Spring pastels shoot by Katie O'Neill

Good morning... how was your weekend? I spent it on cloud 9 over your lovely comments and feedback for the first issue of the Magnolia Rouge magazine, and it has me so excited to start working on the next one!! Oh the plans I have going around in my head right now!! I absolutely love working with the many amazing photographers and vendors whose work graces the pages, they are all just so so lovely, and make my job super easy! I'll be sharing the features from the magazine here on the blog over the coming weeks but to start this week off we have a sweet styled shoot by Katie O'Neill Foto, out of Taranaki. How incredible is that beautiful pastel peony bouquet? And I'm especially loving the statement necklace that the bride is wearing!

Photographer | Katie O'Neill Foto, Florist | Eliza Jane Flowers, Make-up and Hair | Kim Jordan, Dress | Kelly and Shirley of Churchwood Bridal

Sweet Inspiration Shoot by Lene Photography

I'm thrilled to be bringing you this lovely shoot from Lene Photography this sunny Friday afternoon. With both gorgeous dresses and florals it's the perfect thing to finish off the week with! Lene is currently spending her summer in New Zealand (away from her native Germany) so if you're still on the lookout for a photographer this season or fancy an engagement shoot get in touch with Lene!!

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

Golden Harvest Shoot by Allyson Magda

This beautifully yummy golden harvest shoot was created by the combined talents of Allyson Magda, Antonia Christianson Events and Be Inspired PR for the current issue of {MAG}rouge. With the stunning vineyard backdrop, the gorgeous shimmery bronze tablesetting, and the prettiest bouquet of yellows, it's a recipe for magic!

The stylist Antonia says "I was inspired by the richness of the bronze linens that we used for this romantic elopement. I immediately knew when I saw the linens, along with the warmth of the west coast sun, that this would be a great starting point to design a harvest inspired elopement. I loved the way that the golds, bronzes and chandelier above the table were so rich and brought all of the details together. We kept the bride fun with her sock bun, statement hair piece and short dress!"

Planning/Design | Antonia Christianson Events, Photography | Allyson Magda, Photography Produced by | Be Inspired PR, Stationery | Azulsahara, Bridal Gown | Jenny Yoo, Accessories | Lo Boheme, Floral Design | Camilla Svennson Burns Couture Floral and Event Design, Wedding Ring | Diamond in the Rough, Cake | Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach, Hair/Makeup | Rhonda Johnson, Venue | Hammer Sky Vineyards, Paso Robles California, Sparkling Wine | OneHope Weddings, Linen | La Tavola, Napkins | Custom made by Antonia Christianson Events

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

Summer Solstice Shoot by Kina Wicks

I have the prettiest of shoots for you today from Kina Wicks. Not only did she photograph this but she made the dress and the cake!! Talk about multi talented! I'll leave it to Kina to tell you more about her inspiration...

When this styled session was first hatched in my mind, I knew I wanted to create something light and airy feeling... almost fairy-like. I am extremely inspired by summer with all the long evenings, warmth and sunshine, so everything in the planning revolved around that. I was thrilled to have Sheila Jung from Ipomea Floral Designs on my team. She created the most luscious June bouquets and I wanted the session to fully showcase the beauty that creative florals can add to an event. I love to create... not only through my job as a photographer, but in general. Because of this, I decided to get to work and sew a dress that had been going through my imagination... it was very simple... a store bought peasant top, 28 yards of peach and cream tulle and a cotton candy pink ribbon at the waist to pull it all together. The cake was a simple confection that was made in my kitchen with the richest buttercream icing you every tasted in your life! One of the things I believe strongly in, is that for a wedding to be visually stunning and overflowing with beauty, it doesn't have to be elaborate. Some of the most lovely details, are really quite simple and surrounded by clean canvases. Mint tea is one of my favorite summer treats with mint picked from my urban porch garden... so I had to include that little touch:) Veronica Vital, the model and Leticia Benitez, Makeup artist really made the complete look come together, and brought everything else to life.

Lake Wanaka shoot by Fiona Andersen and One Fine Day

I was totally captured as soon as I saw the image of the bride on the teal couch on the lake's edge... it's utter perfection. And not surprising given that the fabulous talent behind the camera was my lovely friend Fiona Andersen! Kath from One Fine Day in Wanaka, styled this incredibly gorgeous shoot. You may remember that I recently took a little trip down to this lovely corner of our country and I'm completely enamoured with the scenery down there, so these gorgeous backdrops are right up my alley! Beautiful work ladies!! More from Kath about her inspiration...

Wild.....is the word that kept coming to mind when styling this photoshoot. Burdon's Beach is a such a unique location situated on Lake Wanaka and surrounded by mountains and willow trees. I wanted the style to fit in with the natural beauty so handpicked props which complimented this to create something breathtaking. The vintage blue couch was my favourite piece of the day and I loved the softness of this contrast with the rugged landscape.

* Fiona Andersen is one of my fabulous sponsors