It was a very intimate setting with little details throughout the backyard that made it so unique, there were picnic rugs set up under umbrellas with wine & cheese, lanterns adorning the trees and the perfect weather just finished it off.

As Kate walked down the aisle Ben and his groomsmen played a song Ben wrote and sang to Kate when he proposed which had most of the guests in tears.  With lots of singing and heart felt vows the ceremony captured their relationship perfectly.

Once we had taken the family pictures we jumped in the cars headed down the road for a little picnic and got some great shots of the bridal party before heading back and letting them enjoy the festivities with their family and friends.

When I shoot a wedding I want whoever views the images to feel like they have an insight into the couple, their relationship, personalities and their wedding day.  I hope I have achieved this with these images.

It was a special wedding and I am glad I was there to capture the start of the rest of their lives together.

I remember when Kim & Vincent came in for the initial consultation to see my wedding photography work they were tossing up between hiring me and another photographer, after this pre wedding shoot I got a lovely email from them. (see below)

” – Hi Johl and Sarah,

Just wanted to thank you both for Monday night.  Vin and I had such a great time, and are so excited that you will be our photographer for the wedding.  Not that we weren’t before – just after Monday it shows that we really have chosen the right photographer.  Hope you guys enjoyed it half as much as we did, and we got some good photos.”

This first image they ordered as a nice big single print as it is a beautiful artistic image and it also captures a piece of history for their family which they can look back on for years to come. 

In this situation my aim is to make the shoot fun and quick, if I drag it out and the bridal party aren’t enjoying the experince then it will come out in the photos, I would rather get 30-40mins of great photos outside then let them relax by the fire for the rest of the time we have and capture some casual photos.

At the end of the day it is a couples wedding and you want to make it as fun, enjoyable (and warm) as possible for them and capture fantastic images in the process.

groom

the groomsmen

bride to be

arriving for the ceremony

ceremony

casual bridal party photo

Grace & Adam got married a few weeks ago now and had their reception at the beautiful skyhigh Reception Centre.  The weather was atrocious in the morning but cleared up beautifully and allowed us to get some great shots.  I have Grace’s brother Joe and his fiance Maria’s wedding on in a few weeks so I am looking forward to catching up with them then.

I have been trying to get different shots of the rings to make them more interesting.

They had a big bridal party so we tried a bit of a cool gangster pose with Adam and his mates who were all great fun.

There was a Ferrari parked in the garage so we had to get a shot in it.

Grace looked stunning in a dress designed by her friends brother Vince.

The light falling on her shapes this photo nicely and gives it an elegant feel.

I have never seen an entrance like this when the boys turned up to the church in 4 hot rods.

I love the happiness you can capture on the bride and grooms face straight after the ceremony, or maybe it is relief!

We stopped off at The Cosmopolitan bar & restaurant for a few drinks and photos before heading up to Skyhigh.

The whole gang who were a really fun bridal party with 16 in total it was the biggest I have photographed.

When we got up to Skyhigh this was the view and as you can see it was amazing.

Kelly & Daniel got married in Yarra Junction at Kelly’s parents property which is one of the most picturesque places I have had the pleasure in photographing and then onto the beautiful Bulong Estate winery up the road for the reception.  Kelly & Daniel live in Sydney so they did a great job organising the wedding and everyone had a fantastic day.

The boys got ready at a property in Yarra Junction so we took advantage of the country setting for this relaxed portrait.

I really like the rustic feel to this image enhanced by some corrections in photoshop.

Kelly was so relaxed and I think it comes across in this picture and the colours of the sky and landscape really make this picture fun.

Showing off the dress.

This is in Kelly’s parents front yard and is filled with trout and check out the view, it was all too easy.

We were trying to get a nice shot with the family dog when he decided he didn’t want to participate any more and turned his back on Kelly & Adam, quite a funny image.

We softened the colours on this and photographed it through the vines to give the image a real sense of intimacy.  It’s like they are unaware of the camera and are just caught up in being with each other, love it! probably my favourite of the day.

These two shots are very striking with the blue sky and typify the Yarra Valley area with the big gum tree and mountain views.

Adrian & Ann got married on Saturday in the city and had their reception at Flemington Race Course which is looking in superb shape heading into the spring carnival.  I have to say Ann did a great job considering she had a fractured leg from a hen’s night mishap and was on crutches.  She didn’t complain once and even managed a bridal waltz.

Being tricky with the rings again.

The angles, lines and shadows really appealed to me in this shot.

This image really captures Ann’s fun and happy personality.

Walking shots were a little more difficult to do but this image turned out great and has a real cosmopolitan feel.

We stopped off at a pub at Fed Square so Ann could rest her leg and the boys could wet the whistle and we found a wall of great beer quotes.

It’s hard to see in this small picture but behind Adrian & Ann is a great view of the track and the city.

A day at the races.

Adrian is a keen punter so we had to get a fun shot like this.

Nicole & Jason’s wedding was on Sunday held up at Tatra receptions in the Dandenongs, which is a fantastic backdrop for wedding photography.  It was a really fun wedding to shoot Jason and the boys were very laid back and chilled out whereas Nicole and the girls were full of energy and very bubbly.  This made for a great combination and we had a lot of laughs.

This is a detail of the guys trying to sort out their ties which is always fun to watch.

‘The bogan couches’ as the called them out the front of their house made for a cool portrait of the boys.

I think this shot really depicts Jason well and is a cool James Dean like shot.

The ever bubbly Nicole, you couldn’t wipe the smile off her face all day.

Job done, it’s time to celebrate!

I have never seen so many rose petals thrown before it was great.

What a cute couple.

I got down low for this shot for a more interesting angle.

A nice private moment between Jason & Nicole in Tatra’s gardens.

I tell all my couples that are worried about rain to bring umbrellas and it won’t rain, once again this worked but we thought we would get them out anyway for a few fun shots.

I photographed Daniel & May’s wedding on Saturday, they suit each other perfectly and seem to have an unspoken connection which I think we managed to capture in the images of the day.

This is just a simple shot of May’s dress moments before putting it on.

Instead of a veil May wore a beautiful Diana Hardwick fascinator.

I love this shot and put a vintage type filter over the top to finish it off.

A fun shot really capturing their connection.

This was shot just after the ceremony at the beautiful montslavat in Eltham, I used some off camera flash to get both the sun coming through the trees and May & Daniel lit properly.

We had some time up our sleeve so we stopped for a coffee down mailing road and I managed to capture a lovely moment and you can see the happiness in May’s eyes.

The bridal party dancing along Mailing Road

Let’s Dance.

I liked the converging vertical lines above them so I got down low and created a funky shot with a bit of off camera flash to give it some punch.

Checking out all the treats at the lollie shop.

I didn’t know putting the garter on could be so much fun

For this shot I shone the off camera flash through the door to give that beautiful light.

I love these candid moments

Leanne was so relaxed before the ceremony she even busted out some moves for the camera

A low camera angle and some off camera flash helps make this shot more interesting.

I liked the colour of this wall so it was a perfect spot for this casual portrait of Brett.

I put a treatment over this pic in photoshop to give it a 70′s feel.

How cool are these guys.

Putting the veil over Leanne just before walking down the aisle.

Getting Leanne & Brett walking and talking creates a much more candid picture than a ‘stand there and smile’ pose.

The autumn colours were amazing in the gardens at Tatra

Autumn – love it!

I love the expressions in this pic.

A fun pic from a different angle.

A great moment captured.