Queenstown Weddings & Elopements: Photographers, Planners & Venues

There is a reason couples fly from all over the world to marry in Queenstown. New Zealand's adventure capital is also its wedding and elopement capital - a place where you can say "I do" on a snow-dusted mountain peak reached only by helicopter, in a stone chapel by a mirror-still lake, or on a vineyard terrace with the Remarkables as your backdrop. The scenery does half the work; the region's seasoned wedding professionals do the rest.

Here is your guide to getting married in Queenstown, from heli-wedding specialists to photographers, videographers and venues.

Full-service elopement and heli-wedding specialists

If you want the whole day handled by one team, Queenstown's elopement companies are world-class. [Nomad Weddings](https://nomad.wedding/) is a local outfit that handles everything "from permit to portrait" - planning, ceremony, officiant, photography and video - with heli-wedding options that open up alpine lakes, glaciers and remote ridgelines you would otherwise never reach.

[The Lovers Elopement Co](https://theloverselopementco.com/) has built an international reputation under wedding artists Dawn Thomson and Gypsy West, known for design-led, all-inclusive heli weddings and a distinctive editorial aesthetic that brings together photographer, florals, stylist, celebrant and hair and makeup. And [Long White Cloud Elopements](https://www.longwhitecloudelopements.co.nz/) is a husband-and-wife team specialising in intimate, beautifully photographed Queenstown elopements and heli-weddings to spots like Cecil Peak and The Remarkables.

The photographers and videographers

Queenstown weddings live or die on imagery, and the region is blessed with talented storytellers.

• [Panda Bay Films](https://pandabayfilms.com/) is a multidisciplinary studio covering pre-wedding, elopement and wedding photography and videography, plus makeup and hair - with a natural, candid style.
• [Felix Image](https://www.feliximage.co.nz/) is a one-stop Queenstown and Wanaka studio for hassle-free elopement, wedding and pre-wedding photography and video, popular with couples wanting a relaxed, affordable package.
• [222 Photographic Studios](https://222photographicstudios.com/) is an award-winning, NZIPP-accredited team specialising in helicopter elopements, with over 15 years of experience and epic alpine summit landings.
• [Dawn Collective](https://www.dawncollective.co.nz/) is a luxury photo-and-video team that travels across New Zealand, bringing a drone to every wedding to capture the landscape.
• [Kate Roberge Photography](https://kateroberge.co.nz/) brings an editorial, joyful eye and genuine wedding-planning expertise drawn from hundreds of weddings.
• [Emmaline Photography](https://emmalinephotography.com/) offers clean, timeless storytelling from a photographer with over 15 years capturing honest moments, from surprise proposals to intimate celebrations.
• [The Wild Beyond](https://www.thewildbeyond.co.nz/) is the pick for adventurous couples, with award-winning photographers, videographers, planners and guides who live for mountain-top and helicopter ceremonies.

The venues

If you would rather a fixed location than a heli landing, [Stoneridge Estate](https://stoneridge.co.nz/) on the shores of Lake Hayes is one of the region's most loved - a luxury lodge, boutique vineyard and wedding venue with an authentic stone Chapel by the Lake, an architecturally unique reception space, and on-site honeymoon and lodge accommodation, all just 15 minutes from town.

The Gibbston and Lake Hayes wineries also make memorable wedding and celebration settings - see our Queenstown wineries guide for cellar doors with restaurants and event spaces.

Tips for planning a Queenstown wedding

• Have a weather plan. Mountain weather changes fast. The best vendors build a backup day into heli and outdoor packages - ask about it.
• Book early. Top photographers and venues fill 12-18 months ahead, especially for autumn and peak summer dates.
• Choose your season for the look. Snow-capped peaks in winter, golden larches in autumn, long warm light in summer - the backdrop changes dramatically through the year.
• Build in recovery time. Bookend the big day with a soak - our Queenstown day spas and hot pools guide has the best spots to relax before and after.

Wedding vendor? Your next booking is searching right now

Couples planning a Queenstown wedding shortlist their vendors months out, usually from a handful of guides and recommendations. If you are a photographer, planner or venue working in the region and you are not on this list, tell us. A ranking position is never sold - but a good suggestion, with proof of the work, gets checked and considered like every other entry here.

Dreaming bigger? Browse our guides to Gibbston wineries and Queenstown spas, or see how the Auckland wedding scene compares on our sister city guide.