Sumaya and Jordan travelled from Canada to elope with us for their Queenstown Mountain Weddings in November.
The pair arrived in Queenstown the day before their wedding so we caught up over a drink and shared some awesome stories. The weather was looking touch and go for their wedding day, so we discussed some plan Bs. Our shoot began at their gorgeous accommodation with its own private vineyard overlooking the Shotover River, where we walk Willow every day. We planned their First Look amongst the vines – why not?! – and had some fun capturing different moments as they got more and more excited to become husband and wife.
At the 11th hour, due to howling winds (that have since become quite typical for November), our helicopter flight was called off so we rapidly switched gear to head to our plan B ground ceremony at the Skippers Saddle, with sweeping views over Queenstown and the local mountains. These two were so much fun to hang out with and so obviously smitten, that no matter what happened, they were always going to have the best day ever and we think it’s pretty clear to see in their sweet photos! A special thanks to the lovely Philippa of I AM Makeup for stepping in at the last-minute to be one of our legal witnesses for the ceremony!!
With more time on the ground, we headed to a few of our favourite locations after the ceremony, including Skippers Canyon. The clouds parted just to let the sunlight peep through and create some beautiful portraits amongst the huge boulders. We then finished down by the lake, where we knew the cloudy sky and strong light would make for awesomely moody skies.
Congratulations again Sumaya and Jordan! We had the best afternoon with you guys and are so thrilled that you embraced your wedding day and focused on your love and having fun, even without a helicopter! You rock!! Thanks also for the delicious Canadian Whiskey that you gifted us xx
Our Team
A big shout out to our Queenstown Mountain Weddings team who were a part of this beautiful elopement:
Celebrant – Phillipa Cook
Flowers – The Flower Room
Hair – Hair to Wed
Makeup – I AM Makeup
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Queenstown weddings here, or contact us to start planning your own New Zealand elopement!
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