Hi guys!
On Friday night, we finished photographing Kevin & Patricia’s wedding at Sarnia Park, and headed over the hills to the beautiful beach town of Ohope – just past Whakatane.
After a quick stop at Flying Burrito Brothers in Tauranga (best Mexican food out!) – we had arrived, and eagerly anticipated the arrival of morning.
With the daylight… came the rain. Only the odd shower throughout the morning – we were hopeful. However – the severe weather warnings had us a little concerned… as Ohope doesn’t have much other than beach!
In the morning, we arranged use of a few wet weather spots around the town… just in case. Lucky we did.. because it definitely came in handy later on!
We stopped in at the Salon & chatted to Mish, and met her lovely bridesmaids.. and after a few shots, we headed around to the motel to see Grant.
He was busy getting ready… watched carefully by his shadow..
He was also helped out on the day by his brother & sister – groomsman & groomsmaid respectively 
A little note from Michelle…
And we were then off to see the girls.
By looking at a couple of these details.. you can already see that Mish had decided to do something a bit unique… the beautiful flax bouquet & black Chucks…
Culminating in her GORGEOUS black wedding dress!!
The black fascinator was 4th time lucky, so anyone needing a birdcage veil, I know someone with 3 spares!! 
I love the way the light is hitting her eyes here – just perfect.
By this point, the boys had left for the ceremony, and we had shot about every angle we could in one motel room! So, despite a little showering of rain, we headed quickly out for a few outdoor shots before the car arrived..
Down at the Ohope Golf Club, the ceremony had been moved into the reception room, and the guests were awaiting the arrival. Down the aisle to Metallica ‘Nothing Else Matters’ – which fit perfectly.
I have to admit – I was really really hoping to be able to show you an image now, of everyone’s faces the first time they saw Mish – aghast that she was wearing a BLACK wedding dress…. but alas… no-one put on a suitably shocked expression for us!! I think that it just *fit* so well that no-one seemed to give it a second thought. Which I like.
Grant did get his sister Lucy crying during his vows though…
Afterwards, people had some time to come & pass on their congratulations..
Usually, I don’t tend to blog family / group photos… as we’re trying to save as much space as possible for the bridal party location shots… but I know this one will be appreciated by many. These are some of Mish’s friends who traveled from across NZ to celebrate with them – weddings.co.nz eat your heart out!
By this time, it was absolutely BUCKETING down… and we had just over an hour to go play photos. In the rain. And fading light.
First stop – a gorgeous little shop advertising ‘floral design and objects of desire’…. Ruby Dunes, in Ohope.
Who were closed.
Damn.
I peeked in the window, and saw the owner just switching off the lights & about to leave. A guilty knock on the door, my best puppy dog face, and we had 15 minutes of extra time that she so graciously remained behind for & let us use her shop.
Thanks again to Ruby Dunes – go to Ohope, go to their shop, and buy something. Coz they’re lovely. They also have a florist based there, so do wedding flowers & the like
So.. the rain had somewhat eased, and we decided to try our luck at the beach.
Down a set of cool sandbag steps, and onto the wet sand – where we quickly became progressively soggier…
It was now properly raining – so I ran all the way back to the car to get umbrellas… and then realized that I didn’t have the keys.
So I ran back again, and Amber took a turn – this time successful, and returned bearing umbrellas!
As we left the beach, we took the chance for a few epic sky shots on the dunes – using some lighting.
It was so wet by now – you can’t see it properly at this resolution – but zoomed in @ 100% size, you can see Grant & Michelle’s skin glistening & streaming water, their clothes getting wetter… but they took it all in their stride, and it resulted in some great shots!
Last stop – the wharf – where (thankful for small mercies) the rain had driven away the usual crowds of fishermen, leaving it deserted.
As the wind picked up – blowing umbrellas inside out…
We sought shelter under a nearby overhang – where we finished up for the day..
So there you have it – when Grant & Michelle went and played in the rain!
It was 100% down to what they made of it… with such adverse weather conditions, it would have been easy to get disheartened, or to decide that it wasn’t worth getting wet, so good on them for making the most of everything & just having fun – it really shines through.
Later on, back at the reception, it was still raining .. (surprise!) … and we decided to have a play with a shot we’ve been wanting to do for ages.
Inspired by Australian master photographer Jerry Ghionis … we wanted to get a cool backlit rain shot. Our mate Mike Hill has been rocking them recently too – and we’ve just been hanging out for the combination of it being raining + dark at a wedding so we could give it a try. This was our first chance… and the following image is essentially straight out of camera – that’s just how it looked on the back of the screen!
Thanks to Aaron (Mrs. E’s husband) for helping us hold the lights!
^^ And thanks to Grant & Mish for putting up with our geeky photographer whims & getting back out into the elements, again.
If you’ve enjoyed these images, head over and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with our latest creations.
It was a fantastic wedding – we had so much fun with you guys. Thanks for coming out & playing in the rain with us – and for having so much fun while doing so.
We are so stoked that you entrusted us to capture these memories of your day Enjoy the images – and many more to come soon.
Isaac & Amber.
