Helen Cawte Photography » Destination Weddings

Helen & Nobby : A Fairytale Snowy Wedding in Chamonix ♥

Helen Cawte — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:46:39 +0000

If I had to mark this wedding out of ten it would get an 11!! Helen & Nobby both ski for the Navy Ski Team and chose Chamonix to celebrate their love of snow and each other with all their friends and family. The whole day was planned to perfection by the amazing Jody of Mont Blanc Weddings – I honestly couldn’t recommend her highly enough for taking the stress out of a destination wedding and making each wedding magical and unique. A beautiful ceremony in the cute Les Praz chapel was followed by a gorgeous reception at La Cabane des Praz where fancy dress and snow gin kept the party swinging until the early hours. Helen & Nobby chose a cute little mazot in Les Tines for their couple shots where Nobby proved to me why he was chosen to model for the Navy (and toothpaste as a boy apparently) with his blue steel and long loving gazes towards his stunning new wife. I just adore these two and it was the perfect wedding to kick off the 2013 season for Helen Cawte Photography! Camilla and I were also able to have a brilliant few days in a beautiful setting and I can’t thank her enough for travelling to Chamonix to shoot this with me. TIme for the photos and a whole lot of gorgeousness…

Snow Gin for the guests, LOVE this ♥

How cool is Nobby’s tweed suit?

How stunning is Helen? Love her dress and birdcage veil…

Too cute…

What a setting…

Seriously, how amazing are these two??

If only every wedding could include a croquembouche complete with massive sparklers!

Some of my favourite shots of the day… Gotta love a bit of off camera flash!

See – blue steel!! Both working it to perfection! x

Thank you thank you thank you Helen & Nobby for letting me be part of your celebrations! You guys seriously rock and I know you’ll have a future full of love, laughter and plenty more fun in the snow! Wishing you all the luck in the world for your new lives in Canada xxx

Credits:

2nd Shooter : Camilla Arnhold Photography

Wedding Planner : Jody at Mont Blanc Weddings

Reception: La Cabane des Praz

Helen & Nobby : Beautiful Newlyweds in Chamonix, Mont Blanc

Helen Cawte — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:40:12 +0000

The full post is coming soon but I just LOVE these couple shots from Nobby & Helen’s stunning Chamonix wedding back in March… Enjoy! xxx

A Gorgeous Snowy Day at 1913 meters for Sophie & Renaud xxx

Helen Cawte — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:55:36 +0000

This has to be one of my favourite weddings of 2012, a really beautiful snowy wedding with a stunning bride in a gorgeous lace dress. The ceremony took place at the Hotel du Montenvers situated at 1913 meters next to the incredible Mer de Glace and the trip back down to the valley floor was a fun filled tram ride with accordion player! The party then continued at La Cabane, where beautiful speeches and great food were followed by lots of dancing until the early hours. The day was all expertly planned by Jody from Mont Blanc Weddings and her team and I was joined by Julia of Julia Toms Photography who was fantastic as a 2nd shooter. Enjoy the silver Hunter wellies, the adorable flower girls, the snowy mountains, the horse and cart, disaronno favours, ski place names, Renaud’s great suit and all the laughter and smiles, I certainly did! Helen x

A real treat for the guests, the red tram up to the Hotel du Montenvers with croissants and hot chocolate provided to keep warm…

Beautiful bridesmaids in gorgeous shrugs…

A stunning bride, Renaud you lucky man…

Molly sung beautifully during the ceremony and the reception…

Love these heart chairs, so cute…

Adorable…

Check out these cool Montenvers tram toys for the kiddies – I want one!

A fun-filled trip back down the mountain with everyone singing along to the accordion…

Love this cute idea on the back of the horse and cart…

The traditional Croquembouche, a crunchy, sweet, profiterole tower of dreams!

And then the party started!!

Huge thank you to Mr & Mrs Clarke, wishing you all the luck and love in the world! Felicitations!!

Credit:

Wedding Planner: Mont Blanc Weddings

2nd Shooter: Julia Toms Photography

Ceremony Venue: Hotel du Montenvers

Reception Venue: La Cabane du Praz

Music: Molly & Rich

Dress: TBC

Flowers: Anabel, Chamonix

Horse & Cart: TBC

Accordion Player: TBC

A Beautiful Bride & Groom in the Snow : A Sneak Peek of Renaud & Sophie’s Stunning Chamonix Wedding!

Helen Cawte — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:06:04 +0000

As it’s snowing back in the UK I thought it would be appropriate to do a little sneak peek of Sophie & Ren’s beautiful wedding out in Chamonix. Snow + mountains + gorgeous couple + red lippy + a whole lotta love = photography heaven! Full post to come soon! xxx
Man I just love Chamonix and would love to be out there now with a snowboard… only 2 months til my next Chamonix wedding though. Happy face! xxx

Sunshine, Smiles, Mountains & a Wee Bump : Jody & Anthony are Married In Chamonix!

Helen Cawte — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:55:06 +0000

For my first few days in Chamonix back in late August it absolutely poured with rain and I didn’t get a single glimpse of the beautiful mountains through the cloud. I went to the rehearsal in my thick boarding jacket and beanie and could have kicked myself for only bringing flip-flops! Schoolboy error and you’d think I’d know better after living there for 6 years!

However, and much to everyone’s delight, the sun burst through the mist on Saturday 1st September and Anthony & Jody were blessed with a stunning day. Jody owns Mont Blanc Weddings, organising stylish, beautiful weddings in the Mont Blanc region. Needless to say I was expecting big things, and the day definitely didn’t disappoint!

There were so many things I loved about this wedding; Jody’s beautiful Jenny Packham gown, the beautiful humanist ceremony conducted by John Topping in the cute chapel in Les Praz, the food served by La Cabane (LOVE this restaurant), the little personal stories of the bride & Groom’s time together spent in many different places as centre-pieces, the golf course as the backdrop to some gorgeous couple shots, the “Glisse & Love” Charlie Adams print for guests to stick their heads through, the beautiful first dance out on the terrace under the stars and last, but not least, the kick-ass party courtesy of Kendal Sant and DJ Charlie Bob Marley – amazing!

Charlie Davies was also my legendary 2nd shooter AND videographer for the day. An absolutely amazing guy and great friend and I loved working with him – thanks Charlie! xxx

Such a gorgeous little chapel…

A huge thank you to Charlie Davies for these and so many more crackers…

Absolutely beautiful bride…

Wow! Now that’s a cake!

A beautiful first dance under the stars…

And back in to party!

The main man (besides the groom) Charlie Davies!

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Kallay, what an amazing day! Also a huge congratulations on the recent birth of little Sebastian – incredible news! xxx

Credit Where Credit’s Due:

Wedding Planning & Styling : Mont Blanc Weddings

2nd shooter/videographer/DJ - Charlie Davies Photography

Band – Kendal Sant

Celebrant: John Topping

Reception Venue : La Cabane Des Praz

Dress: Jenny Packham

Flowers: TBC

Glisse & Love Poster : Charlie Adams

Hair: TBC

Make-up : bride

Bridesmaids Dresses: TBC

Horse & Cart : TBC

A Gorgeous Wedding in Paradise!

Helen Cawte — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:34:40 +0000

I am so excited to finally post this wedding! Becs and Ash won our “Win a Wedding Photography Package in NZ” back in August 2011 and we couldn’t have hoped for a nicer, more deserving couple.

They got married in a tiny hamlet called Paradise (no word of a lie) and the ceremony was in The Garden of Eden! How incredible is that!? The location was actually paradise; set in Mount Aspiring National park at the head of Lake Wakitipu and with the incredible dart river winding it’s path close by. It was even chosen as a major location for the Lord of The Rings Trilogy, where it represented Parth Galen and parts of Lothlorien (for any LOTR fans out there)!!

Becs made the most beautiful, smiley bride and was so much fun to shoot. She’s an amazing person having volunteered for the local fire brigade for years as well as other charitable causes throughout her life and her abundance of lovely friends is testiment to her kind, giving nature. Ash was very much the dashing groom and also an amazing, extremely laid-back, kind hearted person. Seeing Becs and Ash together is a very special thing indeed and I have to admit, even I was a blubbering wreck during the ceremony!

Becs and Ash, it was a gorgeous day for a beautiful couple and Jim and I loved every second! Wishing you both all the happiness in the world and more because you truly deserve it. Thank you for entering our competition, we couldn’t be more delighted that you won! Helen xxx

To see Jim’s take on their amazing day click here - www.jimpollardgoesclick.com/2012/03/wedding-in-paradise-almost-full-story.html

Becs’ stepsister Amy did her hair and was her rock on the day, such an amazing person…

I don’t normally post my posed, family shots but I love these…

Morris is Ash’s Dad and took on the role of chauffeur for Becs…

Becs you looked stunning…

How cute are these two…

An picnic for the bridal party, fantastic idea…

Once again, the forest provided the most amazing light for couple shots…

I love these…

Becs & Ash made their big entrance on a golf buggy!

Becs & Ash had a “Bring your own” bbq, incredible and yummy!

Everyone contributed something to the wedding…

Becs and all her girls knew the dance moves from the film “boy” off by heart – amazing work guys!

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Murphy, a truly original, amazing day!

For Jim’s amazing photos follow this link - www.jimpollardgoesclick.com/2012/03/wedding-in-paradise-almost-full-story.html

Beautiful Blondes, Red Hot Lipstick and Incredible Views: Nina & Josh are MARRIED! xxx

Helen Cawte — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:47:37 +0000

You know those weddings where you just want to post pretty much all the pics because the bride’s just too stunning? Well this is one of those weddings! Add an identical twin sister into the mix (lucky groom) plus two gorgeous friends and you’ve made 2 photographers very happy (and all the male wedding guests very very happy)!!

Nina and Josh entered our competition to win a photography package and, despite not winning, they still decided to use us anyway – we’re so glad they did! The setting was the beautiful Lake Ohau with the ceremony down on the lakeside and the reception at Lake Ohau Lodge.

Jim spent the morning with the boys whilst I drunk champagne with the lovely girls (in-between shots obviously)! My favourite elements of this weddings were (in no particular order)!..

Nina’s vintage wedding dress
The bright red lippy and nail polish worn by all the girls. A real colour POP in the photos
The boys’ laid back but oh so cool attire
Winston (Nina and Josh’s dog) wearing a bow tie and joining in on all the proceedings
The incredible light under the canapé of the native beech forest – I’m going to bottle it up and bring it home!
The band that rocked the party until the early hours – epic!

This wedding has almost tempted me to move to New Zealand permanently to shoot weddings… almost! A big hats off to Nina and Josh for putting on a legendary wedding, for being such amazing, beautiful people (both inside and out) and for asking Jim and I to document their big day. Wishing them both an incredible honeymoon in Mexico (lucky things) and a fantastic future together as Mr & Mrs Clark!! Love Helen xxx

Details Details…

Ohau I love this view (sorry, had to be done – I’m a sucker for cheese)!

A very cute flower girl with magic dancing shoes…

Check out how beautiful Nina’s Mum is, no wonder her and Jess are so stunning…

Love the blue of the bridesmaids dresses with the bright red lippy…

So many quirky photo opportunities…

Some of Jim’s amazing images from the morning…

The main man – Winston!

I LOVE this!

After the ceremony we went off for a couple of hours with the bridal party…

Check Nina out, beautiful…

The beech forest, and some of my favourite shots from the day…

I bought these awesome little chalkboard speech bubbles on Photojojo and they were so much fun…

…and slightly embarrassing at the same time!

All the beautiful ladies…

Check out Josh’s moves!

The ladies ROCKED! Amazing!

This has to be my longest blog post to date! What a stunning, stunning wedding! Congratulations Mr & Mrs Clark xxx

A huge thank you to Jim Pollard Goes Click once again for being awesome to work with. View his story of the day here - http://jimpollardgoesclick.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/josh-and-ninas-lake-ohau-wedding.html

A Stunning Wedding by Lake Wanaka – Jane & Daryl xx

Helen Cawte — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:46:02 +0000

I was asked to shoot this wedding 3 days before the actual day itself, but after looking up the location I knew I couldn’t say no! I wasn’t the main photographer, the amazing Jen from Alpine Images had that role covered! Instead, my brief was to document the reception time whilst Jane and Daryl (aka. Jazz) went off with Jen for their couple shots.

Jane looked absolutely stunning and the venue was just too beautiful. For anyone wondering, it’s Buchanan Lodge in West Wanaka. I loved every detail of this wedding; the laid back vibe, the gorgeous blossom tree they got married in front of, the colourful umbrellas to shade everyone from the sun, the cake, the fortune cookie favours, the way they decorated the marquee, the photo booth with dress-up props (www.theamazingtravellingphotobooth.co.nz) but mainly the fact that everyone there was so so happy for the couple and wanted to show it.

I haven’t actually given Jane & Daryl their photos yet so guys, I hope you like this (rather long) sneak peek! xxx

I’ll start with the beautiful details…

What a stunning place to get married…

Beautiful voices…

Stunning setting, stunning bride…

So many smiles…

The gorgeous blossom tree…

Classic Jumping shots, gotta love them…

Just LOVE the dress on the right…

Cake… mmmmmm… Almost looks too good to eat!

Nothing wrong with a bit of man love…

Jane’s Gran is 91 and was smiling all day, legend!

In New Zealand the MC has to be a bit of a stand up comedian, making jokes between speeches – this guy was fantastic!

Amazing speeches…

Love this of Jane and Daryl…

A huge congratulations to the beautiful newlyweds xxx

A Beautiful Evening Down Skippers Canyon : Becs & Ash xx

Helen Cawte — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:10:16 +0000

Last week Jim and I had the absolute pleasure of shooting our competition winners, Becs and Ash, for their engagement shoot! They chose the dramatic and stunning backdrop of Skippers Canyon, which provided us so many photo opportunities! Becs and Ash are such lovely people and such deserving winners. They were really fun to work with and totally got into the swing of things in no time at all, as you can see from the photos! I can’t wait for the wedding in March as, without giving too much away now, it sounds like it’s going to be a really fun, laid back day to totally reflect their fantastic personalities! Watch this space!

The light was absolutely perfect for the 2 hours we spent with the gorgeous couple, although rain seemed to be constantly looming on the horizon. Sure enough, as soon as we drove out, all buzzing from a great shoot, the heavens opened right up!

Once again this post is a mixture of both mine and Jim’s photos, which hopefully you’ll like!! I particularly like the first couple of great landscape shots from Jim and the shots inside the cabin – amazing!

A huge thank you to Becs and Ash for the beers, and for being such great models – hope you like the photos!! xxx

Some of my favourite shots in the grass…

Super cute…

Love this!…

Becs’ eyes were amazing…

Now for the fun!…

Jim’s incredible shots inside the little cabin..

Those eyes again…

Please LIKE this post, share with friends and feel free to leave any feedback! Click here to see Jim’s post.

Helen xx

Chilling by Lake Hayes: Engagement Shoot with Nina & Josh xx

Helen Cawte — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:10:09 +0000

Here it is! The first of a series of New Zealand based posts shot alongside the awesome Jim Pollard Goes Click!!

Nina and Josh are getting married on March 5th so we decided to all meet up for an engagement shoot and “get to know each other” session. They chose Lake Hayes as their backdrop as this is where Josh proposed – too cute!! Nina was a little nervous but I think she looks amazing and can’t wait to shoot the wedding! Josh was more used to being in front of the lens (or 2 in this case!) as he hosts the latest edition of Diaries Down Under – check it out!

Jim and I are using this time to be a bit more experimental with our photography and editing so there’s a fun mixture of images below… It’s a real pleasure working alongside someone so passionate and talented, with many different ideas. I’m loving the opportunity to mix it up, have a play and maybe even learn something (just joking Jim)! We’d love to hear your feedback on which images you love/like/dislike so please feel free to comment below!

The first few grassy shots are my favourites as I think these guys look hot! Enjoy!

Helen x

ps. In case you’re wondering, their furry little friend is Winston! He was also a great model and loved to get involved!

Where the magic happened, proposal wharf…

Hope you like the shots Nina and Josh, let’s catch up for a beer (or two) soon!

Helen xxx

Check out Jim’s sweet as blog here – http://jimpollardgoesclick.blogspot.com/2012/01/hanging-with-nina-and-josh.html