Here’s a few snaps from a cheeky 4 days in Mallorca with the hubby…  We stayed in Santa Ponsa as it was close to the yacht Dom works on but would seriously advise staying clear of this spot unless you love your wifebeater tan lines, sports bars and all day fry ups at every cafe!  If, like us, you’d prefer something a bit more chilled out and authentic our favourite spots have been Port Andratx, Palma, Valdemossa and all of the north coast and inland amongst the lemon groves.  If you’re looking for the most amazing romantic getaway I would wholeheartedly recommend Ca N’ai www.canai.com – expensive but well worth it for a special occasion!

Mallorca and Ibiza both have the most incredible light so whenever we’re there I frequently annoy Dom by stopping the car to get a picture of something totally random (as you can see by many of these pictures)!

Anyway, enjoy the sunshine and light, hopefully it’ll take your minds off the dreary, grey summer we’re having…. xxx

A huge thank you to the amazingly talented and lovely Christian and Erica Ward for capturing our day beautifully xxx

So many people did so much to help and make our wedding so special so I’d just like to say a huge thank you here to…

Vickki at EAT Ibiza for the incredible food and making sure everything ran smoothly, Luke Rogers for singing for us, Rachel from Art & Mabel for the invitations, place names, ring cushion, menus and confetti holders and for lots of skype conversations discussing ideas, Kate Gibson for ALL the hair trials and my hair on the day (legend), Dan for the seating plan sign, my amazing sisters Lisa and Claire for making us the best wedding cake I’ve every seen, Jenny at In The Treehouse for the straw signs and place names, my amazing husband Dom for the homemade lemonade, Can Rich for the wine (or rather Dom’s Dad Tony and Judy for buying us the wine), Dom’s lovely Mum Andrea and Jimmy for helping Rachel with the placenames and just being incredible during the lead-up to the wedding, Rob from Ibiza Sound Music Solutions for the sounds, Claire for being a fantastic DJ (and getting the first dance song wrong only made the day better I promise!),  George at Dynamic Lives for providing the amazing venue, all the ladies at Proposals in Chichester for helping me find the perfect dress, Jenny Packham for creating the most beautiful headpieces , my Dad for the biggest tear-jerker of a speech and for just being a legend…

…and last but definitely not least, my Mum, for, well, just about everything – the bunting (oh the endless meters of bunting), the awesome homemade garter, the hours talking, planning, trawling round shops and just being so supportive and amazing throughout – Love you Mutey xxx

Wow, that was a bit like a wedding speech!!  Enough of that, here are the photos…

Cheese time first…

Surat Bay  - Sea Lion Colony and beautiful beach…

Riverton, when the sun came out…The Beach House – pretty much the only decent place to eat here and the main reason we came back!…

After a yummy anniversary dinner the night before we returned for brekkie.  Whilst eating a pod of 20-30 dolphins swam past, amazing!

Sea lions at Waipapa Point…

Curio Bay…

Our friend Cecil, who had a lazy day sleeping 4 metres from our van at Curio campsite!

Yellow-eyed penguins…

Possum (alive for once)…

More sea lions…

View from our camping spot…

Some random snaps taken along the way…

The Thailand post will be up soon but just for fun, here’s the inside of our van with our customised NZ stone and amazing compass from the fabulous Kate and Geoff!!!

Ian proposed to Hannah in Central Park during a very romantic trip to New York but their wedding couldn’t have been in a more different setting.  They chose Hannah’s home town of Salisbury to tie the knot, getting ready at Hannah’s parents’ home and with the reception at The Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel on the River Avon.

The lady in charge of the girl’s hair  and make up was Tanya Malata and she was incredible.   Hannah’s dress was so tiny that both myself and my assistant wondered if it was really going to fit, damn you Hannah and your gorgeous figure!!  Her dress was a beautifully detailed Enzoani, which looked just divine.  The gorgeous bridesmaids wore blue Reiss dresses and all girls carried stunning bouquets from Shirley Snells Florist in Salisbury.  All the lads wore top hat and tails, a really nice touch that just added another touch of sophistication to the day.

I think I’ll let the images tell the rest of the story as pictures really do speak louder than words sometimes.  Hannah and Ian were the picture perfect bride and groom, totally in love and therefore so easy to shoot.  The light was absolutely stunning and everyone seemed to be basking in the happiness of a totally amazing wedding.  Huge thanks to Ian and Hannah for being such lovely people and for making Lisa and I feel so welcome and we hope you enjoy the photos!  Helen xx

I just love these bouquets…

Totally stunning bridesmaids…

Oh Hannah, you are toooooo gorgeous…

This fabulous vintage car was provided by Chris Allen…

A brief moment of nerves for Hannah…

Some gorgeous “Just Married” snaps…

I love this one of Hannah…

Gorgeous details…

such beautiful sisters…

Ian and his ushers were up for a laugh…

Hannah’s gals…

These two are just two stunning…

Let’s hear it for Mr and Mrs Battison!…

Brilliant speeches…

Check out this wonderful early evening light….

And to end a couple of soppy first dance shots…

Yay, Ian & Hannah are married!!  Congrats you guys!

xxx

All albums come in a silky black pouch and black keep-safe box to keep them looking their best.  My first client album also arrived a few days ago so I’ll share that with you soon!

Less of the talking, see for yourself…

Distressed leather with cover photo and engraving…

I love how chunky the pages are…  robust for lots of wear and tear…

Beautiful engraving on the spine…

Simple, effective album designs to really show off the images…

I love the double page spreads…

Look how flat the album lies when opened, stunning!

but perhaps not as stunning as Chloe… xxx

Contact me for more info on how to get your hands on one of these gorgeous albums or if you would like to see more photos…

Helen x

The competition is open to anyone getting married in New Zealand in the Southern Lakes region/within 2 hours drive of Queenstown (unless you are happy to pay for our time, travel and accommodation – contact us if you’re unsure) between December 6th 2011 and March 25th 2012.  This amazing prize package includes the following:

• Pre-wedding shoot with 40 images from the shoot on CD
• Coverage of the day from bride/groom getting ready til first dance (Jim will chill with the lads and I’ll be with the gals prior to the ceremony)
• Both myself and the fantastic Jim Pollard shooting your day
• All photo -retouches with special attention paid to every photo (blemishes removed, background blurring, black and white conversion etc…)
• Reportage style photography plus as many posed shots as you would like
• 400-500 images of you wedding put onto disc (hi-res digital orginals) for you to print as you choose
• Free on-line viewing gallery – password protected
• Pre-wedding venue viewing

To enter you just need to upload a photo of yourselves along with a description of why you should win in no more than 30 words to both mine and Jim’s facebook pages (Helen Cawte Photography and Jim Pollard Goes Click) and the photo with the most combined votes from all of our fans wins – easy as bro!  This competition ends August 31st 2011.

So tell all your friends, spread the word and help someone you know win the wedding photography package of a lifetime!

Helen xxx

PS. We’re going to be  available for weddings, engagement, family and lifestyle portrait sessions from Dec-April in New Zealand so please don’t hesitate to get in contact to find out more…  To view more of our work visit Jim’s blog and my website xx

Here’s a selection of some of Jim’s amazing work, I really can’t wait to start shooting with such a talented photographer…

Happy Monday everyone!

Helen x