Nelson Wedding Photographer // Indigo & Kurt

Nelson Wedding Photographer

Indigo and Kurt’s wedding in Nelson, New Zealand brought us to the top of the South Island for a celebration that combined a forest ceremony with mountain portraits high above the valleys below. Nelson sits at the northern tip of the South Island, sheltered between mountain ranges and Tasman Bay, and it is one of the sunniest regions in the country. The landscape shifts quickly from coastal to alpine, which makes it a remarkable location for wedding photography.

A Forest Ceremony on the South Island

The ceremony took place in native bush, surrounded by the dense green canopy that defines the Nelson region. New Zealand’s native forests have a quality that is unlike anything in the Northern Hemisphere: the ferns, the moss, the filtered light through the canopy all create an atmosphere that feels ancient and quiet. Indigo and Kurt exchanged vows in this setting with close friends and family, and the intimacy of the forest matched the warmth of the celebration. As a Nelson wedding photographer for this day, the forest provided a natural ceremony space that needed nothing added to it.

Mountain Portraits Above Nelson

After the ceremony, we drove into the hills above Nelson for portraits with views across the ranges and the Tasman Bay coastline. The elevation revealed a landscape of layered mountain ridges fading into the distance, and the afternoon light gave everything a warm, golden quality. New Zealand’s South Island is famous for its mountains, and the Nelson region offers a quieter, less touristed version of the dramatic scenery that draws visitors to Queenstown and Wanaka further south. Indigo and Kurt were relaxed and adventurous, which made the mountain session feel natural and unhurried.

If you are planning a destination wedding in New Zealand, get in touch. We have photographed across the South Island and love the variety of landscapes this part of the world offers. Explore more of our destination wedding photography around the world: Redwood Forest, California, Gastown, Vancouver, South Iceland, and Lofoten, Norway.

Popping over to New Zealand – this time for a crack at being a Nelson wedding photographer – is always a treat. A distant treat, but treat nonetheless.

Our first brush with New Zealand was photographing the lovely Danelle Bohane’s wedding. Check out Danelle and Dirk’s wedding to see how that all shook down, and you’ll get a sense why we’re always longing to return.

A few years later and we were lucky enough to land our feet near Nelson on the South Island.

Nelson Wedding Photographer

Indigo and Kurt’s wedding was hosted at the Foxhill Rutherford Memorial Hall. When we asked them to describe the day in three words, they said: Adventurous, Warmhearted, Kinship.

This description by the two summed it up nicely as well:

The wedding day description doesn’t need words, the photos tell more than I could ever explain. But what should be noted is the lead up to the wedding was everything from wild storms destroying accommodation, to lost cakes with airlines, to a 50 ft tree falling down the isle. These moments were exactly where the magic came from. It was in the aftermath of each challenge, there would be some nervous laughter and then we would watch our family and friends roll up sleeves, start chainsaws, pickup phones and work through the wee hours to help make the most beautiful day dedicated to our love. – Indigo & Kurt

Mountains & Forest

To photograph a ceremony in lush forests can be chalked up as a good day. Follow that up with a chopper ride into the mountains of New Zealand for portraits? Surreal.

Here’s the story of Indigo and Kurt from just outside Nelson, New Zealand.