Pre-wedding photos shoot full of surprises
Feeling a little nervous about being in front of the camera on their wedding day, engaged couple Hazel and Luke decided a pre-wedding photo shoot was the perfect opportunity to practice and start to feel comfortable in front of the camera. They headed to the stunning Mt Cook with their wedding photographer Jinal, where an unexpected surprise was in store! Hazel tells their story…
Photos by Jinal Govind Photography
On a trip to the jeweller to try on wedding bands, Luke said “Maybe we shouldn’t buy our rings too early, I’m going to want to wear mine as soon as we get it!”. I found that sweet - Luke’s always been a practical guy without much interest in jewellery. I said, “You know we can get you an engagement ring too if you’d like?” He clearly liked the idea, but didn’t seem too fussed about us organising it with the rest of the wedding planning on our plates. He didn’t bring up the topic again, and that’s when I started to secretly plan.
I had no idea what kind of design Luke would want - I knew anything flashy or with a stone was a “no” for him, but I wanted to make it more special than a plain band. By chance, a band with engraved mountains popped onto my pinterest feed, and I knew instantly what I wanted to do. Luke and I love to hike. Some of our most special memories are of us together, exhausted and sweaty at the top of a mountain pass, or tucked into a Department of Conservation hut while a thunderstorm rolls by outside. I wanted to pick four mountains important to us to be etched into a band.
First, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro - our first hike together was the Tongariro crossing, and our wedding venue was Hobbiton, so it felt thematically correct to have the mighty Mt Doom slipped in there!
Second, Taranaki - an area we’d hiked more recently and witnessed the most stunning pink sunrise looking out at the mountain over Pouakai Tarn. We’d not expected such beautiful conditions and were grinning like little children when we emerged from the hut to see the view!
Third, Mt Elliot. After getting engaged, we walked the Milford track. We got a clear, windless day heading over Mackinnon Pass, and sat awestruck by the incredible vistas. Mt Elliot is one of the more distinct peaks from this view.
Then for the fourth, I thought long and hard. There are many more special mountains in Aotearoa, but there was one very special mountain we would be visiting for the first time in a few short months, for the wedding of two of our bridal party members - Aoraki.
This is where the plan really took shape… we had some time on either side of our friend’s wedding to enjoy the mountains, and it turned out our photographer, Jinal, would be down south at the same time. We hadn’t had an engagement shoot yet - the perfect cover story to get Luke to dress up for the surprise, AND get his surprise captured on camera! Jinal was on board with the idea right away, and I managed to slyly convince Luke that the slight extra costs of having an engagement shoot down in the mountains would be well worth it.
So on a day when Luke was out, I stopped by Nicola Ann Harwood, a local jeweller who had done some lovely pieces for my mum over the years. We went through my idea, and though she was already very busy, she made sure the ring would be done in time for the trip. When the ring was ready, I couldn’t wait to pick it up. Luke was home, and I fumbled a weird excuse about NEEDING the new Whittakers Hazella chocolate RIGHT THIS MOMENT, before racing out the door, awkwardly dodging his offers to come with me for the ride. The ring was so perfect I almost forgot to go grab the chocolate on the way back. And now I had to keep it hidden and secret…
During this time, we started thinking about our outfits - a good distraction while I struggled not to spoil the surprise! A mountain wedding or elopement had been a consideration in the early stages of planning, so we decided why not go all-out and style the engagement shoot the way we would have done if we had taken that direction for the wedding. Luke reused a black suit he already owned, meanwhile, I fell in love with an elopement-style dress far out of my budget and decided my best bet was to create something similar with my limited sewing skills. I bought a second-hand white slip dress, and then drafted a pattern to make the organza top with puff-sleeves.
As the trip got closer, my mind raced through all the ways I might mess up the surprise. I’m diagnosed with ADHD, and struggle with forgetfulness and losing things, but for this task, I couldn’t rely on Luke as backup to help me remember the most important object of the trip! Instead, I asked Luke if he could “double-check I have packed my ring boxes when we go on the trip” - in my mind, a code word for making sure his ring was packed and hidden, but to him, a reasonably normal request (though I was probably weirdly insistent). Hopping on the plane to Christchurch, I touched base with Jinal to go over the plan for the evening when we got to Aoraki. I also mentioned where I’d be hiding the ring (tied to a hairtie tucked inside my sleeve), and expressed some nerves. This is where the closest call came. Jinal responded with a bunch of info and also with some reassurances about how the surprise would go. In my nervousness, I relayed the key information in a very confusing way to Luke while we sat on the plane waiting for take-off. Luke gave me a quizzical look and said “Wait, can I see what he said?”, reaching toward my phone. I started panicking, knowing the latest messages would completely give away the game, and mumbled something about how I’d just call Jinal when we got to Christchurch, and shoved my phone into my bag. Luke seemed taken aback, “oh alright…”, but sat back with his book. Crisis averted. Thank god he’s so chill.
We met Jinal just before golden hour at the Tasman Glacier lookout. It was a perfect October evening. A light breeze, clear skies, and the sunlight just starting to turn amber on the snowy mountains. We had both been nervous about being photographed, but Jinal’s upbeat energy and decisive directions meant we quickly relaxed into it. So much so that I nearly forgot about the task at hand! After a while, Jinal lined us up for the perfect shot, made eye contact with me and tapped his wrist as a signal.
Now, I’d always wondered how it could be so nerve-wracking to propose to someone if you know the answer will be yes. It wasn’t til this moment that I understood. We were 10 months into our engagement, with our wedding about three months away. This “proposal” had zero stakes, zero chance of going wrong. It was essentially a glorified gift-giving! And yet, I was so nervous I must have nearly blacked out in the moment. I know I got down on one knee, and all I remember is the sheer look of surprise, turning to glee on Luke’s face. I don’t even remember what I said. Maybe some pathetic version of “I got you this!” before fumbling to loosen it from the hairtie and put it on Luke’s outstretched finger. His reaction was everything - seeing him go through the realisation that I’d planned all this to give him his own special engagement moment. I was also relieved that despite my worries, he hadn’t had an inkling anything was going on!
We took a moment for me to relax again. I relayed to Luke some of the funny close calls and explained the series of awkward requests and excuses I’d made to make sure everything went as planned, and then Jinal got us to lace up our hiking boots and head to a couple more stunning locations as the light became a soft glow behind the mountains. We rode the high from the surprise as if we had just gotten engaged all over again - you couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces all night!
Luke has been my best friend and partner for the better part of a decade now - a source of comfort, laughter, and adventures. While I know a grand gesture isn't necessary to convey to him how treasured he is, being proposed to is a wonderful feeling. There was so much magic in being able to reciprocate that surprise, to remind him of how precious he is to me.
