A Backyard Waihi Wedding Full of Love, Laughter, and a Little Chaos
S+S’s beautiful backyard wedding in Waihi will always hold a special place in my heart — not just because it was stunning and heartfelt, but because it was the very first wedding I had the honour of capturing.
The day began at 9:30am at the hair salon, where the girls were treated to a relaxed and laughter-filled morning of hair and makeup. Spirits were high, music was playing, and the nerves hadn’t quite kicked in yet.
From there, we headed back to S’s family home, where the real buzz of the day began. As the dress was carefully zipped and final touches made, the pace picked up. Then came the moment that none of us expected…
S’s dad had lost the keys to the wedding car. Cue nine of us running around the property, checking cars, bags, jacket pockets – everywhere. Sadly, no luck! But in true wedding day fashion, we improvised. Luckily, there were two wedding cars. So S and the bridesmaids jumped into one, and the Mother of the Bride came back to pick up the flower girls and Father of the Bride.
We arrived at the ceremony 25 minutes late… and if that wasn’t enough, the wrong music played and we had to fix that before they could walk down the isle. But despite the hiccups, none of it could take away from the love, emotion, and pure joy that followed.
Set in her brother’s backyard, the ceremony was intimate and meaningful – full of heartfelt vows, proud parents, and misty eyes. After the “I do’s,” we celebrated with family portraits and then took a drive to the historic Battery in the gorge, where we captured bridal party and couple portraits.
The celebrations wrapped up at the RSA, where heartfelt speeches filled the room with laughter and love. Many beautiful stories were shared, each one painting a picture of the journey that led to this day. The evening ended with the cake cutting—complete with a cheeky moment when S playfully smeared frosting on the flower girl's nose. It was honest, full of emotion, and the perfect close to a truly unforgettable day.
Here’s what S+S shared with me afterward:
So I knew that when we planned our wedding that we had to get the right photographer because although you have a million memories of the day it is the photos that bring it to life!
As soon as we had set a date and confirmed where it was going to be there was no doubt in my mind who I would have!
Well, she outdid herself once again. From keeping me calm in the lead up to the wedding, to making me laugh, to completely keeping my sanity when my Dad lost his keys!
To when the music wasn't right, to making us all laugh at our photos after.
Mel and Tim were the most amazing pair of people.
If you are after a well priced, energetic and loving photographer she is your girl.
I will honestly treasure these photos all my life, especially the ones of me and my Dad 🥰
I am so pleased we went with you Mel and just so thankful in your guys help throughout making the day so special.
This day wasn’t perfect in the traditional sense — but in every other way, it truly was.
And I’ll forever be grateful that this was the wedding that started my journey into wedding photography.
📸 See more images from this day on my Instagram and full gallery highlights below!
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"The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do."