Lucinda + Pete | Earnslaw Burn + Glacier | Queenstown Elopement
Lucinda and Pete celebrated their Queenstown elopement with us in March. Their story is a very special one but also one filled with heartbreak for their family. Late last year, Lucinda and Pete received the devastating news of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Just two weeks later, they discovered the wonderful news that they were expecting a baby.
Their sweet little girl, Dakota, arrived in January and in early March they reached out to us about getting married. Thanks to an amazing team and support of our trusted vendors, we were able to pull everything together and coordinate a cherished wedding day 11 days later. We were humbled to share in the generous donations of time and services from around the community, including Lucinda receiving a beautiful wedding dress from Wilkins Bridal in Christchurch to help their budget stretch to include a video that will no doubt be treasured for years to come.
Pete is a race car driver/engineer and is the current and 2x 1NZ Super Saloon Champion, so Warren and Chris of Eureka Films had great chats about their joint fondness for fast cars. Pete was instantly drawn to Earnslaw Burn, so naturally the setting of their ceremony, surrounded by mountains, waterfalls and the glacier. Lucinda loved the idea of a white wedding, so to complement the ceremony landing, we suggested a snow landing at the glaciers up behind Mt Earnslaw. We flew to a picturesque and sheltered spot on the Grant Glacier, perfect for some celebratory champagne and a snow fight.
Dakota was 8 weeks old at the time of their wedding and Heliworks were able to accommodate her baby capsule within the helicopter, to make sure that she was safe and snug during our helicopter flight. Dakota wore a gorgeous pink outfit and had lots of snuggles and photos with mum and dad on their special day.
A special thank you again to Wilkins Bridal, Heliworks, Eureka Films, Married by Soph, Orange Blossom Designs, Olivia Sellman Makeup and Beautiful Bridal Hair for helping make Lucinda & Pete's dream day come true.
If you do have the ability to donate to Lucinda and Pete's Give A Little page, to help them treasure their time together without financial pressure behind them, it would mean the world to us and them.
You can also check out their beautiful video by Eureka Films here.
Our Team
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful team of Queenstown wedding suppliers that helped us create Lucinda & Pete’s Earnslaw Burn elopement.
Celebrant – Sophia Shortcliffe
Hair – Beautiful Bridal Hair
Makeup – Olivia Sellman
Helicopter – Heliworks
Flowers – Orange Blossom Designs
Videography – Eureka Films
Dress - Wilkins Bridal
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Queenstown weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding.
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Sheldon + Nick | Roys Peak Elopement
Sheldon and Nick swapped the idea of a traditional wedding with an elopement to Coromandel Peak (aka Roys Peak). They knew all along that they didn't want the stress of planning a big wedding and with friends and family all over the world in the times of Covid-19, an elopement just made sense. Getting to honour themselves, their commitment and to share the special celebration with their little girl Bridie was the most important thing. Not to mention, Wanaka is a beautiful and special part of the world that often draws our couples in!
With all this in mind, the pair organised all the practical and cute touches needed for a mountaintop elopement! Hiking boots were a no-brainer, even wee hiking boots for Bridie! The adorable tulle skirt, golden crown and star wand for Bridie made her feel just as special and included in the day as her mum and dad were also getting all dressed up. Up on the mountains, Sheldon, Nick and Bridie were all beaming with joy and happiness as they soaked up the view and each other, "officially" uniting their family and having loads of fun at the same time! From cuddles to twirls and to tosses in the air, it was an afternoon filled with love and family time.
Congratulations again, you three! We had such a lovely day with you and are so happy to be a part of your beautiful milestone moments. We know that your futures will be filled with tonnes of love, laughter and adventures - let us know if you do make the move to Wanaka and we will have to catch up :) xxx
You can also check out their gorgeous video by Eureka Films here!
Our Team
Thanks so much to our wonderful team of Wanaka wedding suppliers that helped us create Sheldon & Nick's Roys Peak elopement 🙂
Celebrant – George Konia
Hair & Makeup – Road To Beauty
Helicopter – Alpine Helicopters
Videography - Eureka Films
Dress - Gown and Altar
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Wanaka weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Marian + Karl | Lochnagar + Tutoko Glacier | Adventure Heli Wedding
Marian and Karl decided to elope with a heli wedding adventure in Queenstown to embrace their love for nature, serenity and each other. The two first connected on a very spontaneous road trip around the South Island so it was only fitting that they returned to this special place to tie the knot. Since then, they've spent countless hours and adventures in the outdoors, whether they are camping, watching the sunset, swimming in the lakes and more.
Their spontaneity shone bright throughout their wedding plans as a very wet forecast had us start looking to plan Bs! Marian and Karl were game to change plans however was necessary and opted to get married on the same day they flew in to Queenstown, as it had the best weather and only chance of getting us out to their incredible choice of locations. Luckily, their handful of family and friends were able to change their flights to arrive early and join us for the heli wedding adventure, too!
Eager beavers to get married and start adventuring, we collected the pair from their accomodation and went down to the lakefront while waiting on our check-in time at the helicopters. We knew these two were all in once we saw their boots and Doc Martens, and had them leaping over flooded jetties just moments into their wedding! Marian also had a beautifully delicate lace dress and a bold raspberry everlasting bouquet from Floral Smith that looked so cool against her black Docs.
We hopped in the helicopter to our first location, the stunning Lochnagar with clear, aqua waters to get Marian and Karl married with their VIPs as witness. Mother Nature held it all together for us and the lake was wonderfully clear, allowing us to capture some reflections on the water and just enjoying the sunshine and beauty of it all. For our next stop, we headed to the breath-taking and often elusive Tutoko Glacier. Being so far out on the West Coast and at such an altitude, it is often shrouded in cloud or exposed to higher winds, so it was magic to be up there in the sunshine with almost no breeze. The newly-weds made the most of it and blissfully celebrated each other, racing through the snow, soaking it all up and having a serious snow fight-turned-wrestle.
Congratulations again Marian and Karl!! We were so thrilled to have this amazing window of weather and thank you again for being all in to make it happen your way, whatever it took. Wishing you both loads of continued adventures, happiness and love xxx
Our Team
A big "thank you" to our team of Queenstown wedding suppliers that helped bring Marian & Karl's heli wedding to life 🙂
Celebrant – Philippa Thomas
Hair – Hair To Wed
Makeup – Eve Makeup Artistry
Florist - Floral Smith
Helicopter – Heliworks
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Queenstown weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Sophie + Hamish | Lochnagar Vintage Hut Wedding
Sophie and Hamish zeroed in on the vintage hut at Lochnagar for their wedding adventure. An original hiker's shelter, it is absolutely full of charm and is located picture perfectly on the shores of the beautiful alpine lake. Not wanting to have to wait for and plan a big wedding, these two chose to focus ourself on each other and have the intimate, authentic and romantic wedding that they really wanted.
A troublesome forecast led us to push the wedding back to the following morning and our patience was rewarded with blue skies and sunny weather - Lochnagar was looking pristine! With the early rise, we had time for a sweet First Look in the garden of Sophie and Hamish's accommodation before jumping in the chopper. On arrival in this essentially untouched part of the world, it was just breath-taking and Sophie and Hamish were more than ready to get hitched!
We honestly couldn't keep the smiles of these two awesome human's faces and had such a fun morning with constant jokes, laughter and newly-weds who were up for anything. Sophie was even happy to ditch her gorgeous Loeffler Randall heels to jump up onto a massive boulder for some awesome photos - before sharing a swig of Lochnagar whiskey with her new hubby!
Congratulations again, Sophie and Hamish!! Big ups for being so keen for an adventure and a good time, we know that you both have os much fun, love and laughter to look forward to in all your beautiful years ahead :) xx
Our Team
Thank you so much to our wicked team of Queenstown wedding suppliers for helping bring Sophie and Hamish's wedding to life, out to our favourite vintage hut at Lochnagar!! 🙂
Celebrant – Philippa Thomas
Hair – Hair To Wed
Makeup – Eve Makeup Artistry
Florist - Orange Blossom Designs
Dress - Celine Rita
Shoes - Loeffler Randall
Helicopter – Alpine Heli
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Queenstown weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Andrea + Jim | Twin Peaks + Lochnagar Mountain Wedding
Andrea and Jim chose to celebrate their wedding true to them, eloping to the mountains of Twin Peaks and Lochnagar. They fell in love with the idea of a Mountain Wedding and with family back home in Ireland, promised to have a celebration when borders re-open to help sweeten the idea. Andrea and Jim also had some special touches from loved ones while they were getting ready, including a golden snitch locked filled with photos of loved ones and video calls to family in the morning.
Once these two were dressed and ready, Jim saw Andrea for the first time in her dress before we jetted off to the airport. We flew out to the pristine Twin Peaks to get these two married, with panoramic views out to the lake, valley and mountains. Philippa incorporated a traditional Celtic hand-fasting in the ceremony as another nod to Andrea and Jim's roots and soon enough these two had tied the knot and were married! We adventured around Twin Peaks, enjoying the grand vistas out towards Mt Aspiring and the awesome rocky edge over the valley.
Time flies when you're having fun and soon enough we were flying out to Lochnagar. The flight itself is incredible and filled with awesome views over the region. Landing at the alpine lake we were all in love with the gorgeous colours of the water and the impressive mountain ranges surrounding us. With cake and champagne to celebrate the occasion, it couldn't have gotten much better!! White Rabbit Cakes made a pink champagne and berries cake that was a delicious combination of light, refreshing and sweet - ideal for the hot summer's day! Before long it was time to head back to Wanaka for dinner at the fantastic Bistro Gentil but first, we got to seal the deal with the newly-weds signatures - woohoo!!
A huge congratulations from us again, Andrea and Jim! We loved spending the day with you both and were so privileged to witness your infectious love, infatuation and joy for each other and life! We know you'll do amazing things together and wish you both all the joy and luck in the world xx
Our Team
Thank you times a million to our amazing team of Wanaka wedding suppliers for helping create Andrea and Jim's Twin Peaks and Lochnagar Mountain Wedding!! 🙂
Celebrant – Philippa Thomas
Hair – Absolutely Fabulous Hair
Makeup – Janine Joseph Makeup
Florist - Crimson Wedding Flowers
Cake - White Rabbit Cakes
Helicopter – Alpine Heli
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Wanaka weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Nari + Kei | Twin Peaks Wedding
Nari and Kei eloped to Wanaka with a wedding at the stunning Twin Peaks. Early summer often sees those gorgeous, long and hot days and their wedding day was no different! We spent a bit of time hanging out with Nari and Kei at their Queenstown accommodation, capturing some precious wedding details like their classic Tiffany wedding bands and Nari's beautiful heels. Luckily Nari also had some cute white sneakers for the mountain!! We set up a cute First Look on the balcony overlooking Queenstown, before heading over to Lake Wanaka. Nari is a seamstress so hand-made her own dress - we loved how timeless and elegant it was, while Kei was looking as equally dapper in a stylish navy suit.
With hardly a breeze at ground level, we whisked over the lake while enjoying views of the Clutha River, Albert Town, Dublin Bay and Coromandel Peak. Luckily for us, we were given a whisper of wind up on the peak to help cool us all down. In the meantime, Nari and Kei were so full of joy and excitement to get married that it was just infectious! After the ceremony, we ventured around to a rocky shelf that makes for some very cool drama before enjoying the views of Mt Aspiring and the valley. On the way back to Queenstown, we stopped at a couple of spots on the Crown Range to capture the last of the Lupins and enjoy the view of the Wakatipu Basin.
Congratulations again, Nari and Kei! We had so much fun hanging out with you both and wish you loads of joy, laughter and adventure for all your beautiful years to come xx
Our Team
Thanks so much to our awesome team of Wanaka wedding suppliers that helped bring Nari & Kei's Twin Peaks wedding to life 🙂
Celebrant – Philippa Thomas
Florist - Crimson Wedding Flowers
Helicopter – Alpine Helicopters
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Wanaka weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Wanaka wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Steph + Abi | Coromandel Peak Elopement
Steph and Abi are two beautiful souls who went looking for a beautiful place to get married and once they saw photos of Coromandel Peak, were sold on the idea of an elopement. Being super laid back and chill, they didn't need a big wedding and would rather spend their time together adventuring, kayaking and cycling so that's exactly what their wedding and honeymoon turned into. We were lucky enough to have a day of sunshine in the middle of a stormy week for Steph and Abi to get married and it couldn't have turned out any better!
Steph had a colourful and happy bouquet of wildflowers made by The Green Room Flower Co that are now on their way to the Botanic Press to create a forever frame and we can't wait to see the result! Abi donned a fedora for a super stylish yet casual look while Steph wore a gorgeous gown and her favourite jewellery. Getting ready together meant we had time up our sleeves to explore the shoreline of Lake Wanaka, looking out to where they were about to tie the knot!
Before long we were heading up in the chopper to get Steph and Abi married before celebrating and adventuring around the iconic spot overlooking the lake and mountains. Coromandel Peak in summer sure is beautiful, with the golden grasses, warmth radiating up and sweet birdsong from the resident starling and finches that keep us company up there.
Congratulations again, Steph and Abi! We were so excited to get you both married and spend the day smiling, laughing and exploring with you both. We can't wait to see your keepsake bouquet and
xx
Our Team
A big hug and thank you to our awesome team of Wanaka wedding vendors that helped us create magic for Steph & Abi's elopement at Coromandel Peak 🙂
Celebrant – Philippa Thomas
Hair & Makeup - SKP Makeup
Florist - The Green Room Flower Company
Helicopter – Alpine Helicopters
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Wanaka weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Wanaka wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Michelle + Herbi | Twin Peaks + Dragonfly Peak Elopement
Michelle and Herbi planned an epic elopement to Twin Peaks and Dragonfly Peak in Wanaka. It was our last wedding for the year 2020 and boy, it was a ripper! We had sunshine and blue skies with a touch of a brisk wind, which honestly was a welcome change from the sweltering days leading up to it.
The 12th of the 12th saw us meeting these two sweethearts at their Wanaka accommodation for a First Look moment. Michelle helped Herbi to get ready and then disappeared and re-emerged from their Air BnB in a stunning dress. Afterwards, we head off to Alpine Helicopters where our helicopter was waiting to whisk us up to the mountains! We had the ceremony at Twin Peaks followed by plenty of fun moments, all the while these two were soaking up the fews they had been dreaming of for a while!
From Twin Peaks, we continued on to Dragonfly Peak. The altitude and aspect meant that wind had a little more oomph behind it so Michelle donned Herbi's jacket to keep the goosebumps away! The panoramic views up here are just breath-taking and the outlook over to Mt Aspiring is just dreamy. There was a little snow left behind, so ample opportunity for a snow fight for the newlyweds before cuddling up to get warm again!
The biggest congratulations from us again, Michelle and Herbi! It was such a pleasure getting to meet you both, help you get married and celebrate with so much adventure! We wish you all of the love, luck and continued adventure in the world xx
Our Team
Thank you so much to our brilliant team of Wanaka wedding suppliers that helped us in creating Michelle & Herbi's Twin Peaks elopement 🙂
Celebrant – Sarah Noble
Hair & Makeup - Road To Beauty
Florist - Crimson Wedding Flowers
Helicopter – Alpine Helicopters
Videography - Woven Images
Accommodation - Stoneridge Estate
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Wanaka weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Wanaka wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz
Sam + Andrew | Queensberry Photo Book
Sam and Andrew eloped on Coromandel Peak in Wanaka on a breezy but beautiful day. Flying with Aspiring Helicopters meant we headed to Glendhu Bay and Wanaka-Mt Aspiring Road for some ground photos on the way to check in. We love this part of Wanaka and it makes for some really diverse and gorgeous landscapes to feature in your wedding photos. Up on the mountain, the subtle breeze encouraged Sam's veil to dance along the wind at ideal moments for that romantic windswept but playful shot.
We decided to create Queensberry's new Photo Book to include in our studio samples, as the Photo Book is a little more cost friendly plus the lighter paper stock allows us to include even more pages and thus even more photos! The print quality for the photos is incredible and you can choose between Tintoretto, Matte or Satin stock. So for those of you struggling to narrow down your favourite photos, this can be a good option to consider. Being a photo book does mean that the pages aren't bound in the same way as the traditional albums, so pages will naturally be more buoyant though once it is yours, you are very welcome to press down along the spine to help flatten the pages more if you prefer. Another detail we love about the Photo Books is the ability to have designable canvas as your cover, with your favourite photo wrapping around the album itself. For our sample though, we chose to go with a vibrant linen as we find the combination of ivy/forest green with gold to be a timeless but modern and gorgeous look.
Some of the finer details:
14x10" Queensberry Photo Book
Matte light paper stock
Vibrant linen cover in "ivy"
Cover names embossed with gold foil in the script "Windsong"
Thank you to the amazing team at Queensberry for creating this for us!
Lisa + Jens | The Remarkables + Vanguard Peak | Queenstown Mountain Elopement
Lisa and Jens thought it would be a great idea to seal the deal with an elopement on top of a mountain in Queenstown. And we couldn't really agree more, right?! They are adventurers who love to have fun AND Covid-19 happened to mean their families were a world away from them in Belgium. After a pretty comprehensive study of all the locations we fly to, the pair settled on The Remarkables and Vanguard Peak, which gave us lots of variety between big open vistas, lake views, grassy and rocky areas, mountain and valley views plus a little bit of snow!
We started the day at their accommodation to capture a few details involved with their story; like Lisa's All-Star chucks, which are a girl's best friend on the mountain (not heels)! Jens had an awesome mountain-inspired wedding band and Steph from Orange Blossom Designs created a colourful, wild-flower inspired bouquet and buttonhole for the pair. So we had a sweet first look down by the lake before jumping in the chopper for our double mountain adventure.
Lisa and Jens are childhood sweethearts and having grown up, studied and travelled the world together, their connection, joy and love was instantly apparent. Completely upbeat with a smile and laughter waiting to break out at any moment - their energy is tangible even through the still moments that we captured. Whether it was a cheeky bum grab, jokes, reminiscing, hopes for the future, mischievous comments, a fiery sunset dance or the most epic champagne pop - these two were ready to create memories and magic up in the mountains and we all had so much fun :)
CONGRATS on your wedding, Lisa and Jens! We are so happy for you both and hope that you made memories to last a lifetime. Wishing you loads more adventures, love, colour and sunsets for your futures together xx
Our Team
Thanks to our all-star team of Queenstown wedding suppliers that came together for Lisa & Jens' mountain elopement 🙂
Celebrant – Charlotte Winkel - Your Big Day
Hair – Hair To Wed
Makeup – Eve Makeup Artistry
Flowers – Orange Blossom Designs
Helicopter – Heliworks
Photography by us – Williams Photography
If you like what you see, you can scroll through some more Queenstown weddings here, or contact us if you would like to plan your own Queenstown wedding!
If you want to stay up to date with more of our work, like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @mountainweddings_nz