Foggy mountains and rainy beaches

My November was an odd month weather-wise! And Makayla and Sam's wedding had all sorts of weather all in the one day!

Their ceremony was scheduled to happen on a beautiful stretch of Dunbogan Beach on the North Coast, but due to rain, the ceremony was moved to Laurieton where they were to have their reception. There was plenty of nervous energy about, the boys putting ribbons on the bridal cars in the pouring rain, the girls jumping on beds to calm nerves. But despite the rain, the day could not have been more stunning! After the ceremony we made out way to Big Brother Mountain where the bridal party waited at the bottom for us and I took Makayla and Sam to the top to have their portraits done in amongst some really stunning cloud! After shooting there, we rejoined the bridal party and made a few stops in Laurieton for photos before heading to Dunbogan beach to have photos where the ceremony would have been held. Unbeknown to Makayla and Sam, the ceremony decorators had beat them down there and hung all the lanterns in the archway of trees Makayla would have walked down to meet her man!

So after a portrait session that included fog, rain, wind and then a peek on sunshine, we made our way back to Laurieton for the reception. Much laugher and fun was had during the reception, with Makayla, Sam and maid of honour Dyarnie re-creating a photo from a birthday party with the wedding cake. Merindah and I had a fabulous day with you all and were so pleased we were able to create some really unique images for you! Thank you for having us there to share your day!

Castles and Hidden Garden Ceremonies

When Felicity and Trevor booked me to photograph their wedding I was so excited! They had chosen the stunning Sweetwater Estate to host the whole event! Sweetwater is like a photographers dream! Endless stretching vineyards, beautiful waterways with their own jetties and bridges, European Medieval styled buildings and a Castle in the distance! Just stunning!

And of course, their day was just as stunning as the backdrop. Throughout the day, the temperature continued to climb and the storm clouds continued to roll in, creating a very cool atmosphere for the ceremony. The ceremony was held in a little hidden area in the vines with the darkest of storm clouds looming in the background, a stark contrast to the gorgeous sunshine lighting up there ceremony location. The rumbling in the distance was so mood setting. I must say I was loving it hearing the thunder while I was shooting.

We then spent a good two hours trekking all over Sweetwater Estate creating awesome photos! We laughed lots, comandeered a random puppy, lost a lot of Felicity's dress and even sunk a boat (It was retreived though and no brides or grooms were injured- Just a little wet)! After holding out going back to the reception for as long as we could due to amazing light, we wandered back around the dam where we were met with very hungry guests and some awesome country music, thunder still rumbling in the distance!

Thank you for having me there to share your day, the venue was a dream to photograph, and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to show me all that Sweetwater had to offer! Thanks for an incredibly fun day guys!

Graffiti, Train lines and Sparkling Waves

A number of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing the big day of Haylea & Pete. It was a very hot early November day and all of the girls were trying to cool down under the fan while getting ready at Haylea & Pete's house. As indication of how hot it was, my iPhone which I had left in the car, had shut down due to the heat. But despite the heat, the girls, and in particular, the stunning bride, did not stop smiling and having fun. Meanwhile, Merindah was with the boys at James Squire in Newcastle pouring beers!

Haylea & Pete's ceremony was held in front of the big, beautiful wooden doors at the Wine Selectors Vineyard in Honeysuckle. And what a stunning backdrop those doors made! After the ceremony concluded and everyone headed off to get some shade, we made our way off on location. After a few quick stops in front of police cars, "Newcastle's most attractive couple" murals and the vineyard itself, we arrived at the old abandoned Gas & Coke factory. We spent a bit of time using this historic old building as a backdrop before heading across the train line to some very cool graffiti on the side of a corrogated shed. Haylea and Pete smiling the whole time! What a joy they were to photograph! We then made our way back into town and stopped off at the Newcastle Ocean Baths where we had to contend with three other bridal parties (making sure they were not in the background of any of our shots). The ocean breeze was lovely and cool, the ocean sparkling and inviting and that divine golden light that makes my heart sing was creating stunning flare over Newcastle beach! I jumped in a few rock pools, got overly excited about light and had an absolute ball creating these images for Haylea & Pete.

Their reception was held in the always stunning Longworth house, and was decorated in a way that was so Haylea & Pete! On every table was old lanterns and bottles. There was so much there to photograph (including the very yummy candy bar!) and I left the reception with a smile on my face after such a wonderful day!

Thank you both for allowing me to share your day with you! I had an absolute ball!