Hunting Lodge Wedding

Photos by Amber and Zahn

On one of the hottest days this year – Matthew and Rebecca exchanged vows at the incredible Hunting Lodge in Kumeu.
Earlier in the day, they had decided to take their bridal party photos, so after the ceremony they could hang out and enjoy their guests. Rebecca is an ecologist, so their request for their wedding photos was a forest look – and ideally native forest. After much shoe scrubbing as I explored many of West Auckland’s native forests (which are very restricted at the moment!) I stumbled upon a glade full of Pohutukawa, Puriri and Nikau trees – I knew we had a winner! Their first look was along a pathway through the glade and was just perfect!
After their ceremony and a chance to catch up with their guests, Matt, Rebecca and I took a few minutes to zip around in the Hunting Lodge golf cart to get a couple of sneaky photos on site. We found some shade (yay!) and the most beautiful swishy grass field.  Back at the reception Giant Jenga and Pickup sticks were being combined to create some kind of super complex and difficult lawn game – which proved to be a hit!
As sunset time approached, we watched the sky and the clock and managed to completely nail the timing, with the very nbest part of the sunset happening just as we arrived at our location. 10 mins of frolicking was all we needed and then we were back in the car and racing to the party! And what a party it was! Rebecca and Matt’s guests had some pretty sweet dance floor moves, but what really shows in these photos is just that they were having the best time. I have so many more photos full of grinning, happy faces. The very best way to end an amazing wedding day.
Rebecca and Matt really thought about all the elements to their wedding day, and cleverly wove their own personal touches into the details. Their love of native plants and animals meant that their bouquets were mostly made of native leaves, their table names were native birds (with the cutest mascots at each!)
Rebecca had unique thank you gifts for each of her bridesmaids which really spoke to who they are and what they mean to her.
Throughout their years together, various elements have started to appear as a theme. The owl and the fox have become significant animals in their relationship, so on their wedding day Matt wore fox socks, and Rebecca wore owl earrings as a nod to their ongoing tributes to each other. They even had an owl and fox motif designed by Rebecca’s very clever sister which appeared on their wine glasses.
We had such an incredible time at your wedding – we hope you love the photos as much as we do!
P.s. Earlier in the week, Matt and Rebecca had got talking about what Matt thought Rebecca’s dress might look like – the drawing you see here is his best guess at what to expect!

Vendor Shoutout:
Venue: The Hunting Lodge 
New Zealand Wedding Photographers: Perspectives Photo + Cinema
Hair and Makeup: Lipstick & co. 
If you have enjoyed Matt and Rebecca’s Hunting Lodge wedding photos – make sure to leave them a comment in the box below.
If you’re planning your own wedding out in Kumeu – you can check out some of our Kumeu Weddings here.