lake hayes elopement

A Fully Planned Queenstown Elopement at Lake Hayes - Katie & Ryan

There is something pretty lovely about deciding you want to get married in Queenstown... and then having someone here take care of the details for you.

Katie and Ryan travelled from Brisbane for their Queenstown elopement and chose my The Quiet Wild Collection - a fully planned, ground-based elopement for couples who want to keep their day beautifully simple, but don't necessarily want to organise everything themselves from another country.

For these two, that meant a ceremony beside Lake Hayes, a small team of some of my favourite local wedding people, and then time together at Ayrburn for their wedding portraits.

No helicopter. No complicated timeline. No huge production.

Just a really beautiful way to get married in Queenstown.

Planning a Queenstown elopement from Brisbane

Planning an elopement overseas can sound simple at first. Choose somewhere beautiful. Find a celebrant. Book a photographer. Sort out hair, makeup and all the other little pieces.

But suddenly you're comparing vendors from Brisbane, trying to work out locations you've never visited and wondering how everything is actually going to fit together on the day.

That's exactly why I created The Quiet Wild.

Katie and Ryan knew they wanted a ground-based Queenstown elopement, and from there I could bring together the people and places that would make it happen.

I planned their elopement through Mountain Elopements by Emmaline, with Sarah Noble as their celebrant, Beautiful Bridal Hair looking after Katie's hair and Paige Shipstone on makeup.

Everyone knew where they needed to be and when, which meant Katie and Ryan could arrive in Queenstown knowing the important pieces had already been taken care of.

A Lake Hayes elopement ceremony

For their ceremony, we chose Lake Hayes. It's easy to understand why couples fall in love with this part of Queenstown. The lake is surrounded by mountains, the landscape feels open and peaceful, and you don't need to take a helicopter or hike into the backcountry to find a setting that feels incredibly special.

And that's an important part of The Quiet Wild. A ground elopement doesn't mean compromising on the scenery.

Queenstown has some extraordinary places that we can reach by road, which means your day can stay relaxed while still giving you the mountains, water and wide open landscapes you've travelled all this way for.

Katie and Ryan stood together beside the lake while Sarah led them through their ceremony.

No audience of hundreds. No wedding-day performance.

Just the reason they'd come all the way from Brisbane in the first place - to get married.

From Lake Hayes to Ayrburn

After the ceremony, we headed to Ayrburn for their bridal portraits.

I loved being able to give Katie and Ryan two completely different looks without turning their wedding day into a marathon of driving and photographs.

Lake Hayes gave us that quintessential Central Otago landscape - lake, mountains and open space - while Ayrburn brought something completely different to their gallery.

The beautiful grounds and architecture gave us a more polished, editorial feel, and plenty of room to wander together and create portraits without anything feeling too structured.

That's one of the benefits of having the day planned around photography as well as the ceremony. We can think about how the locations work together, how long we actually need and what will give you variety without spending half your elopement in the car.

What does a fully planned ground elopement actually mean?

This is where The Quiet Wild differs from my photography-only elopement collection.

It's for couples who love the idea of keeping things intimate and uncomplicated, but would rather not coordinate all the moving parts themselves.

I help bring together the photography, planning and trusted local vendors, and we work through the details before you arrive.

It still feels like your elopement. You're making the important choices.

You just don't have to start from scratch trying to work out who to book, where to go or how the day should flow.

For couples coming from Australia in particular, I think there's something really reassuring about knowing there's somebody here in Queenstown looking after the local side of things.

A beautifully simple way to elope in Queenstown

Katie and Ryan's day is exactly what I had in mind when I created this collection.

Beautiful hair and makeup.
A celebrant who makes the ceremony feel personal.
An incredible lakeside location.
Time afterwards to wander, laugh and make some gorgeous photographs together.
And someone behind the scenes making sure those pieces actually connect.

Simple doesn't have to mean doing everything yourself.

Sometimes simple means handing over the logistics, arriving in Queenstown and knowing it's already been thought through.

Is The Quiet Wild right for you?

The Quiet Wild is my fully planned ground elopement collection for couples who want a little more support.

It could be a great fit if you're travelling to Queenstown to elope and want the beauty and intimacy of a small wedding without having to research and coordinate every vendor yourself.

I'll help you bring the day together using people I know and trust locally, while keeping everything relaxed, personal and centred on the two of you.

Katie and Ryan came from Brisbane. We took care of the Queenstown part.

They just had to come over and get married. And that's the point.

Planning your own Queenstown elopement?

If Katie and Ryan's day feels a little like what you're imagining, you can explore The Quiet Wild Collection to see what's included.

Or tell me what you have in mind. You don't need to arrive with a finished plan - that's what this collection is for.

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Katie & Ryan's Queenstown elopement team

Planning: Mountain Elopements by Emmaline
Photography: Emmaline Photography
Celebrant: Sarah Noble
Florals: The Flwoer Room
Hair: Beautiful Bridal Hair
Makeup: Paige Shipstone
Ceremony: Lake Hayes, Queenstown
Portraits: Ayrburn