Flowerbomb - Styled Wildflower shoot with Hawke's Bay wedding vendors
As a Hawke’s Bay wedding photographer, I get to be creative just about every weekend between spring and autumn as the region’s reputation as one of the best wedding destinations in New Zealand continues to grow. But sometimes it’s good for the soul to take time out of being creative for other people and do something personal. Every spring morning I walk along the Napier coastline near my studio and think ‘one day I must do a styled shoot among all these beautiful wildflowers’.
Well, one day finally came and with the help of a fabulous group of top Hawke’s Bay wedding vendors and our beautiful models, Georgia and Jimmy, here’s what we all created together. We hope you enjoy this shoot as much as we did creating it!
Editorial weddings have been looking pretty dark and monochrome for a few years, so I wanted this shoot to remind everyone just how fabulous bright and bold can be at a wedding.
The flowers were always going to be the heroes of this shoot I’d dubbed ‘The Flowerbomb’ and Hannah and Rachel at Bloom Bouquets in Napier took their cue from Mother Nature and went crazy with the colour. I also thought it was about time the Groom stepped out of his support role and took centre stage as well, so I encouraged the team at Alexander’s On Tennyson to create some looks that were fresh, colourful but still suited a relaxed garden wedding aesthetic. Teamed with a beautifully simple, contemporary gown from RSVP Couture in Hastings and an old velvet chair I picked up at auction years ago, we were all set to play.
While Abby Schofield was crimping hair and Candice Dear was sticking crystals to Georgia’s dusky-pink eye makeup, the truck from Flagship Events arrived to drop off their custom teak tables and chairs and were followed by top NZ wedding stylist, Miss Frou Frou, with box loads of delicious tableware.
As the scene slowly came together, I was reminded of what I used to feel like as a little girl dressing up dolls and playing with my tiny china tea set. I know everyone in my life is sick of hearing me say this, but seriously….I really can’t think of anything in the entire universe I’d rather do for fun (or a job!) than work with a bunch of wildly creative people to make beautiful wedding photography in endlessly sunny Hawke’s Bay.
After playtime with the California Poppies and Red Valerian wildflowers, we cruised down the coastline a bit to capture the bright yellow Gazania daisies in full swing with the Pacific Ocean behind them. These bashful little beauties tuck up tight at the hint of a breeze or the approach of bedtime so they didn’t deliver quite what I had in my imagination but the stormy dark skies behind some bright, end-of-day light provided the magic to finish off what was a sweet little dream turned into reality for me.
POST SCRIPT…
One of the absolute best things about the Hawke’s Bay wedding industry is how tight we all are. Although we all mostly work alone, we come together at our weddings to combine our creativity in a really collaborative way. And because Hawke’s Bay hosts top-shelf weddings for couples who come from across the country (and sometimes the world!) we have some of the most skilled and passionate people you’re likely to find anywhere on earth.
Thanks to everyone in the team who trusted my vision and then blew it out of the park for this styled shoot. You can check them out below. And big thanks to Georgia and Jimmy who accepted a random friend request on Facebook and then put up with all the winks and nudges about what a gorgeous couple they’ll make at their real wedding…one day very, very soon, right, Jimmy?!
THE DREAM TEAM:
Flowers: Hannah & Rachel at Bloom Boquets, Napier
Hair: Abby Schofiled
Makeup: Candice Dear
Gown: RSVP Bridal Couture, Hastings
Suits: Alexander’s On Tennyson, Napier
Tables & Chairs: Flagship Events
Tableware & styling: Miss Frou Frou
