“Does Jeff dress like a girl at home?” – It’s looking likely.

“Will my ass get fatter with this full-cream milk?” – Signs point to No.

I was playing with the Magic 8 ball we found lying on the counter whilst we waited for our morning coffees.

“Will you be our wedding photographer?”

I shook the ball. Reply hazy, try again it said.

“No, I’m being serious – will you be our wedding photographer?”

I looked at Natalie. She’s not serious very often, but she certainly was now.

Fast forward 12+months and I’m sitting in her sister’s kitchen on a wet January morning whilst Jaime Leigh is doing her thing with Nat’s makeup and Right Said Fred is playing on the stereo.

When starting this blog I vowed to never talk about the Wellington weather. It’s Wellington. Weather changes, that’s what it does. But this was a January day like no other: gloomy; unrepentant rain, sideways at times; surprisingly cold.

Yet, Nat – in the way only she can – was positive and upbeat right through the day. She also had her fantastic sisters to help with that.

“… I shake my little tush on the catwalk“. Yep, today was going to be alright.

Aneta took the opportunity to pose Nat for a few bridal portraits – we don’t generally give a lot of direction during the day, but if your bride is ready 20mins early, why not use the time?

Meanwhile Brett and his brothers donned their smartest – including awesome custom-made shirts – at the Copthorne Hotel.

One of my favourite central-Wellington venues, The BoatShed, looked good even under the gloom.

Yes, they just did that – they just shook hands.

The aforementioned rain may have scuppered our plans of visiting the Te Papa Bush City and Botanic Gardens, but we improvised with Wellington’s Old Bank Arcade (scene of that earlier coffee/magic 8 ball incident).

Of course, why should a little bit of rain stop a bridal party intent on having a little fun. Good thing we normally bring along a few parasols – queue the best Mary Poppins impersonation in the middle of Lambton Quay. And a big thanks to the Go Wellington bus drivers who patiently waited while we took a few frames!

Seeking further refuge, the staff at the Wellington Railway Station were amazingly accommodating. Give them a heads up, let them know what you’re doing, allow them to take a few snaps for their newsletter, and they were only happy to let a 7-strong bridal party let lose in the station.

One of my favourite shots of the entire day, a 45-frame Brenizer method on the Wellington railway platform.

Nat & Brett also took this opportunity to practice a few dance moves.

Back at The Boat Shed, it looked amazing. Great colour scheme, with cute travel-oriented table names.

And of course the favours featured these delectible macarons from Sky & Helene, available from Moore Wilsons Fresh.

I realised I don’t do ring shots very often. Cue a bit of creativity.

Bring back the garter and boquet toss I say – haven’t seen these since our own wedding 3 years ago!

And then all that practice paid off.

Nat & Brett weren’t the only ones in the room who knew how to dance. Something tells me these people might have been practicing too.

It is certain.