We are Scott & Kristine, husband and wife alternative wedding photographers behind Blue Elephant Photography. We are based in Oklahoma with our furry boy Fuji. We’re big fans of love, travel, and adventures which takes us to Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas, Washington and across the world. We are passionate about documenting genuine and uninhibited love between two people because telling their story matters.
You know how much we love to travel. One place we’ve always dreamed of going is New Zealand. We’ve daydreamed about it for a few years and thought about all the places we would love to see there. Then suddenly we met Spencer and Hannah. This lovely, adventurous, down-to-earth couple who requested to meet us plus Mumfie to talk about their backyard wedding and all that. They were about to graduate and were going to spend some time in Australia and New Zealand for a month. We were so jealous! Little did we know that these two people were going to make our New Zealand dream come true! I clearly remember how I felt when they said it would be cool to have a Hongi ceremony somewhere…in New Zealand. I secretly screamed in excitement and felt like my chest was going to explode with joy!
June came and there we were, all geared up for the hike at the foot of Roys Peak Track in Wanaka, New Zealand. Did we mention that Winter just started in New Zealand? Yup, Winter. Yet it was still as beautiful as summer! So with a fog hanging around, we all ventured up this mountain which was marked as a difficult climb. And they were not kidding, it felt like we were walking up an endless flight of stairs for four long hours. But when we got to the top, I could see why people trek Mt. Roy. It really was truly worth the climb! It had the most gorgeous views of snow-capped mountains, the cool blue water of Lake Wanaka sparkling in the distance, and the endless panoramic scenery of sea, sky and mountains all around. It was absolutely breathtaking!
Spencer and Hannah stood at the edge of the mountain path and did a Hongi ceremony. Hongi is a sacred and traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand. It’s a brief but very intimate moment, done by pressing one’s nose and forehead together, so that each person shares in the other’s breath. In doing so, their spirits are linked as well. And then they did an intimate vow exchange. I got teary-eyed as we watched and took photos of these two all smiles, beaming with happiness as they enjoyed their time together at the top of the world.
It was an amazing experience hiking up the mountain with these two! We can’t wait to shoot your wedding tomorrow! Spencer and Hannah, you guys rock! Friends, thank you all for stopping by and make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram! ♥
