Brad and Poppy's Hobbiton Movie set wedding
What an amazing day Brad and Poppy had at Hobbiton Movie set a few weeks ago, family had travelled from the other side of the world to be there on their special day and celebrate these two getting married, typically New Zealand lived up to its Land of the Long white Cloud reputation and it poured down… .. but it would take more than a bit of rain to stop these two from having the most amazing day, What a day.. and what an amazing couple… Huge thankyou to the epic staff at Hobbiton movies set that looked after us n the day !
Celebrant Marry Me Chloe
Florist Pippins at Forget Me not Florist
Hair and Make up Alex Penton Artistry
venue Hobbiton Movie set Matamata
Photography Clare Gordon Photography
The wedding of Toby and Sophie Hunua falls camp Auckland
When Toby and Sophie first contacted me regarding their wedding at Hunua Falls Campground I jumped for joy, it had been a while since I was last there capturing a couple’s big day, one that lead to me photographing many of their friend’s weddings and family photos over the years so it holds a special part of my heart and I was delighted when Toby and Sophie booked me.
It was such a privilege to be part of this wedding, Toby and Sophie are such a fabulous laid-back couple who welcomed me into their day with such warmth and made me feel more of a guest than the wedding photographer.
On the day I set off to Auckland hoping the dark moody skies would stay like that and wouldn’t produce any rain for us so the ceremony could be held in the beautiful forest setting at Hunua campground where the stream runs along the side for a magical setting for the ceremony. We were in luck, the sun even made an appearance here and there for us before hiding behind the clouds at the end of the day.
Toby and Sophie, thank you so much for inviting me to be part of your day and making me feel so welcome, I wish you all the very best for your future together!
Here are a few images from the day., Enjoy!
Tim and Hannah Ruapuke Beach Engagement
I absolutely love Ruapuke and the west coast beached for thier black volcanic sands and the wild untamed natural landscapes, it just speaks to my heart and soul so when Tim and Hannah booked for an engagement shoot and said how much they loved it out there, I jumped a the chance to to head out one evening and capture some photos for them. The weather was perfect with the most amazing light towards to the end of the shoot and had so much fun … Ruapuke did not disappoint….!!
James and Clare Raglan beach maternity session
Anyone that has followed my photography for a while knows how much I love photographing weddings, families and maternity sessions out at Raglan beach, Evening shoots at sunset can bring the most gorgeous soft dreamy light and I simply love it when clients just like James and Clare come to me wanting maternity photos and let themselves be guided by me as to time and location of the shoot and Clare chose the stunning golden gown from my collection to wear and carefully consulting with me as to James wardrobe and how to match his outfit with the gown…. and arriving at our chosen meet up spot in plenty of time so we could touch base and chat…. I simply cant wait to meet back up with these guys soon once baby has arrived for their in home lifestyle baby shoot with family traveling from the UK to meet the new arrival.. !
Raglan beach and the amazing golden sunsets. Just dreamy !
The Wedding of Shaun and Taylor, Hobbiton Movie set Matamata
I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again… I Love photographing weddings at Hobbiton movie set matamata.. the staff are amazing and the movie set is divine offering the most perfect backdrops for wedding and bridal photos and finishing off in The Green dragon with a banquet meal so good it would fill even the hungriest of Hobbits after going on a long adventure to far away lands !!
Shaun and Taylor and family and friends flew in from Australia to have their special day at Hobbiton movie set and I was lucky enough to be there to capture the day for them, and Wow what a day it was… this couple and their epic bridal party were so much fun , full of laughter and determined to have the best of times despite the torrential rain that turned up just as we got to Hobbiton and pretty much stayed with us through the ceremony and into the bridal party photos and only clearing later in the day…
Huge thanks to the staff at Hobbiton for trying to keep me dry through the day and looked after
@Kyle McKay Celebrant
@Blades Hair design Matamata
All photography by me!. Clare Gordon.photography
The wedding of Dan and Cassie | The Red Barn | Waikato
What can I say… this was an incredibly special wedding for me to be part of and I cant put into words how grateful and humble I am to have been part of the day…….Dan and Cassie had the most wedding-perfect day, I started with Cassie and her bridesmaids and family at fabulous accommodation with the most stunning Lake Karapiro views from the balcony, everyone was super relaxed and looking forward to the day, the weather was perfect, and we couldn’t have asked for better !! After I had captured the bride getting ready we all headed off to the Red Barn where the guest and groom were waiting for the ceremony and reception,
The Red Barn staff ensured everything went off smoothly throughout the day and kept everyone well-fed and hydrated in the heat and sent us off for photos with our own hampers of goodies to make sure everyone was looked after while we were out getting some fab captures around the stunning property that is the Red Barn,
Once we had finished we headed back to the reception for a scrumptious dinner before heading back out into the fields at sunset for a seriously dreamy photoshoot with the couple as the sun dipped behind the hills and then headed back in for some of the most hilarious speeches i’ve heard in a long time..!
Some absolutely brilliant memories were made at this wedding …. Thanks so much to both families for welcoming both myself and my second shoot into your homes once again with such genuine warmth and love, XXXXXXX
Raglan Beach Elopement Wedding of Tiarnan and Michaela
Well I think elopement weddings have my heart they really do, especially when the elopement wedding is held on the beach at Raglan beach , well Ngarunui beach to be precise… with its black volcanic sand and towering cliffs and a sea that seems to change its colour from greens to blue every time you look at it, the way the light hits the hills , its just such a breath taking coastline , full of drama and ever changing it just pulls at your heart with a longing …… And it had the same effect on Tiarnan four years ago when he came here from North Ireland and came out to Raglan on a surfing trip…little did he know that he would meet the love of his life Michaela who was also a long way from her home of Boston USA and four years later would be married on that very beach…….
When Michaela and Tiarnan first got in touch with me they had thought they wanted a lunchtime ceremony at the beach but after we had a good chat I told them about the light out at Raglan beach later in the day they with out hesitation moved the ceremony to the evening so we could get them some fabulous early evening golden light….. !
Here are just a few from our time…
The Wedding of Dylan and Ashley, Boutique barn, Puhio
The forecast for this weekends wedding was not good, well that’s a bit of an understatement to be honest… It had predicted thunder and lightening and torrential rain and a wet weather plan was organised with the awesome staff at The Boutique barn Puhio having umbrellas ready for us and one of the styled barns ready to go for the ceremony with chandeliers and ornate lighting and beautiful rich warm woods we knew we would be just fine inside but we really had all our fingers and toes crossed that it would hold off for us so Dylan and Ash could get married out side in the most gorgeous ceremony location….. and well … how lucky we were !! although the clouds kept rolling over and threatening a downpour we never actually got one till just after the ceremony and family and guest had had a chance to congratulate the happy couple…even the n it passed and we even mange to get out for some photos for them up the hill…… what a view and well worth the scramble up with gear !!!
Here are just a few from the day !!
The wedding of Sean and Kaity | Hobbiton Movie set | Matamata
The day before Sean and Kaity’s wedding it poured down….. I mean so much rain I thought Hobbiton and the Shire was going to be underwater in parts and began organising wet weather gear again for the cameras and umbrellas to try to keep bags dry and stop gear getting damp and trying to come up with a plan for the photos….. Well, when the next day dawned it was cloudy but no rain and the forecast was for it to stay that way all day and I did breathe a huge sigh of relief…. !!! I did not need to worry as The Shire looked amazing and one of the cool effects of it having rained so hard was how Hobbiton just popped…. the grass was super green and everything was so so vibrant !!
Sean , Kaity and their family and friends had flown in from New York to visit Hobbiton and to have a small ceremony there, and a private tour being huge LOTR fans everyone dressed up for the occasion and in true Hobbit style had a feast prepared by the amazing team at Hobbiton and had an exceptionally good party Here are just a few images from the day,
Enjoy !
The Wedding of Peter and Jennifer, The Red Barn
Well the forecast for last weekend wasn’t good at all and even though we all had our fingers crossed that the forecast would change and those big black rain clouds would clear to just and overcast kinda day, it just wasn’t to be and the rain came down hard and forecast change to heavy rain warning and they were not wrong !! Boy did it rain !! Fortunately for us we were at the epic Red barn for Saturdays wedding and the ceremony was moved indoors so the 130 guests were kept dry and comfortable…
Peter and Jennifer didn’t really care about the rain and the smiles and love and warmth from family loved ones and special guest who had travelled from as far away as Ireland just made it such an epic day !!
Here are just a few form the day….
Congratulations Peter and Jennifer !!
The Wedding of Ben and Katie, The Red Barn
What an epic day !!!! Ben and Katie were married on Saturday at The Red Barn and what fabulous day they had to!!
I started my day with the boys at The Red barn with a quick getting ready photo shoot before heading off to the girls who were not that far away, getting ready at The Rocks accommodation just two minutes away.. they also opted for a first look and all the photos done before the ceremony as they wanted to spend as much time as possible after the ceremony with family and friends and loved ones…..
Here are just a few images from a brilliant day !!
The Wedding of Michael and Aimee, Hobbiton Movie set
Well to say it rained on Saturday would be a bit of an understatement to be honest and as I was driving over to Tauranga in the morning to meet up firstly with Michael for groom prep and then over to Aimee for Bridal prep, the road was like a stream in places and traffic over the Kaimias was slow as we all took our time wanting to get up and over the other side in one piece !!
Here are a few from the the awesome but very wet wedding day of Michael and Aimee… on the plus side The Shire and Yard Flat were the ceremony was held looked really green and bright and the colours just popped in camera !!
Huge thankyou to the Staff at Hobbiton for once again looking after us all so well and carrying gear from place to place and just having it magically appear at The Mill house for the reception was just so good !!
The Wedding of Bevan and Kim, Oreti village resort, Turangi
Bevan and Kim …what can we say…how adorable are these two !!! Love love loved being part of their special day on Saturday at Oreti Village Resort in Turangi…. Such a relaxed couple who took all our advice and suggestions on where to go for photos and how the day would run from a photography point of view…. meeting up for a chat a couple of days before to make sure there were no last minute changes to the plan and that every knew what was happening and when…. Not only were they just epic.. their friends and family welcomed us into the day with such openness with warmth and love that it made our hearts sing… what a way to start the wedding season ….here are just a few pics from the day….. Enjoy !!
Jamie and Shannon | Woodside Estate and Karangahake Gorge Waihi Wedding
I feel like i’ve known Jamie and Shannon for years and in many ways I have as they first booked me for their wedding day over 3 years ago and then the global pandemic hit and our borders closed so family were un able to travel here to be part of the big day and the big day was postponed, not just once but three times !!
Finally with restrictions easing and the borders opening to Australia they were able to lock the big day back in and family were able to travel here to be part of the day….. And what a day they had too, fun relaxed and surrounded by loved ones….. Simply perfect !
Here are just a few from the day.. Huge thanks to epic vendors involved making this day run so smoothly !
Sean and Alice, lake karapiro Wedding
Sean and Alice were married at a stunning property in the hills high above Lake karapiro on the weekend , What a day it was too, and their gorgeous dog Leo was an integral part of the day , just as he was for the engagement photo shoot…. Here are just a few from the day !!
The Wedding of Joel and Journey Te Miro Woolshed
Well after a long wait Joel and journey finally got the day they had been dreaming of and were married at Te Miro Wool shed here in the Waikato, And what a day they had too, absolutely gorgeous weather and even though they had had to make the decision to shorten the day and make alterations to the original plan, they had so much fun and were just super super happy to finally be married .
Venue, @Te Miro Woolshed
Food truck @Lukey J’s
Flowers by @K flower arrangements
James and Valerie, Hobbiton movie Set, Matamata Pre weddng shoot
James and Valerie travelled up from Wellington on Friday and a cruisy 6-hour drive turned into a 10-hour drive thanks to delays and roadworks but that didn’t stop them turning up on Saturday morning at Hobbiton Movie set Matamata with the biggest smiles on their faces and with such enthusiasm ready for their 10 am private photography tour.
The weather was perfect for us so we headed down into the movie set to start their private photo tour and capture some epic memories for them to share.
Thank you so much for choosing me to share your very special day with you!!
The Wedding of Mitchell and Danielle | Narrows landing
Mitchell and Danielle have had to wait a while for this day to happen, their plans of a short engagement went to custard after a certain pesky pandemic put a spanner in the works forcing them to postpone the big day for a while, But the big day did come around and what a fantastic day it was too !!
I started my day at Narrows landing with the bridal party in the gorgeous bridal suite there so we were very lucky to have such an amazing location for the girls to get ready.
The ceremony was held late afternoon in the Conservatory at Narrows landing before whisking them quickly round the grounds and back inside for some creative lighting captures… How gorgeous are these two !!
The Wedding of Matt and Stacey | Nocton Woolshed | Clevedon
What an epic wedding day !! What more can I say…. Nocton woolshed is such a fab spot for a wedding and Matt and Stacey along with their epic friends made sure it was a day to remember, Here are just a few from the day….
Waitomo Glow worm caves engagement shoot
Oh my gosh, what can I say about this epic engagement shoot that I photographed last week at Waitomo here in New Zealand ., When my fab couple first said this is what they wanted , I was so excited, a real challenge in logistics, getting all my gear in the caves and keeping dry, but from a light point of view too !! I set off down to Waitomo last Wednesday and the skies were grey and moody and was really excited about the shoot ahead and had checked all the gear and re checked it about 4 times in the morning and was buzzing to get into the caves.
I met my couple at Spellbound Glow worms and caves tours and we were greeted warmly by Peter our host and guide for the afternoon and soon we were on our way in the tour van off up to the caves across stunning farm land with views for miles.
We soon arrived at the entrance to the caves and unloaded all my gear and were given our hard hats and the adventure began!! Peter was incredibly knowledgeable about the caves and the glow worms and showed us all the best spots on our private tour and even carried my gear for me while I was busy getting getting captures for my couple, And even stopped the van on our way back for me at a gorgeous rocky out crop so I could get some captures of them in the long grass with the sun just starting to set on the hills across the valley, Perfect ending to an epic day !
Here are just a few of my favs, Enjoy !
If you are not sure what you are looking at , these are the bones of an actual Moa.. .. !!!
