Coromandel wedding photographer | Tairua

It was a frosty morning of a very special day that soon will be transformed into a big and very colourful celebration. For now though, there were only two of them, braving through the icy air of a very overcast sunrise on Tairua Ocean Beach. I want to believe that love kept them warm as the clouds kept the sun away from us.

As a local Tairua photographer I shot quite a few big and small weddings here, but this time was very special to me. I had a privilege to capture a different and very fascinating tradition. Moreover, it was an honour to tell as story of two beautiful souls that I’ve known for a few years now. Tairua is a very small community.

It was mid tide and some of the rocks were showing off at the Northern end of Ocean Beach in Tairua. We headed straight there to start. Reet and Mandeep looked simply stunning! The sari was so colourful, full of beads and golden embroidery to glorify the celebration that was ahead of them. But boy, it was heavy! I’m taking my hat off to Reet for making climbing the rocks look so easy. It was not.

Give me these colours and all the sparkles on a daily basis please!

Walking away from static shots, we headed to the beach to tick another compulsory box. If you are ever in Tairua, to have a photo with Summit Paku in the background is an absolute must. I would suggest going for a quick hike to its top as well. We skipped it this time. But here it is, our Maunga (in Te Reo Māori – Mount) in all its glory!

I hoped we would have more time, but it wasn’t getting warmer. We finished off with a few simple yet absolutely beautiful close up portraits. It was a good and very special start to their wedding day. It was good to be a part of it.

If you are planning a wedding on Coromandel, head over to a blog post here.