Lachlan + Connor’s Winter Elopement on Bayonet Peak
Lachlan and Connor flew over from South Australia and built an elopement into a New Zealand holiday — booked, as it turned out, just a few weeks out from the day, taking advantage of our short notice discount. We love spontaneous elopements with couples who decide to just do it!
The 45-Minute Landing: Simple Is Beautiful at Its Most Simple
Our 45-minute landing is the most affordable option in the Simple is Beautiful package — built for couples who want a genuine mountaintop experience and beautiful photos without the higher cost of extras they don’t need or want. It’s up to you what landing time you want, 45, 60 minutes or even a 75 or 90 minute landing. Whatever our couples decide it’s the same ceremony, the same landing options, the same attention, just a different window on the mountain.
Lachlan and Connor went with exactly that, and paired it with the short notice rate — proof that a fast-approaching date doesn’t mean compromising on the day itself.
Simple is Beautiful elopement packages
Choosing the Right Snow for the Day
It had snowed heavily in the days before, and deep snow at altitude isn’t much fun to actually stand and walk around in — beautiful to look at, less beautiful in dress shoes. So instead of pushing higher, Scott guided Lachlan and Connor to the lower slopes of Bayonet Peak, where the snow sat as a light dusting rather than a drift and their feet didn’t freeze.
The views held up perfectly. Lake Wakatipu spread out below, The Remarkables sitting white and sharp in the distance as a proper winter backdrop — all of it without the deep snow making every step hard work. It’s one of the advantages of Bayonet Peak having landing options at different elevations: Scott can pick the one that actually suits the conditions, not just the one that looks best in theory.
Why we choose different landings for different seasons
Dress Shoes, No Socks, Zero Regrets
A quick note on footwear: Lachlan and Connor committed to the look and wore dress shoes with no socks in the snow. Bold. Possibly a little cold. Entirely worth it for the photos, and exactly the kind of small, stubborn detail that makes an elopement feel like your day rather than someone else’s template. We’re up for it.
A Snowman, Courtesy of the Celebrant
While photos were underway, celebrant Pol Nicholson put the spare time to good use and built a snowman on the spot — which turned out to be the perfect prop for a few final poses. Not something you can plan for, but exactly the sort of moment that happens when everyone involved is genuinely enjoying the day.
What’s included in our elopement packages
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Sunshine Weddings arranges intimate helicopter elopements across Queenstown and Te Anau — landing, celebrant, photography and vendors included. Follow more real elopements on Instagram @sunshineweddingsnz.
