Lionel Tan, Author at Lionel Tan Photography

Eve & Gabriel – Abel Estate Wedding

Eve and Gabriel had their wedding at the beautiful Abel Estate. The weather held up for us and the rain only came after the ceremony was over! It’s always cool when props are involved in the wedding photos, and the boys brought along some of the coolest props there are – airsoft guns! Needless to say we decided to have some fun with them for our wedding shoot :p

Here’s a preview of what unfolded on their big day!

Venue – Abel Estate

Hair and Make up – Ethereal Beauty NZ

Emcee – Nick Logan

Videography – White Monkey Productions

If you’ve enjoyed the gallery, do leave a comment down below! I’m sure Eve and Gabriel would love to hear from you too 🙂

Peter & Xiomara – Devonport Wedding

Peter and Xiomara got married at St. Francis de Sales and All Souls in Devonport Auckland. They are a couple whose adoration for each other is immediately apparent once you have a chance to meet them in person.

After their ceremony, we headed out for some photos with the bridal party at the pump house… Before long, the skies were dark and it was time for the wedding party to get ready for the reception. Towards the end of the night, after their first dance, Xiomara had a special dance prepared for Peter and boy was it a colourful one! Everyone enjoyed it and it was such a great way to end the night.

Thanks for having me at the wedding guys, hope you enjoy the sneak peek!

bridesmaids helping bride with her dress

groom and groomsmen waiting for the bride

flower girls walking down the aisle st francis

st francis and all souls wedding ceremony

bride and groom entering wedding reception

bride and groom embrace ponsonby cruising club

bride and groom interacting at wedding reception

groom reaction to speech ponsonby cruising club

Ceremony venue – St. Francis de Sales and All Souls

Reception venue – Ponsonby Cruising Club

If you’ve enjoyed the gallery do leave a comment down below!

Phillip & Delwyn – Markovina Vineyard Estate Wedding

Phillip and Delwyn got married at Markovina Vineyard Estate out in Kumeu. During our brief catch up a few weeks before the wedding day, I could feel their excitement as we went over the time line and plans! Fast forward a few weeks and here we were, with a beautiful day at the wedding venue.

The ceremony took place indoors partly because of how much Phillip and Delwyn loved that part of the venue, I can’t help but agree! After the formalities, we took a stroll around the grounds and made our way to a number of lovely spots in the estate. In the later part of the evening the dance floor was never empty, in fact the level of activity just kept growing! Despite everyone clearly having an awesome time showing off their dance moves, I managed to get a few minutes with the couple for some night shots to end the day.

Thank you again for having me document your special day guys, hope you enjoy this little preview!

Venue – Markovina Vineyard Estate

Make up artist – Heather Newcombe

Hope you enjoyed the preview and do leave a comment down below, I’m sure Phillip and Delwyn would love to hear from you too!

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Michelle & Irwin Prewedding – Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown is easily one of my favourite places to shoot in the South Island, mainly because of the huge variety of landscapes on display all within an hour’s drive. This time around we had the pleasure of photographing Michelle and Irwin from Taiwan, and also showing them the sights around the area. As always it was a great two days spent making friends with the couple and their travel companions, and sharing stories late into the night!

queenstown prewedding couple sitting on fence

queenstown prewedding couple walking on grass

Kat & Gareth – Fowey Lodge Wedding

Kat and Gareth had their wedding at the gorgeous Fowey Lodge.

Throughout the day you could see friends and family being incredibly involved in getting the day to run smoothly, including the flower girls who were all smiles too! Right after the ceremony, we did the cutting of the cake and with the bridal party energised from the quick bite, we headed off for photos!

We ended the day at the Pakuranga Sailing Club and besides being treated to awesome food, the wedding party really brought their ‘A’ game with moving yet funny speeches. The couple even prepared lots of mini potted plants as gifts for the guests to bring home, talk about being super thoughtful and creative!

Here are some photos of how their big day unfolded!

Julianne & Mike – Sorrento In The Park Wedding

Julianne and Mike were married at the beautiful Sorrento in the Park, located in central Auckland. They were such a great pair to be around throughout the day, always smiling and in high spirits!

After family and friends had the opportunity to congratulate and give their blessings to the newlyweds, we headed off to various spots in Cornwall Park for the bridal party photos. There were quite a few ‘congratulations’ coming from on-lookers for the couple, and that just added to the experience of the day!

Back at the reception venue, we had a mix of laughs and tears coming from the guests during speeches. There were some really emotional moments that I had the honour of capturing. When the formalities had ended, the dance floor saw a ton of action which continued through most of the night. Thank you for sharing such an emotional day with me Julianne and Mike, here’s a look at how the special day unfolded 🙂

Venue – Sorrento In The Park

DJ – Mike Steffens

If you’ve enjoyed the gallery do let Julianne and Mike know by leaving a comment down below!

Chloe & Ben – The Wharf Wedding

Chloe and Ben got married on a beautiful day at The Wharf, a gorgeous waterfront venue in Auckland. During the ceremony, the exchanging of vows was incredibly touching, and this was evident just by looking at how the guests reacted.

After family and friends had a chance to congratulate the newlyweds, we headed off to the Domain for some bridal party and couple photos. It isn’t unusual to receive some attention when out photographing a group of good looking people dressed in gowns and suits, but due to the Chinese Lantern Festival being held at the Auckland Domain, there were people EVERYWHERE! Every few steps we took you’d hear people congratulating Chloe and Ben, which made the day extra special for them. Thankfully I had already made plans C, D and E just in case our main photo locations got taken up by huge crowds, so photos went ahead without a hitch! Credit goes to the couple for not being fazed by the huge waves of people, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience too.

Keep scrolling to see how their story unfolded 🙂

Venue – The Wharf

If you’ve enjoyed the preview gallery, do leave a comment down below! I’m sure Chloe and Ben would love to hear from you too 🙂

Sarah & Junior – Landsendt Wedding

Sarah and Junior chose to have their wedding at Landsendt, a gorgeous venue with a tropical theme. It was one of those days where the weather was highly unpredictable, and the call was made to keep the ceremony outdoors, which paid off big time! The rain held off until right after the ceremony (how perfect was the timing!).

At the reception venue, a beautiful marquee was built from the ground up at Sarah’s brother’s property and that was a sight to behold – with all the guests celebrating their big day being surrounded by dreamy fairy lights!

Here are some photos from the special day.

Venue – Landsendt

If you’ve enjoyed the preview photos from Sarah and Junior’s big day, do leave a comment down below!

Dean & Julie – The Brigham Wedding

Dean and Julie’s big day was a particularly emotional one.

After the wedding ceremony, we made our way to the stunning Bethells Beach for some fun and creative photos with the wedding party. With a bit of walking and dunes climbing action, we arrived at some of the spots I had scouted out a few days prior and everyone was extremely into it! Before this I was told that the bride and groom were going to be welcomed back to the reception with a Haka performance by some of the guests. It was when I got back to the venue and actually saw everyone all lined up getting ready for the couple’s arrival, that I knew it was going to be a huge moment.

At the end of the thunderous performance, Dean and Julie showed their appreciation by acknowledging each and every one of the friends and family who participated in the Haka, and the guests were all incredibly impressed.

The people truly made the day extra special.

Here’s a snippet of how the special day unfolded!

Venue – The Brigham

If you’ve enjoyed the preview of Dean and Julie’s wedding gallery, do leave a comment below!

David & Amy – Castaways Wedding

David and Amy had their wedding at Castaways, a stunning clifftop venue near Waiuku. Before he got to see his bride for the first time on the day, David and the boys had to go through a series of games and challenges set up by the bridesmaids! The boys did well striking poses in wigs and interesting garments, passing seaweed to each other with only their lips and getting their legs waxed. This was followed by a traditional tea ceremony where the bride and groom paid respect and showed their gratitude towards their family.

The ceremony was beautiful and emotional, with a mix of laughs and tears. At the reception, we were also treated to great speeches with lots of humour sprinkled in! One of the groomsmen even shared photos from David’s past and that drew a great reaction from the guests :p

It was an amazing day and thanks for letting me be a part of this wonderful celebration!

Here’s a look at how the day unfolded (with a signature west coast sunset!).