Jamie-Lee & Rudi Whitley-Sua
28.01.23
Herekino, Northland, New Zealand
With rain bucketing down in the north, roads closed, surface flooding and homes & businesses damaged… who would have thought that come Saturday Ahipara and Hekerino in the far north would treat us to a gloriously sunny day!
Despite good friends being unable to make it through from Auckland, the wedding went full steam ahead “As long as the photographer can make it - we are going ahead” said Jamie! And boy did I make it - I had contingencies on my contingencies to make the trek from Whangarei to Herekino.
This was my first trip to Ahipara, and wow is it a special spot!! Picture your favourite Northland beach, and then match that with the undisturbed and rural feeling of the Far North. Jamie and her mother, bridesmaids and children were getting ready in the funkiest waterfront bach, with floor to ceiling doors overlooking the water. We had the girls painting each others nails, and make up and hair being done while sharing a mimosa or two!
Jamie decided in lock-down to make her own wedding dress!!! No prior experience necessary right?! So with the help of her beautiful mumma, Jamie created her dream lace wedding dress that suited her to a tee! And so it should - being sewed into it the morning of, as opposed to the more traditional, zipping up the back of the dress. 🙂
The ceremony was held at Rudi’s family home. <3 A special place for this whānau with a forever open door and lots of love. X Family and friends watched on as we waited for the bridal party to arrive… Jamie and Rudi shared their vows, and after a lil incident with the rings, they were united in marriage! They walked back down the aisle with their children amidst dried rose petals, before being inundated with hugs and kisses from all of the family!
After a big group photo and some smaller special family units, we took off to the Eco Retreat to “borrow” their breathtaking driveway for some full bridal party images. The colours were stunning and the maunga in the background made for some majestic images….
Nothing though can beat the next photo location on meaning … atop the mountain forest road, used to access the neighbouring beach for fishing, Jamie, Rudi and I drove for some final photos of just the two of them. This was where Rudi proposed to Jamie… so it was only fitting to return and capture them as newly married husband and wife!
Returning to the Herekino Community Hall to family and friends, we were treated to tales of Jamie and Rudi growing up, and the love they have and share with each other and their children. <3 As always with a Northland wedding the kai was top tier, with the best fried bread I have ever had… just sayin… :) We danced the night away, cut some cake, and danced some more. We made friends and some beautiful memories. <3 The cake was gorgeous btw - with Jamie not knowing what it was going to look like until she saw it with everyone else. Her mum had taken care of organising the cake, with Jamie's only request being dried flowers! And talk about nailing the brief!
Thank you Jamie, Rudi and family for having me join this intimate moment in your lives. These are the moments we live for! And I will remember this wedding and sharing this day with you forever. x