and asked us to capture their special day. Their November 2020 wedding unfortunately had to be postponed due to COVID-19 as their family couldn’t get in from overseas.

Engagement photography shoot at Mount Cook

But when plans fall through we had to plan something pretty epic for their engagement pics and drove 2.5 hours to Mount Cook for the weekend. The weather was looking touch and go all week and it was the only window we were all available to go. Everyday I was checking the weather as a huge snow storm was predicted! It dumped with snow and cleared the next day as we all traveled up to stay in Mount Cook.

This was one of the most magical shoots I’ve ever been a part of. We hiked 10km under the beautiful stars and mountains with head torches. All you could hear was the crackle of snow and ice as we made our way to Mount Cook.

As the sun-rose we got the most beautiful reflection in the lake of Mount Cook, which only lasted a few minutes before the wind set in, but it was one of the most amazing experiences to capture. Not only was I seeing Mount Cook for the first time myself, but I was doing it capturing my friends engagement. Knowing they have been through so much with their wedding having to be postponed, I felt so grateful to be part of these memories with them and we are so excited to capture their wedding in November 2021!