Adventure
Elopements
Creating the elopement story you’ve always dreamed of.
A quick intro
Let me take a quick moment to introduce myself.
So you’re considering eloping and interested to see who this guy with the camera is. And rightly so. Packing your bags and heading into the unknown and hoping that your elopement day will all fall together as planned is kind of a big deal.
I’m Andy, an adventure elopement photographer, and I work closely with my wife and business partner Lisa to create unforgettable elopement experiences. Home for us is Lake Wānaka, in the South Island of New Zealand, the perfect base for the outdoors with the lakes and mountains at our doorstep. I’ve been photographing weddings since way back in 2008 and have a great understanding of how the dynamics of these days go.
Lisa and I both have one regret when it came to our wedding day, we didn’t listen to our hearts. We even discussed the idea of eloping but back in 2012, it was quite an unknown. We opted for a medium sized backyard wedding which don’t get us wrong, was amazing, however seeing the pure joy on the faces of our elopement couples when it’s just them and the outdoors is a real reflection of ‘yeah, we should have done that’.
Fast forward to today, we get so much happiness in creating these elopement experiences knowing that our couples have taken the steering wheel and truely doing thing their own way. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll get a vow renewal in the same format.
As seen in
So, what exactly is an adventure elopement?
An Adventure Elopement. Think of it as a way of completely re-imagining your wedding day. It is an elopement, so just the two of you. With an celebrant/officiant. However you get to choose your location — is it the shores of Lake Tekapo, or the glaciers behind Queenstown and Wānaka, or amongst the mountains and waterfalls of Iceland? The only limit here is your imagination.
You’ll choose where you’ll stay, and any activities you’ll do around your ceremony. Your day can be as adventurous or relaxed as you like, and we’ll be there to document your story and create art along the way.
As part of our adventure elopements, we’ll include the key services required to make it all happen, as well as work together collaboratively to create your unforgettable experience.
Completely planned and tailored to you
Guidance for the Location of your dreams
Custom timeline for your day
Adventure activities and experiences
“We Had an absolutely fantastic experience with Andy who photographed our elopement. he was calm, down to earth and made us feel totally comfortable when we are not very natural in being photographed. And the photos were amazing! We love all of them! Highly recommend!.”
— Tatum + Greg
Is Eloping right for you?
Absolute simplicity
Let’s compare to a more traditional wedding day. Everything is much simpler and stripped back to the essentials. No guest list, no bridal party, no dealing with multiple vendors, no seating plan, no readings, no speeches, no catering for your guests, no first dance in front of everyone. This is about just the two of you.
Captain introvert?
As much as I have the energy of a mountain goat on my photo sessions, I am definitely more on the introverted side. Having your own space and your own pace is something I know many couples will enjoy too. With weddings being great at putting you in the spotlight, elopements are perfect for getting away from it.
Be your true self
Let’s pretend you’ve planned the most epic day of your life with your loved one. Only catch is, you’re going to get married somewhere along the way. I work with couples from all over world, race, gender and lifestyle are what makes us all that much more unique. We’ll create a safe space on our sessions where you can be yourselves.
Where can we elope?
Queenstown lakes, New Zealand
Our home is Lake Wānaka in the Queenstown lakes region in the South Island of New Zealand. Wānaka is just one hour drive from Queenstown, the ‘adventure capital’ of the world. It should come at no surprise that we have comprehensive knowledge of the locations, weather and adventures available in the area. Hint: helicopters are very popular here, and a perfect way to get to incredible views within minutes.
South Island, New Zealand
We often venture further to some more amazing alpine locations. This could include the Lindis, Lake Ōhau, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt Cook, and as far as Nelson at the top of the South Island. New Zealand’s South Island is renowned for its beauty and we’d be happy to guide you on where to explore.
New Zealand & Australia
We’ve had the opportunity to photograph a number of times in both the North Island of New Zealand, as well as over at our neighbours in Australia. Don’t let the Tasman Sea rule out the possibility of some good kiwi hospitality and an elopement experience you won’t forget.
Worldwide
If our work and approach resonates with you, we can make our Adventure Elopements happen anywhere across the world. Send us an email to get started.
How it all works
Connect
Simply get in touch. It may be just an idea at this stage, and you may not even know where you want to elope, by getting in touch we can connect and begin to throw some ideas about together and start visualising what your elopement day might look like. We like to connect over a video call, so we can run through your vision and all the ‘what ifs’ in real time.
1.
Plan
Once we’ve committed to eloping, we’ll take your brief and start planning it into reality. We’ll source options for key vendors which are included in our package (celebrant, make up, hair and flowers), as well as recommendations for activities, lodging and places to dine. From there, we’ll work out a detailed timeline and be on call for any support you need along the way.
2.
Experience
This is where it all becomes real! All of our collective efforts come to life and you get to revel in your elopement day as you’ve always dreamed. Together, we’ll navigate everything we’ve planned. Andy will be there to capture the location, the details, the emotion, the laughs, the moments and the feeling.
3.
“We couldn’t be happier with our experience with Andy. He went above and beyond to capture absolutely stunning photos and video of our wedding. He also helped us find the perfect ceremony location overlooking lake Wanaka. The photos are beyond anything we could’ve imagined. He’s a wonderful guy and we were lucky to have him as part of our day.”
— Becky & Dave
An experience of a lifetime
Adventure elopements are all about the experience. They fall outside of the pre-planned packages and begin the journey of a tailored to you elopement. You may want to go for a quiet hike on the morning of your elopement, count me in! You might want to go on an action packed jetboat ride, I can capture this. We bring these activities and roll them into what will be the best day of your life.
The way I’ve refined my photography approach over all of these years will complement this journey, being more candid or documentary when you need space, and giving you some artistic guidance when the moment calls for it.
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Queenstown Lakes
INCLUDES:
Photo coverage from half day, full day, to 2 days with Andy.
Venture anywhere within the stunning Queenstown Lakes region in New Zealand. This includes places such as Lake Wanaka, Glenorchy, Lake Hawea, Cardrona and of course Queenstown.
A custom elopement experience, planned together with local guidance.
Access to our resources to help with locations, local vendors, activities, lodging and where to dine.
Includes key elopement services; celebrant/officiant, hair and make up.
Location scouting to ensure access and best light on the day.
Sneak peeks within 2 days, and a full gallery to follow, filled with your professionally curated and individually hand-edited photos in a private online gallery.
Drone photography where allowed.
4×4 equipped pick up and drop off from your accommodation.
Travel fees included for the Queenstown lakes region.
Starting at $6,990 NZD
(Ranges between $6,990 – $12,490) -
South Island, New Zealand
INCLUDES:
Photo coverage from half day, full day, to 2 days with Andy.
Explore anywhere across the South Island of New Zealand. This includes places such as Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook, Nelson, the Catlins, and anywhere in between.
A custom elopement experience, planned together collaboratively.
Access to our resources to help with locations, local vendors, activities, lodging and where to dine.
Includes key elopement services; celebrant/officiant, hair and make up.
Location scouting to ensure access and best light on the day.
Sneak peeks within 2 days, and a full gallery to follow, filled with your professionally curated and individually hand-edited photos in a private online gallery.
Drone photography where allowed.
4×4 equipped pick up and drop off from your accommodation.
Travel fees included across New Zealand’s South Island.
Starting at $7,990 NZD
(Ranges between $7,990 – $13,990) -
New Zealand & Australia
INCLUDES:
Photo coverage from half day, full day, to 2 days with Andy.
Roam anywhere across New Zealand’s North Island or Australia. This could include the wild beaches of Raglan, the white sands of WA, or the mountain tops of Tasmania.
A custom elopement experience, planned together collaboratively.
Access to our resources to help with locations, local vendors, activities, lodging and where to dine.
Includes key elopement services; celebrant/officiant, hair, make up and bridal flowers.
Location scouting to ensure access and best light on the day.
Sneak peeks within 2 days, and a full gallery to follow, filled with your professionally curated and individually hand-edited photos in a private online gallery.
Drone photography where allowed.
4×4 equipped pick up and drop off from your accommodation.
Travel fees included for New Zealand or Australia.
Starting at $9,990 NZD
(Ranges between $9,990 – $15,490)
your elopement
with hybrid video
Optionally, we can offer hybrid photo + video to create a highlight film of your Adventure Elopement. The idea of this is Andy shoots both photos and video clips throughout your day, keeping the camera presence down, while delivering everything your moments in motion, curated and edited to licensed music. Note, we don’t include audio of your vows at this point.
Add to any Adventure Elopement package from +$2000 NZD