Moody Clouds and Vintage Wine Bottles

On the 5th April, Merindah and I set off for the wedding of Lyndall and Heath who had travelled all the way from Dubbo to be married in the beautiful Hunter Valley. Dark, moody clouds loomed overhead, threatening a downpour. The girls were getting ready in a lovely little cabin at the Hunter Valley Resort, and the boys were in the next cabin over. There was an excited and nervous energy in the girl's cabin, and everyones eyes were watching the skies waiting to see what would happen. Sure enough, just as the girls were getting ready to dress Lyndall, the clouds opened up and gave way to a much heavier downpour than what we were expecting. The decision was made to move the outdoor ceremony into the reception venue. After all the phone calls had been made to organise the ceremony chairs to be moved, the girls got back to dressing Lyndall, and my was her dress stunning! We then all helped Lyndall into her dad's car, since it was not to wet to walk up to the ceremony, and the bridesmaids climbed into my car and we made our way up to the Blue Tongue brewery for the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in the Winemakers Room at the Brewery and was lovely and intimate. A very nervous Heath awaited his beautiful bride. By the time the "I do's", the kiss and the signing of the register had been finished, the rain had cleared outside and made way for some beautiful warm sunlight! So we wrapped up our family portraits in the bar and made our way out to the original ceremony site for some photos.

We then trekked across the road for some more photos with the bridal party, before jumping in my car and heading off for some beautiful bridal portraits in some open fields and vineyards. The rain held off for us the whole time and gave us some moody storm clouds for a backdrop, and even briefly gave way to some nice golden light to peak through. Just as we were finishing up and making our way back to the reception, a light sprinkling started. The reception was held back at the brewery and was beautiful decorated with many lovely little handmade touches. And the candy bar was a big hit (especially the strawberry bon bond, yum yum!)! After some beautifully heartfelt speeches and some table shots, we finished the night with a last few bridal portraits in front of all the beautiful vintage wine bottles.

Thank you Heath and Lyndall for choosing me to share your day with you! It was truly stunning!

A weekend at a Sheep Station

Late one foggy Friday evening, Merindah and I packed the car and set off for an old Sheep Station in Nundle. It was a very long and slow road trip up, with the fog so heavy in some areas I didn't even know where the front of the car was! When we arrived at the Dag Sheep Station, we were met by Emma's dad who directed us where to park and pointed us in the direction of our room in the shearer's quarters, before showing us where everyone was hanging out. After spending some time getting to know Emma's relatives we decided it was time to head to bed.

The next morning, we woke up nice and early so we could suss out the station and chose our locations for Emma and Joel's bridal portraits after the ceremony. We spent the morning testing out the 4x4 capabilities of my little Yeti, which resulted in a bit of wire wrapped around the brakes (which Merindah managed to somehow unravel) and the discovery of so many potential backdrops!

After a bit of lunch, we made our way to the two outhouses Emma and Joel were getting ready in. There was such an air of quite excitement while I was in with the girls, and Emma and I may have spent a bit of time doing a few little arabesques and pirouettes in the lounge room. Little Archie was bathed and fed ready for the big day and then the time came for the girls to start putting on their dresses.  Emma's dress was a true princess gown, beautiful, full and frothy. Just stunning! As we peered out the door, we saw Merindah and the boys heading up to the shearing shed for the ceremony.

After stopping for a few quick photos along the away, the girls climbed the stairs into the big old converted shearing shed for the ceremony. Emma and Joel's ceremony was beautifully decorated with hanging glass balls and flowers, and there was perfect natural light streaming through from the windows above. After the ceremony and family photos were finished, we made our way outside to spend some time doing the portraits.

We had an absolute blast during the location shoot, it included everything from stunning locations, to ballet on a fence, from loosing Mitta when we went off-site, to drones hovering overhead (which freaked me out every time it was behind me haha).

The reception was held back at the Mess hall at Dag and had more beautifully suspended flowers in vases. The speeches were so heartfelt and emotional I had a bit of a tear up in my corner while shooting it. The dance floor was the place to be, and once it came time for us to put our cameras down, we joined Emma and Joel and carved up the dance floor!! At the end of the night, everyone formed two lines and started lighting sparklers ready for Emma and Joel's exit. Of course I had to run back to our room to grab my camera for just a few more images!! And what a spectacular send off it was!

I would love to say a huge thank you to Emma and Joel for having us there at your stunning wedding, for allowing us to have an incredible time, and for asking us to travel with you to such an amazing location! We had the best weekend! Thank you both!

Storm Clouds, Mountain Ranges and a Helicopter from the 40s

The weather gods gave us a bit of everything on the 22nd March which was just perfect for Clare and Ben's big day out at Peterson's Champagne House. The girls were all very calm and organised when I arrived to photograph them preparing at Clare's parent's house. And I was completely in awe of the beauty of Clare's stunning Melanie Ford dress! The two dogs also had a bit of an appearance in the photos, donning adorable little peach coloured tutus!

I made my way out to Peterson's to wait for the girls to arrive for the ceremony, and after falling off a log in the garden, I got ready to shoot as the beautiful cars started rolling in. The ceremony was officiated by Anthony Bourke under the awning in front of Petersons. At the end of the ceremony, Clare & Ben walked down the aisle through a cloud of bubbles! I always love bubbles and rose petals at the end of the ceremony!!

After we had finished the group photo, we headed off down Debeyers Rd for some photos, eventually making our way out to visit the Vintage Aviation Hangar at Cessnock to do some photos with a helicopter from the 1940s. After we made freinds with a dog and all had a glass of champagne, we set off for the next location. At the next location we had stunning feilds and a perfect view of the mountain range, complete with moody storm clouds and also sun flare, which made for a very very happy photographer!!!

The reception was held back at Peterson's and was beautifully decorated by Teagan from TLC Designs! The food was delicious, the music, played by one of my favourite DJs was awesome and the whole atmosphere, so relaxed! Everyone had an absolute blast, and I even hopped on the dance floor for a bit of a boogie before we left!

Thank you both so much for having us there! We had the best day!!