Berit & Willy travelled to Franz Josef Glacier from America to say 'I Do' in the form of a Heli-Elopement Adventure Wedding and from the moment I met these two, I knew this elopement was going to be a bit different - in a very good way.
Adventure Heli-Elopement Wedding in Franz Josef Glacier
As keen out door adventurers, what better location to tie the knot than Franz Josef Glacier? The rugged, wild and untouched West Coast truely does deliver on every front when it comes to adventure weddings with a multitude of scenery and location options from the snowcapped Southern Alps and its glaciers, to rivers and rainforest, kettle lakes and the mighty Tasman Ocean and its gorgeously windswept beaches.
It was decided that the day would entail a combination of beach, mountains, snow and lake with the mode of transport being helicopter with Glacier Country Helicopters. The first stop was a secluded slice of beach, south of Okarito where the couple became husband and wife. What an honour it was to witness Berit & Willy in this special moment made even more special by the remote location myself, the celebrant, Jessica Kennedy, the pilot, Poppy and Willy & Berit all found ourselves in. There was simply, so much love. it was perfect and beautiful.
The throwing of the bouquet at around 3000 meters above sea level is always a fine sight. And of course that was next on the agenda. We landed amidst the snowy Southern Alps on a fine summers day in Glacier Country which made for a perfect romantic setting with the scattered cloud delivering the mood lighting. There was a snowball fight, lots of jokes and fun and the excitement of being up on the snow was evident all-round.
After landing back in Franz Josef Glacier, we proceeded to drive to Lake Mapourika - South Westlands largest lake - a kettle lake which was formed when the retreating Franz Josef Glacier left behind a large block of ice some 14 000 years ago. The dark tannins in the water attract the sun which means on this day, in the middle of summer it would have been sitting 20 + degrees celsius. It was so hot that after a few final shots, Berit & Willy decided to top the day off with a fully clothed jump off the jetty. Now that is what I call the fitting end to an adventure wedding and one I will not forget.
Berit & Willy, thank you for inviting me to be part of your special day, what fun we had!
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