We began our coverage with Scott and his groomsmen getting ready. The boys all looked very handsome in their suits and seemed to have lots of fun being all dressed up hanging out together. Scott was calm and quiet, and very easy to photograph. He is such a lovely guy. We then moved on to Claire’s parent’s home where the girls were gathered. Claire had 3 bridesmaids who looked amazing in their fuchsia gowns, and her 2 adorable nieces as flowergirls.  Claire was such a beautiful bride, and looked so happy and excited about the day that lay ahead. I just love the photographs of all the ladies getting ready. The colours are so pretty and they all looked gorgeous. I have to make special mention of the 2 little girls and what an amazing job they did. It can sometimes be a little unpredictable photographing children on a wedding day, but these little sweeties were just fantastic, ALL day long.

After the ceremony and family photographs we went to the View St area for photographs. The first location was actually Scott’s idea. He had mentioned that he thought a yellow wall would look fantastic with the with the girls pink dresses. I had to scout around a few days before, but I did find an amazing yellow wall. When we arrived there it was pouring, but much to my surprise the entire group leapt out of the cars with umbrellas and simply asked where I wanted them to stand. I was amazed. I LOVE those images. I loved this bridal party!

We spent a while undercover in the fireman’s breezeway next to the Capital Theater while the rain refused to let up. Wanting to add more variety while still taking shelter, I then suggested going to the Bendigo Railway Station. It turned out to be an amazing location and we had so much fun staging a ballroom shot in the main foyer of the station. I think we probably surprised a few passing passengers, which was half the fun! Other locations included the Bendigo Law Courts in Pall Mall and a lovely rustic paddock close to their reception venue.

Claire and Scott’s reception room was decorated by The Eternal Vase and looked brilliant. They delighted their family and friends with a wonderful bridal waltz which became a little whacky half way through with renditions of everything from the Time Warp to YMCA. I just love the idea of the two of them working out and practicing their routine, plus it was great that they surprised their guests and broke away from tradition in the name of fun!

Claire and Scott, I want to thank you for placing your faith and trust in me, and allowing me to document your wonderful wedding day. It was such a pleasure spending the day with you and your lovely bridal party. I hope you enjoy this preview of your wedding photographs, and I look forward to seeing you again to present you with all of your images from the day.

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As I have mentioned before on this journal I’m always thrilled when I have the opportunity to shoot in a new location. Thanks to Paul and his connection with the Bendigo Tramways we were able to shoot at a very old and historic location, the Bendigo Gasworks. I was so excited to be given the chance to explore this facinating piece of Bendigo’s history, and of course it made a beautiful and very interesting setting for many of Kate and Paul’s wedding photographs with old handmade red brick walls, deralict trams and the actual gasworks tanks and building. I shall begin this post with my favourite image of the day… a gorgeous photograph of  Paul and Kate taken in front of  the very old gas production plant. Vintage, industrial romance!? Ha ha ha….

Going back to the start of the day, as usual we bagan with coverage of Paul and his groomsmen getting ready. Paul looked amazing and although he might have been hiding nerves, he did so very convincingly with his cool, confident exterior. It was such a treat hanging out with the guys for a while, not to mention very funny. They were a brilliant group. Enthusiastc, willing and LOTS of fun!

After leaving the boys we moved on to Kate’s parents home where Kate, her bridesmaids and little page boy were getting ready. Kate looked stunning in her lace overlayed, ivory wedding gown, and with her hair in an elegant side chinon and a lace edged veil she was such a classy and sophisticated looking bride. Her bridesmaids comprised of her sister and close friends, and they all looked beautiful in their flowing, floor length dark grape dresses. I have to make a special mention of Kate’s darling little nephew who did a great job as a pageboy. He was such a good boy, and just too cute in his little shirt and tie. He definately stole some hearts, including mine!

After the ceremony and family photographs we moved through a few locations with Kate, Paul and their awesome bridal party. These  included View St, the Bendigo Gasworks and around the exterior of the magnificent Bendigo Town Hall where they had their reception that evening. I hope you enjoy this gallery featuring some of my favourite images from their special day.

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Kate & Paul, thank you so much for allowing Sue and I to be part of your special day. Your wedding was so beautiful and I think as a photographer I was just a bit spoiled to get to work with such a lovely group of people in some of the most amazing and picturesque locations that Bendigo has to offer. The two of you were so involved and enthusiastic about planning the photographic part of your day, and I think the resulting photographs are a testament to that. I hope you love this small preview of your wedding images, and I really look forward to seeing you again to show you the rest.

I started the day very early at a barber shop in Eaglehawk, where Chris and his groomsmen all had a close shave with a cut-throat razor. Afterwards we met at Chris and Karla’s house to photograph the guys getting ready. Chris looked very suave in his wedding attire, and I really liked the splash of orange with the groomsmen’s ties to add to the black and white colour theme. Very stylish!

After leaving Chris and the boys we moved on to where Karla and her bridesmaids were getting ready. Karla looked amazing in her white, pure silk wedding gown, the gorgeous black sash and bow complementing her glossy black hair. Her three bridesmaids also wore black, with gorgeous orange lily bouquets adding a burst of colour.

As I have already mentioned the sun came out for Chris and Karla’s ceremony in the park, and surrounded by their family and closest friends they became husband and wife. Afterwards we went to a few different locations for photographs including Rosiland Park, the steps of the Bendigo Law Courts and a lovely grassy spot just on the perimeter of the city. We also went to the Bendigo Train Station to escape the rain, and captured some amazing images as the sun streamed through the last of the rain for the day. Yes, bad weather can be somewhat inconvenient, but when I am presented with skies, sunlight and rain like that I have to admit I am so very glad we had crazy weather! Bring it on!

Here is a selection of some of my favourite images from Karla and Chris’ amazing wedding. I hope you enjoy them!

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Thank you so much Karla and Chris for giving me the opportunity to photograph your special day. I was so exhilarated capturing some of these images for you, and very grateful for your easy going, non-fuss attitude. I know not every couple would deal with such elements as gracefully as you did, and you honestly made my job so enjoyable and stress free. I also really appreciated your bridal party. That is a truly awesome group of friends that you have! I look forward to meeting with you again soon to present you with the rest of your images.

Romina and Josh were married in mid September at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo, with a reception that evening at the Boardwalk Restaurant. This was such a beautiful wedding, and really felt very family orientated. We began our photographic coverage at Josh’s parents home with Josh and his groomsmen getting ready. The guys all looked extremely suave, and I loved their slim-lined grey suits. The home has a great staircase with white balustrade, which I featured in some of the images. After leaving the guys we moved on to Romina’s parents’ home, where the ladies were getting ready. Romina and her mother were so well organised and had everything ready for us when we arrived. We spent some time photographing all of Romina’s gorgeous details, then it was finally time for her to get into her wedding gown. Romina looked absolutely amazing, and her parents were glowing with pride at the sight of their beautiful daughter all dressed up as the bride! Romina had her sister, Josh’s sister and a close friend attending her as bridesmaids, and they looked so elegant in their navy blue dresses. It was such a classy colour theme, set off with cream and green bouquets. One little extra SPLASH of colour was hidden underneath the hemline of Romina’s dress. Orange, suede shoes! How brilliant! I knew we would be showing those shoes off later in the day, but I didn’t realise just how perfect they would be. More about that in a minute….

After the ceremony we asked the wedding party, family and all of the guests to assemble on the steps in front of the cathedral for a group photograph. We also arranged some formal family photographs before moving on to doing creative and artistic shots of the newly weds and their bridal party. Romina and Josh wanted to feature the cathedral where they had just been married, so we stayed for a while longer to capture all that this magnificent building has to offer.

We then moved on to the Chinese precinct and gardens. This location was actually Josh’s request, to honour his family’s heritage, and long standing connection with the Bendigo Chinese Association. I absolutely loved taking photographs in among the brightly coloured and ornate Chinese decoration. It wasn’t until I lined the bridal party up underneath the elaborate entrance to the gardens and asked Romina to hitch up her dress a little to show off those shoes, that I realised the intense colours of the Chinese decorations actually matched the colours of the wedding party! Deep blue and bright orange. I still don’t know if this was coincidence, or by design. Did you plan this Romina? Either way the resulting images are amazing! I must say this is my favourite image from the day..

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Next we went to Lake Weeroona to capture the beauty of the sky and water at dusk, before rushing to our last location, the Bendigo Town Hall. I love taking photographs in the city when it’s lit up at night, and though we didn’t have the luxury of very much time, we still managed to get some stunning images. I thought I was going to be arrested by a policeman in a hilarious but heart stopping moment. My sister Sue and I were demonstrating how to do a dancing twirl in front of the Town Hall, possible obstructing the traffic just a tiny bit… when the police car pulled up beside us! I still can’t work out if the Police Officer was angry, confused or amused at what we were doing, but I babbled a mouthful of gracious apologies and basically ran away. Ha ha ha…. luckily he just drove off. Ooooh I am such a rebel, and I’d do it all again to get the amazing photographs that we ended up with!

So here is a collection of some of my favourite photographs from Romina & Josh’s brilliant wedding. I hope you enjoy them…..

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Romina & Josh, thank you for your faith and trust, and for allowing me to be part of your amazing wedding. I really enjoyed working with you and your wedding party. It’s such a joy when everyone is so nice, easy going, and having fun. One of your groomsmen (Sam) even called me an ‘extreme’ wedding photographer as I wobbled on the top of my step ladder at the lake…. a comment that still makes me laugh.  I’m not as extreme as I would wish to be, but I do love what I do, and a day like yours just re-affirms how lucky I am to have this job. It was a pleasure meeting your families and friends, and my honour to be your wedding photographer. I look forward to seeing you both again soon, and showing you the rest of your photographs.

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Alright… back to this utterly gorgeous wedding. It had it all. Beautiful details, stunning bride, debonair groom, lots of lovely family and friends, kids, puppy dogs, fabulous dancing, laughter, tears, and lashings of love. Unfortunately it also had an element of loss, as James’ father passed away suddenly in October last year. I really don’t want to say too much about that, other than to mention how deeply moved I was at the courage, love and support that was demonstrated by this very close family and everyone present. It never felt like a sad day, and even though the emotion was very apparent, it always felt very positive and like a true celebration for James and Lisa.

We started the day photographing James and the groomsmen getting ready. James was so cool, calm and collected, and looked amazing in his wedding attire. James and Lisa have two dogs that they adore, and had asked me if it would be OK to include their ‘babies’ in some of the photographs. James had Aero the Border Collie with him, and Lisa had their Cavoodle, Nala with her at her parents house. Both dogs were very well behaved, and I just adore the photographs featuring these furry friends. After we left James and the guys we moved on to where Lisa and her bridesmaids were getting ready. Seeing Lisa in her wedding gown for the first time quite simply took my breath away. She looked utterly stunning! I also really loved the soft green bridesmaid dresses. The ladies looked amazing, and the two little flower girls were as sweet as can be. Lisa has an identical twin sister, which as a photographer was a first for me. It was a little surreal look through the lens at them together!

After the ceremony and family formals at the Cathedral we chose to stay a while longer and take some photographs of the entire bridal party at this gorgeous location. We then moved on to Victoria Hill to take advantage of the last golden light and gorgeous sunset. It was quite cold and we had to move very quickly as the light falls fast at that time of the day. Thanks to a fantastic bridal party and James and Lisa’s dedication we got some truly amazing images. Once we found ourselves standing in almost complete darkness we finally gave in, and moved on to the reception at The Platinum Room. I think I actually gasped out loud when we first walked in! The room was decorated so beautifully, and was a culmination of Lisa and James’ creative ideas and the amazing and talented Miranda from The Eternal Vase. The only thing more amazing than the room itself was the awesome dance moves the bride and groom pulled out during the bridal waltz. Woweee… yes they’re in love, but can they dance? Ummm… YES they can. That’s a great big “yes”! I hope you enjoy the slideshow of this amazing day. James and Lisa’s wedding….

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Lisa and James… I want to thank you so much for giving me the honour of being part of your special day. I think you’re an amazing couple, and it’s perhaps your strength and immeasurable support for one another through such a difficult time leading up to the wedding that I am most taken with. I loved your wedding, and I absolutely loved spending time with you, your wonderful bridal party and families. I also really appreciate your true love for photography, and how much importance and emphasis you placed on the photographic part of your day. As a photographer I just could not have asked for more! As a person, I am simply grateful to know you and call you my friends. I am sorry you have waited so long for this Journal post, and I thank you for your patience. I just hope you love your photographs as much as I do!

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Because their ceremony and reception venue was a 20 minute drive from Echuca and they wanted to be married in the late afternoon, we decided it would be a great idea to take the majority of their photographs before the ceremony. We arranged a special meeting in Lauren and Steve’s new home, which is not yet completed. This was the first time they saw each other on their wedding day, and it was a very special moment. The builders and painters got to have a short break from their work, and seemed highly entertained at the proceedings! After Lauren and Steve’s emotional meeting we moved on to some locations, including  a lovely private property on the Murray and the old Echuca Court House. On a whim I decided to get the bridal party to dance around Lauren and Steve in front of the Court House. I just love the colours and joyous mood of this photograph.

Back to the start of the day. We began in the morning photographing Steve and his groomsmen getting ready. The guys looked so dashing in their charcoal suits, and they were all in very high spirits. Steve looked very suave, and was calm, confident and very easy to photograph. After leaving the guys we moved on to the house where Lauren and her bridesmaids were getting ready. The girls were very well organised, and we had lots of time to photograph Lauren’s gorgeous details and her preparations. Lauren looked stunning in her wedding gown, and was positively glowing with the excitement and anticipation of marrying her wonderful man! Her bridesmaids were a gorgeous group of ladies and looked brilliant in their flowing, coral pink dresses. Now on to the slideshow. I hope you enjoy the following highlights from Lauren and Steve’s amazing wedding day.

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It was such a pleasure photographing your wonderful day Lauren and Steve. Everything was beautiful, and the entire day was very relaxed and enjoyable.  I think your ceremony location was absolutely breathtaking, and the beauty of the Murray just added to the emotion of the event. I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness, and feel very honoured to have had the pleasure of meeting you both and spending such an amazing day with you, your friends and family.

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A week before the wedding Amanda and I scouted the  immediate vicinity of their ceremony  for potential photography locations, and found some fantastic areas close to the gardens. I always try to minimize traveling for the photography on a wedding day so we don’t spend too much precious time getting to the chosen locations. I really love the places we found, and was especially thrilled because I have never worked in the Eaglehawk area before. We shot at the fabulous Star Cinema, otherwise known as the Eaglehawk Town Hall, at the gorgeous old grandstand at the Canterbury Oval and in front of a funky blue brick wall. Here is one of my favourite images of Amanda and Luke in front of the cool wall we found. So joyous!.

.We started the day with coverage of Amanda and her bridesmaids preparations. Amanda looked stunning in her gorgeous wedding gown. Oh my what a beautiful bride. Her bridesmaids wore soft, flowing red dresses, adding a wonderful pop of colour to the bridal party. I must say I love red dresses, and the girls looked amazing. We also took some adorable photographs of little Harrison with his glamorous Mummy. The dear little man could melt my heart to butter, and he was such a good boy all day. What a darling.

Here is a gallery featuring some of my favourite images from Amanda and Luke’s big day!

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Amanda and Luke, I know you have been eagerly waiting for this post, and I thank you for your patience. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing your wedding day, and as always it was an honour to be trusted with such an important task. I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to work in those beautiful Eaglehawk locations, and I am just in love with the results. I must apologize for the mozzies at the last location we went to… something I hadn’t predicted. I thought we were going to be carried away! Ha ha ha. I think we were all a little lighter when we left! Sue commented later that we should have all huddled under your veil for protection Amanda. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your gallery, and I look forward to seeing you and showing you the rest of your images soon.

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Nicole and Jamie both got ready in Bendigo, before traveling to Mt Macedon for the wedding ceremony in two amazing hot rods. Jamie and the guys got ready at a house that Jamie and Nicole own in Bendigo, while the ladies chose a gorgeous room at the Hotel Shamrock for their preparations. I will begin my gallery of favourites with images of Nicole and her bridesmaids getting ready. Nicole looked divine  in her beautiful wedding gown from Poppy’s Bridal Couture in Bendigo. Soft and dreamy, and just a little bit vintage with her gorgeous feather fascinator. I was in heaven photographing Nicole, her beautiful maids and the two kids who did a great job as flower girl and page-boy . I hope you enjoy this gallery of highlights of the day. Of course with three photographers there were too many amazing images to narrow it down, so expect a long show!

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Jamie and Nicole, your wedding was so beautiful and it was such a pleasure spending this amazing day with you, your family and friends. I am so grateful for the opportunity to photograph your wedding and work in such picturesque locations. It really was a treat, and those hot rods were just incredible. I have to say how much I loved taking images in the Avenue of Honour with the cars. I’m not sure how much poor Michelle enjoyed directing all the local traffic around us though! (Great job Shell… we couldn’t have done it without you… hee hee) At least we didn’t get arrested. Imagine being in a police car on your wedding day!!! Oh wait…  ? It just so happens after their reception Nicole and Jamie were honoured with a ride home in a police car, though they were simply being treated by a couple of friendly policemen who wanted to give them a unique ending to their wonderful day! What a hoot!

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Kylie and Cale are the sweetest couple, and obviously very much in love! Leading up to the wedding they were so excited about their photography, and we spent a lot of time discussing and deciding on which locations we should shoot at after the ceremony. I always suggest that we go for variety, and try to include a very natural setting with grass and trees, as well as somewhere more urban like a street, lane way or buildings. Bendigo certainly has plenty of options in that department, and we chose to include Bendigo’s beautiful old post office and law courts in Pall Mall. Cale particularly wanted a few images inside a somewhat traditional setting… somewhere a little bit ‘grand’. Kylie mentioned an empty commercial building that she might be able to get permission for, which ended up being available. We really got lucky, because this building had old columns and moldings, a great staircase and generally the old world look we were after. The funny thing is my favorite shots from this location were the ones we took in the empty commercial kitchen. With a paneled stainless steel background they certainly look more modern and contemporary than old world, but I think I just love them because of the gorgeous colours. I have started this gallery with those images, before going back to the first part of the day with Kylie and Cale’s preparations before the ceremony.

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Kylie and Cale I hope you enjoy this preview from your beautiful wedding. I had such a great day with you and your bridal party, and you were all a pleasure to photograph. I’m so glad we put so much time and thought into your photography locations, and was especially thrilled with our ‘exclusive’ location. I just love it when I get to shoot somewhere new, and the place we went was certainly very eclectic. It was also a bit freaky to stand on the spot where I first met my husband…. ALL those years ago. I must say I never dreamed I’d be taking wedding photographs in that building! I love it when life is that surprising!

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your very special day. I don’t want to embarrass you, but now would be a good time to tell you… you are a very hot couple! Oops. I mean a very hot husband and wife. Yeah…. that’s even better!

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After the ceremony and family photographs we headed off to an amazing private property on the Murray River for location photographs of the bridal party. This property was fantastic with gardens, a lake, and the biggest old Morton Bay Fig tree I have ever seen! We were extremely fortunate that although the weather forecast was for rain all day, it somehow managed to pass us by for most of the day. After leaving the gardens we headed to the Port of Echuca in the early evening for some final photographs when our luck with the weather finally ran out, and the heavens opened up. As I sat in the car in the pouring rain I was thinking to myself what a shame it was that Kath and Marc would miss out on photographs in the laneway they loved. So I was amazed to see the entire bridal party leap out of the cars, umbrellas in hand! What’s more… they were all perfectly happy about it. Laughing, joking, totally prepared to get a bit wet and not a single complaint! What an amazing group. Here is one of my favourite images from the day, taken of Kath & Marc in the rain!

And now here is a slideshow of highlights from Kathryn & Marc’s gorgeous wedding. We started the day photographing Marc and his groomsmen getting ready, then moved on to Kathryn and her bridesmaids. I have chosen to start this gallery with the ladies first. Kathryn had a beautiful group of girls attending her on her wedding day, with her two sisters, Marc’s sister and two special friends making up a group of five lovely bridesmaids.  Kathryn was such a stunning bride, and looked divine in her magnificent Angela Marcuccio gown. Just WOW! I was also in love with all of her beautiful details, especially the bouquets featuring peony roses. They always remind me of paper flowers, like something delicate and faded from a bygone era.

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Kathryn & Marc, it was such a pleasure to share this wonderful occassion with you. I thought your wedding was just beautiful. Very classy and elegant yet still casual, fun and very relaxed. Your bridal party were just brilliant and really embraced the spirit of the occassion. I was especially taken with your parents and really appreciated the extra care they took of Sue and I. We felt very special, like we were part of your day and part of the gang. I never take for granted the level of trust and faith that my couples place in me when they ask me to photograph their wedding. It’s so important to me to do a great job, and I take my role of capturing peoples memories very seriously. However working with people like you and your family is such a pleasure it’s very hard to see it as work!

I truly hope you both enjoy this preview of your beautiful wedding day. Oh, and Happy New Year guys! I hope you have a blast seeing in your first New Year as husband and wife. You are my last journal post for 2010. What a way to end the year!

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