Jess + Jay
Ohakune Wedding Photographer
Photographed by Amber + Ofri
Jess + Jay define soul mates. They’ve been together since they were 15 and 16 years old and they’re absolutely inseparable. They share a love of skiing so Ohakune was the natural choice for their wedding. They held their ceremony and reception at the Powderkeg restaurant and it was the perfect mix of elegant and chilled (rather like Jess and Jay themselves!) Instead of opting for a formal sit down dinner – they made the exceptional decision to have pizza’s circulating throughout the evening. Not only were they delicious and everyone was completely stuffed by the end of the night, but it meant that they could spend the whole evening catching up with their guests, rather than sitting for hours at a set table.
They also decided to head up the mountain earlier in the day for the bulk of their portrait photos – meaning we could spend just a few minutes at sunset before heading back to the party. The day before the wedding, we had spotted the most perfect cherry blossom tree. Unfortunately it was a bit of a diamond in the rough – tucked down in the industrial side of Ohakune, and in between a couple of parked trailers! Gotta love our couples who trust the vision enough to roll with our stranger ideas!
We met Jess many years ago when she was the barista and baker for our neighbouring cafe. Fast forward several years and Jess has started her own baking empire (Just Jess Cake Co – you know you want to go and check it out!) And of course being a wedding cake expert, Jess had to do something next level for her own wedding cake. Scroll down to see more.
Vendor Shoutout:
Ohakune Wedding Photographer: Perspectives Photo + Cinema
Wedding Cakes (yes multiple!) Just Jess Cake Co.
Wedding Venue: Powderkeg Restaurant + Bar
Bride’s dress: Grace loves Lace
Makeup Artist: Makeup by Annalee
Lashes – Mama G’s
Thanks Jess and Jay for sharing your epic wedding day with us!
If you’re keen to see a few more weddings from this part of New Zealand – you can check out Kirsten + Jeremy’s Taupo wedding here and Vivian and Will’s Taupo pre-wedding photos here.