thurlby domain elopement

A Thurlby Domain Elopement with a Bayonet Peak Helicopter Adventure

A Thurlby Domain Elopement with a Bayonet Peak Helicopter Adventure

What if you want to get married somewhere beautiful with your family around you, but you also really want those wild Queenstown mountaintop photographs?

You don’t have to choose between the two.

John and Monessa chose The Wild Summit with a ground ceremony for their Queenstown elopement. They married amongst the beautiful trees and stone ruins at Thurlby Domain before jumping in a helicopter with me for their bridal photos on Bayonet Peak.

They also decided to extend their photography coverage to four hours, giving us plenty of time for their ceremony, family photos, cake and celebrations before heading into the mountains.

It gave them the best of both worlds, and two completely different Queenstown landscapes in one beautiful day.

An intimate ceremony at Thurlby Domain

There’s something pretty magical about Thurlby Domain.

Hidden amongst mature trees near Arrowtown, the old stone ruins make it feel completely different from the big open mountain landscapes Queenstown is known for.

For John and Monessa, it was such a lovely setting for their ceremony.

Charlotte from Your Big Day led the ceremony, with florals from The Flower Room and furniture from Queenstown Wedding Hire bringing everything together amongst the trees.

One of the things I love about having the ceremony on the ground is the freedom it gives you. You can have your favourite people there. Add flowers and a few beautiful details. Take your time afterwards for hugs, family photos, congratulations and cake.

There’s no rush to get everyone onto a helicopter.

And then, when you’re ready, you can disappear into the mountains for a little adventure of your own.

Why John and Monessa chose four hours of photography

John and Monessa upgraded their collection to four hours of photography, and their day is a really good example of when that extra time can be worthwhile.

Rather than squeezing the ceremony, family photographs, celebrations and helicopter flight into a tight window, we had room for everything to unfold naturally.

We could photograph all the little moments around their ceremony, spend time with their family, cut their gorgeous cake from Sophie Roseanna and then head off for the second part of the day.

It still felt like an elopement.

Just one with a little more room to breathe.

From Thurlby Domain to Bayonet Peak

After celebrating at Thurlby Domain, it was time to leave everyone behind for a while.

John and Monessa headed off with Heliworks, and suddenly the whole feel of their wedding day changed.

One minute we were amongst the trees and historic stone ruins.

Not long afterwards, we were standing on Bayonet Peak surrounded by snow, mountains and huge views across Lake Wakatipu.

This is exactly why I love combining a ground ceremony with a helicopter landing for bridal photos.

You get two completely different experiences without needing to hold your ceremony on the mountain.

Your family can be there for the part that matters most, and afterwards the helicopter becomes this little pocket of the wedding day that's just for the two of you.

Well, the two of you, me and our pilot.

Bridal photos on Bayonet Peak

Bayonet Peak is one of my favourite helicopter locations when couples are hoping for those big Lake Wakatipu views.

It feels properly wild once you’re up there.

Mountains in every direction, the lake stretching away below you and that slightly surreal feeling of standing somewhere you simply couldn’t have reached on foot in wedding clothes.

We were lucky enough to have snow on the mountain for John and Monessa too, which made the contrast with Thurlby Domain even more incredible.

Their final gallery moves from green trees and old stone ruins to snowy alpine landscapes.

Two completely different sides of Queenstown, all within a few hours.

Do you have to get married on a mountain to have a helicopter elopement?

Not at all.

It’s something couples don’t always realise when they first start looking at Queenstown helicopter elopements.

You can absolutely have your ceremony somewhere on the ground and use the helicopter purely for your bridal photos afterwards.

For some couples, it’s actually the perfect combination.

A ground ceremony gives you more flexibility with family, styling and timing, while the helicopter still gives you that extraordinary alpine experience and photographs you simply can’t create from the roadside.

It also means your ceremony isn’t dependent on mountain conditions. Queenstown weather can change quickly, and the pilot will always make the final decision about where it’s safe to fly and land.

Having a local team behind your elopement means we can adapt if we need to.

The Wild Summit with a ground ceremony

The Wild Summit is for couples who want the ease and flexibility of getting married on the ground, but don’t want to leave Queenstown without experiencing the mountains from above.

I plan the Queenstown side of the elopement through Mountain Elopements by Emmaline, bringing together trusted local vendors and making sure all the different pieces of the day work together.

And, just as John and Monessa did, you can add extra photography coverage if the day you’re imagining needs a little more time.

That’s one of the lovely things about eloping.

It doesn’t have to follow someone else’s formula.

Ground ceremony or mountain ceremony?

If you’re torn between the two, think about what you want the ceremony itself to feel like.

If having family with you, styling your ceremony space, sharing cake afterwards and having time together on the ground matters to you, a ground ceremony followed by a helicopter adventure can be a beautiful option.

You still get the mountain.

You just don’t have to put your entire wedding day on it.

For John and Monessa, Thurlby Domain and Bayonet Peak couldn’t have been more different.

Together, though, they made complete sense.

Planning your own Queenstown helicopter elopement?

If you love the idea of an intimate ground ceremony followed by an adventure into the mountains, you can explore The Wild Summit Collection and see what’s included.

And you don’t need to know which ceremony location, helicopter landing or vendors you want before getting in touch.

That’s the part I can help with.

John & Monessa’s Queenstown elopement team

Planning: Mountain Elopements by Emmaline
Photography: Emmaline Photography
Ceremony venue: Thurlby Domain
Celebrant: Charlotte from Your Big Day
Florals: The Flower Room
Ceremony furniture: Queenstown Wedding Hire
Cake: Sophie Roseanna
Helicopter: Heliworks Queenstown
Helicopter landing: Bayonet Peak