Becca & Mitch
You know how sometimes the stars align in a way that feels a little too perfect? Like, everything flows and escalates with an ease that starts to become kind of suspicious? That’s the brilliant and impossible first day we had with Becca & Mitch, a couple of highschool sweethearts whose stoke for the mountains – and each other – knows no limits.
From the very first time we spoke with these two about their travels to Tāhuna, it was obvious they share a pretty relentless zest for life and appetite for adventure. In an attempt to satiate them, we scoped out a two-day elopement itinerary that would offer a taste of many different sides of Queenstown – we know a high tolerance for adventure when we see one! Everything was locked and loaded for Plan A, but the day before they were due to arrive I went out on an alpine hike with my dog and was delighted to find that there was still a lot of snow hanging around for late spring. And this is where the value of a local photographer and planner really shows itself, especially when dealing with adventure weddings – we deeply love our home, and our everyday lives have us exploring and enjoying it. That means we’re up to date on conditions, weather, accessibility, epic locations and all the things that make us willing and able to pivot last minute when inspiration or conditions strike gold. And knowing how much Becca & Mitch love snow and mountains, that’s exactly what we did.
Hiking up that same mountain trail the next morning, the stars aligned a little closer and miraculously, the rising sun was accompanied by fresh snowfall. Did we already mention it was late spring? Mountains are notorious for changeable weather, but the timing of this felt completely surreal and like an utterly meant-to-be turn of events just for Becca & Mitch. And when Becca brought out her bridal bag to change into her gorgeous gown? The brand on the tag… all the way from Vancouver… was Union. You can’t write this stuff.
Giddy with the magic of falling snow at the summit, they went exploring while we hung back and gave them space to marvel at the majesty of our home up close.
After a good while scrambling over rocks, temperature-testing streams and sharing private words beneath the towering peaks, we were all ready to get cosy and have a hot drink before our next destination. As is always the case in Queenstown however, there were multiple stops along the way where the views were simply too good to experience only from the car window.
After a delicious on-the-go lunch from one of our favourite local spots, we headed out of town again en route to an easily accessed forest trail that we find to be bafflingly quiet for the beauty, diversity and access it offers. In contrast to the vastness of the mountaintops and skies that morning, the forest felt close and intimate, with birdsong surrounding us as we walked. The ability to be in a lakeside forest an hour after being on top of a snowy mountain is just one of the things we love so much about Tāhuna, and that make it such an incredible place to elope and make memories. And that we did, wandering under the canopy and popping out occasionally to explore a bay on the lake, or marvel at the views from a rocky outcrop above it – the quiet, unhurried adventure we adore.
Eventually full to the brim with fresh air and contentment, it was time to turn back to the car. But with the weather still turning it on, a moment of inspiration struck – ”hands up who has one more stop in the tank for a wee celebratory drink with a view?”. All hands up, we took a brief dialled detour to a quiet backyard spot overlooking the lake. Not a soul in sight, we spread out a picnic blanket while Becca & Mitch threw on an extra layer to ward off the dropping temperatures. Once settled and cosy, we popped a couple of beers and cheers’ed to an absolutely unbelievable day full of love, laughs, and some of the most suspicious luck we’ve yet witnessed. These two deserved every moment, and we have no doubt that same magic will continue to walk them through their lives.
Stay tuned to see what we got up to on day two!
