I photograph weddings at The Red Barn in Karapiro pretty regularly in the wedding season, multiple times a year, and somehow no two weddings there ever end up feeling the same.

Kerry and Ashley’s was SO much fun.

These two had one of those wedding days where there was constantly something happening. A very entertaining wedding party, an outdoor ceremony, gorgeous florals, personalised little details, a cat making itself part of the getting-ready photos, an outdoor first dance and one heck of a sunset.

Basically, my camera did not get much of a rest.

And underneath all of that, they were just so bloody happy to be marrying each other. Which is always my favourite part.

Getting ready before heading to The Red Barn

The morning started with everyone getting ready, and this is always when I start getting a feel for what kind of day we’re about to have.

There are the obvious things I’ll photograph. The dress, jewellery, flowers and all the details you’ve spent months choosing. But I’m also watching everything happening around them.

People coming in and out of rooms. Mum helping with something. Someone inevitably trying to work out how a buttonhole works. Friends laughing in the background. And in Kerry’s case, a very cute cat who quite rightly assumed the photographer had arrived specifically for them.

Those little things might not have been written into the wedding timeline, but they’re often the photographs that make the story feel like yours.

An outdoor ceremony at The Red Barn

Kerry and Ashley held their ceremony outside at The Red Barn surrounded by their friends and family.

I’ve photographed a lot of weddings here over the years, and one of the things I really like about The Red Barn is that once everyone arrives, you don’t need to go anywhere else.

You’re not getting married and then immediately loading twelve people into cars to drive half an hour away for photographs. We can do family photos, wedding party photos and your portraits around the property while your guests settle into the afternoon.

Which means more wedding, less logistics. Always a win.

Wedding photos without disappearing for half the day

After the ceremony, we headed down the famous drive way for Kerry and Ashley’s wedding party photos and portraits.

Their wedding party were hilarious, so there was absolutely no chance this was going to become half an hour of everyone standing silently in a perfectly straight line.

We still got the photographs your parents and grandparents want on their walls, of course. But there was also plenty of laughing, movement and everyone actually being themselves.

That’s generally how I approach this part of a wedding day. I’ll give you direction when you need it, fix the things you can’t see, find the good light and keep everything moving, but I’m not interested in turning your wedding into one enormous photoshoot (unless of course, that is what you want).

You’ve got a party to get back to.

And then THAT sunset

Later in the evening, the light started doing very good things, so I grabbed Kerry and Ashley and we ducked back outside.

And this is one of the reasons I will always keep half an eye on the sky during dinner.

You don’t need another hour-long portrait session at sunset. Most of the time I only want you for about 15 minutes. Long enough to make the most of completely different light, get some beautiful photographs and send you straight back to your guests.

For Kerry and Ashley, it was 100% worth going back out.

The Waikato countryside around The Red Barn can be ridiculously good in that last bit of evening light, and on this particular day it absolutely delivered.

Taking the first dance outside

Kerry and Ashley also took their first dance outside, surrounded by everyone they loved.

And I LOVED this.

Instead of being separated from their guests in the middle of a big room, everyone gathered around the dance floor square outdoors and it became this really fun, connected part of the evening.

It’s also why I love staying into the reception. Once speeches are finished, dinner is disappearing and everyone relaxes a little, the photographs change again.

Hair isn’t necessarily where it started. Jackets disappear. Shoes may or may not still be involved. People stop noticing me quite so much. Or they start asking me for photos, which is an absolute win.

That’s when we get some of the really fun stuff.

Getting married at The Red Barn?

If you’re planning your own wedding at The Red Barn in Karapiro, there’s a pretty decent chance I’ll be back there several times this season.

I’ve photographed the venue in sunshine, rain, different seasons and with completely different wedding-day timelines. I know the property well, but I never want your photographs to look like I’ve simply repeated what I did there last weekend.

That’s the nice thing about knowing a venue really well. I already know where we can go, how the light behaves and what our options are if the weather decides to throw a tantrum. Then we can make decisions based on your wedding, the light we’ve actually got and what you two want to be doing.

Because yes, I want you to have bloody beautiful wedding photos.

But I also want you to actually attend your wedding.

Poppy Wortman Celebrant
Astra Bridal
Florist Ilene
Tarocash
Artistry By Alice
Clarette fx Beauty
Josh Stowers, Mix Masters DJ & MC
The Red Barn