Kim and Simon: a family farm wedding in Taranaki

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Some weddings arrive with a place already attached to them. Kim and Simon were married in Taranaki, New Zealand, on Simon’s family farm, land that has been in his family for several generations. It stretched as far as I could see, and I felt the history of it as soon as I started wandering around.

I am a sucker for a farm wedding. The DIY touches, the relaxed friends and family, the big rural views: there is not much I would rather photograph. This one had all of it.

A father reading a handwritten card before the wedding
A father reading a handwritten card before the day properly begins.
A mother embracing her daughter, the bride
A mother and her daughter, a quiet moment in the middle of the morning.

A small church with room for everyone, just

The ceremony was at a church nearby. It is not a big building, and everyone was squeezed in, which suited the day. Whenever something funny happened during the service, the whole church filled with echoes of laughter. It made for a wonderful atmosphere, and it shows on the faces in the pews.

A bride walking up the aisle of a timber church
The walk up a short red aisle, with every seat taken.
Guests smiling in the pews, a toddler on a lap
A guest in the pews, a toddler on his lap, enjoying the service.
A bride and groom cheering as they leave a small white chapel
Out the door and into the sunshine.

The back of the farm

Most of the bride and groom photographs were made at the back of the farm, where the hills roll away in every direction. At one point we had Kim and Simon leaning against the car for a set of portraits, and about ten planes flew over in formation. Just how good was that? I only wish they had flown a bit lower.

A bride flanked by bridesmaids in rust-coloured dresses on a hilltop
The bridesmaids and bride on the hill, dresses against green.
A bridal party jumping together on a hilltop
A bridal party in mid-jump on the hilltop.
Groomsmen walking arm in arm across a field
Groomsmen heading across the field together.
A bride and groom close together with a veil and bright blue sky
Kim and Simon, close, with the veil and a big blue sky.
A bride in black and white on a hill with the sky behind
The same hill in black and white.
A couple tiny against a big blue sky on a hill
Two people, one hill, a lot of sky.

The speeches

The highlight of the day was the speeches. There were so many funny and heartfelt words from so many people, and you can see how much we enjoyed them in the photographs below. Every wedding reception should be like this.

A guest giving a speech with a microphone in a woolshed
A speech in full flight.
A groom leaning in to kiss his bride at a long table in a barn
Simon leaning in to kiss Kim at the long table.
A couple on a green farm hill at evening
A last wander up the hill as the evening settled in.
A couple embracing on a hill at dusk
Dusk on the farm.

More from this wedding

This is one of four whole weddings on the site. You can see more of each day on the weddings page, and if you are planning your own, the wedding day timeline shows how to fit this much into one day.

If you have a date in mind, check it with us and you will get an honest answer.

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