Cherry Blossom shoot by Kate Grewal

Good morning!! How was your weekend? We had an amazing time at the Coldplay concert on Saturday night... they put on such an incredible performance! From the fluro confetti that floated over the audience to the glowing wristbands that were in sync with the music, and the surreal giant balls bouncing around, it was brilliant! My poor parents on the other hand - who we roped in to looking after a still distressed puppy Charlie thanks to fireworks - didn't have the best night, as she kept them up throughout the night. Grrrr... I've always loved fireworks... but now that we have a puppy, well this past week has been a very sleepless one, so I'm all for keeping them only available for public display. Here's hoping we get back to a bit of normality this week!

Moving on... this gorgeousness you see below is from the lovely Kate Grewal. With styling by Abbe from When Squirrel met Bear, and many of Natalie Chan's beautiful wares on display, it really is as pretty as a picture. And it also really has me craving sweet summer strawberries!

Photography | Kate Grewal Photography, Photography and Styling Assistant | Tani Marietta Pomana, Dresses | Natalie Chan, Bridal Millinery & Jewellery | Natalie Chan, Hair and Makeup | Alexandra Clark, Shoes | Badgley Mischka, Flowers | Cartier for Flowers, Model | Samantha King, Props and Prop Styling | When Squirrel Met Bear, Props | One Stop Prop Shop

Vintage Tea Party by Kate Grewal

Well hello there lovely readers!! How was your weekend? We had the loudest thunderstorm I've ever heard in my life on Friday night... it honestly sounded like someone had launched a rocket at the house! Thankfully it didn't seem to overly bother puppy Charlie, she didn't make a sound... although that didn't stop my hubs getting up at 1am to give her a cuddle and make sure she was ok!! We managed to catch up with some family, enjoyed a lovely evening with friends and had some chill time at home! Perfect!! 

How gorgeous is this tea party shoot from Kate Grewal? I'm loving the sweet pale yellow dress, and oh that cake looks so good it's leaping out of the page begging me to taste it!

Photographer | Kate Grewal, Makeup & Hair | Michelle Brindle, Dress Designer | A La Robe,  Groom’s Attire | Working Style, Jewelry & Accessories | Natalie Chan, Prop or Furniture Rentals | The Vintage Table, Bicycle hire | Bread and Butter Letter, Groom and Flower girl | Mack and Asena from 62 Models, Bride | Alison Millar, Event Designer | Yeshe Dawa, Cake & Caterer | Felicity Dallimore

Figueroa Farm House Shoot by Kate Grewal

I may not be a photographer but oh what I'd give to attend one of Jose Villa's workshops!! He has just been so sweet to deal with for {MAG}rouge and I know from speaking to a few lucky peeps who have attended one of these workshops that he is every bit as nice in person, and also incredibly generous with his talent and knowledge. Kate Grewal was one such lucky person and I'm thrilled to be able to share her gorgeous work from a workshop she attended a few months back. As Kate herself said "What an amazing day it was learning from the master himself:)  It truly was an unforgettable experience." Naturally with Jill La Fleur's impeccable styling thrown into the mix, you can't go wrong. It's truly a match made in heaven and has made for some seriously dreamy images. Thanks for sharing Kate :-)

Photographer | Kate Grewal, Venue | Figueroa Farm House, Jose Villa Workshops, Styling | Jill La Fleur, Hair & Makeup | Mar of TEAM Hair and Makeup, Cinematography | Joel Serrato Films, Florals | Kate of Flower Wild Design, Rentals | Found Rentals, James Cagle - Accountant, Cypress Albums, Fuji Film, Processing | Richard Photo Lab, Invitation Suite | Ceci New York, Hair Pieces | Mignonne Handmade, Dresses | BHLDN, Cake | Maggie Austin, Napkins | La Tavola Linens, Calligraphy | Chelsea Petaja, Bride and Groom | Jack and Tawny, Model | Kelsey Crane from Quenchla

Kumeu Valley Estate Wedding by Kate Grewal

I have the prettiest of weddings from the lovely Kate Grewal to round off the week... I mean just check out all those gorgeous floral... from one of my favourite florists Annie Oxborough. Natalie and Matt live in London, but decided that coming home to New Zealand was a must for their wedding day. It's was no secret that their family and friends were over the moon to have them back home for this beautiful event set at Kumeu Valley Estate, just outside of Auckland. The couple did such a lovely job planning their wedding that you would have never guessed that everything was organized from overseas. It was the perfect balance of a little vintage, with a rustic modern twist that created this elegant and colorful setting.

From the Bride: "A lot of the inspiration for the way we chose to style the day was generally informed by the type of atmosphere we wanted our wedding to have. We didn't have a set theme or even a strict colour palette really, but wanted something that was relaxed and not overly formal. Since the venue was a barn style with a large outdoor lawn area with a forest surrounding it, we wanted our tables to reflect that and bring in a bit of a 'country' and natural feel to them. It felt really perfect on the day and everything seemed to fit together nicely."

Photographer | Kate Grewal, Second Shooter | Alanah Paterson, Venue | Kumeu Valley Estate, Auckland, Dress designer | Couture design by Juliet Poyser, Suits - Frank Casey, Shoes | Davina, Florist | Annie Oxborough, Cake | Rocket Kitchen, Bridesmaids dresses | CoralieBeatrix, Hair & Makeup | Erin Grey

Countryside Engagement shoot from Kate Grewal

Why hello there! Did you all have a lovely weekend? I must admit to having worked quite a bit of it, but I got SO much done that I really didn't mind. It feels great to start the week off with things already ticked off the list. We are on the downward slope for Issue No. 3 of {MAG}rouge and we have a few shoots coming up in the next few weeks and I'll be getting stuck into the design. I also have quite a few things in the works regarding the blog and hopefully some new invitation designs in the coming weeks!! I have to be honest, I kinda lost my mojo (hate it when that happens!!) there for a while but I think it's on it's way back!! Wa-hoo!! And of course starting the week of with such loveliness as this engagement shoot from Kate Grewal, well I can't help but be inspired. Although it does have me wanting to go and frolic in such sunwashed fields rather than sit at my desk!! Kate's done such a gorgeous job of capturing this and I'm thrilled to have her on the blog for the first time!

From Kate: Lara and Jason are the most adventurous couple that I have ever had the pleasure of shooting with. They sailed to New Zealand from Trinidad a year and a half ago, and have been loving their Kiwi life here ever since. They plan to have a Boho beach wedding in the Bahamas in 2013. When they are not on the water setting sail for their next adventure, you can find them riding at Tasman horse Rides in Helensville.