Fairytale wedding …

Late May. Adelaide Hills. Crisp. Cold. …. absolutely stunning.

The days preceding this fairytale wedding had been much the same .. foggy for most of the day, and about 16 degrees … Now I know that doesn’t sound like great weather, but for us it is just beautiful! We adore the weddings where the weather makes the images stand out from the crowd – a little different to the usual suspects … so when the fog looked like it was going to hang around all day – we were in heaven!

You might remember Bonnie & Andrew who were actually ‘officially’ married on a very special day to them earlier in May … the weather couldn’t have been more different for the two days!

In a (another) shun from tradition, Bonnie and Andrew prepared for their big day together (well … almost – Andrew was to be found pacing the halls of Mt Lofty House waiting for his bride to make her appearance!)

Some of the details …

Andrew waited ever-so-patiently ….

We absolutely loved the vintage, lacy, feminine, whites and creams that this gorgeous wedding was themed on ….

Time was slipping by, so we headed off quickly to the Aldgate Train Station for some ‘bridals’ …

Heading back to Mt Lofty House to prepare for the ceremony …

A very proud father by her side ..

a short, and very sweet ceremony, sealed with a kiss ….

I mentioned it was  a fairy tale wedding didn’t I? … After the ceremony, our gorgeous Bride changed into another absolutely stunning dress …

And after a quick check of the bonboniere lolly table (a table adorned with clear glass jars filled to the brim with every white or cream lolly on the face of the planet!) …..

We headed out into the cold of Mt Lofty Gardens ….

And captured my personal favorite … which I think encapsulates Bonnie & Andrew’s day … that no matter what went on around them, be it the cold, the wet, or the foggy, they still only had eyes for each other …

We hope you had  a fabulous day Bonnie & Andrew … we can’t wait to share the rest of your gallery with you! (and yes, the crazybooth went pretty crazy!)

Kate & Merryn (& Helen!) xxx

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“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.”

‘Don’t stress’ we said, when Belinda contacted us 3 weeks ago to see if we were available for her Friday wedding … and that’s exactly what they did … one of the most stress free weddings we have had the honor of attending. Not for one second would we think that any wedding organisation was completely stress free, but Belinda and Luke did a very good job of taking it all in their stride, and pulling this awesomely beautiful event off with an organisational time of only 9 weeks! (ah ha, 9 WEEKS!)

I first met Luke and Belinda on Friday (last week! lol) These two are warm and welcoming and fun and the kind of people you just fall in love with! … we chatted away, and they showed me their vision of there ceremony at  Wirra Wirra … lots of candles, an early evening ceremony and a party to end all parties ….

So, unlike most weddings, we started with our getting ready shots, where Luke and Belinda were getting ready together …

Belinda’s bridesmaid was her daughter, Hayley … aren’t they both gorgeous!?

Belinda’s son, Jack, escorted Belinda down the isle, and you could tell that Jack was incredibly proud of his beautiful mum …

and when Belinda emerged from her room, … well … a picture tells a thousand words …

It wouldn’t be the last time we would see this wonderful look from Luke, that ‘I-am-the-luckiest-man-on-the-face-of-the-planet‘ look …

And you can see why … Belinda was smoke’n!

And as the last rays of light lapped through the trees, we headed outside …

And after forgetting the flowers, and having to double back to collect them, we arrived at Wirra Wirra to capture the last rays of light …

…  such a fitting place for their wedding ceremony … the place where they met and fell in love … Wirra Wirra Winery in McLaren Vale. One of the most beautiful wineries … with enough doorways to keep me well and truly satisfied!

and as we stepped through the doors, into the winery, I could see that Belinda’s and Luke’s vision for their ceremony had all come together … WOW.

Don’t get us wrong … the room was dark, but filled with awesome light from Lush Lighting, what seemed like a hundred candles and open fires, the feeling inside the room was incredibly romantic, inviting and warm …

And in another twist on the traditional, when Belinda reached Luke at the end of the red carpet, they embraced, kissed, held each other and  …. just danced ….

And thus ensuring that our record of welling-up-at-every-single-wedding was not broken, I actually had a tear running down my cheek when I took the below shot …

It was just so incredibly romantic … we were swept away …

Luke with his ‘oh-so-lucky’ look, and Belinda with an embrace into which she gives her very soul, I have no doubt that these two will last for eternity …

Thank you guys so much for sharing your day (evening) with us. Truly beautiful in every way. Thank you.

Kate & Merryn xx

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Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feelingsafe with a person

- having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,

but pouring them all right out, just as they are,

chaff and grain together;

certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,

keep what is worth keeping,

and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

~Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

They met while working together at the beautiful Wirra Wirra Winery in McLaren Vale.

They’ve been together for “ages”, but only 9 weeks ago they decided that it was ‘time’ … and with only 9 weeks in which to prepare their entire wedding, the details are sounding gorgeous … an evening ceremony surrounded by candle light – LOTS of candle light …

We got together this morning to look around the winery and I ‘ooohed’ and ‘ahhhhed’ over the divine location like a childish fool! – for those who know my fetish for cool doorways – Wirra Wirra is my Nirvana.

Oh, and as we sat down to nut out the finer details, Belinda casually says “I’m really not photogenic!” …. um YEAH RIGHHHHHT! ….

Thanks for a great morning Belinda & Luke – Very much looking forward to working with you next week!

Kate xx

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If you have it [Love], you don’t need to have anything else, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter much what else you have.

Sir James M. Barrie

It was a beautiful warm Autumn morning on the beach at Port Noarlunga on Sunday … slightly overcast, the waves lapping gently at the sand. Fisherman casting their lines, and family dogs chasing seagulls ….

This was no typical ‘engagement session’ … with this beautiful couple, we have the pleasure of photographing BOTH their weddings! …

Bonnie and Andrew chose to have a small intimate wedding ceremony overlooking Port Noarlunga Beach surrounded by their closest friends … and they will be following it up with a beautiful ’second’ wedding day in a few weeks time (stay tuned!) …

Aren’t they just gorgeous!? At their ceremony they exchanged roses, instead of rings … too cute!

The weather gods were very kind! And I can’t wait for their ‘next’ wedding, in only a matter of weeks!

Thanks for a great morning guys! I’ll have your gallery up shortly.

Kate xx

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The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

~ Allen Chalmers

When I arrived home at 11pm Sunday night after two big days of photographing two of the most amazing weddings we have ever seen I flopped down on the couch, muscles aching, overtired and whispered to my husband ‘I LOVE my job!’

Kate and I say this all the time. We are so blessed and so grateful that we get to share all of those special moments in peoples lives – the one’s they want to remember forever. And with our passion, with our photos, we are able to help them do just that.

Sunday’s Wedding at Longview Winery in Macclesfield was just magnificient.  I first met Skye and Dave over a year ago and instantly I knew there was something different about these two.  I still can not pin point what it is exactly.   I’m not sure if it is the way they are so clearly and so passionately in awe of one another.  I’m not sure if it’s the way that Skye does a shy little giggle when Dave looks in her eyes, even after so long.  Or if its the way that their wedding was so personal and reflective of their love, the way that every time they locked eyes during the ceremony they had to look away so they could *just breathe*.  Or the way they both made absolutely beautiful speeches at the reception and they made the speeches to eachother, looking deep into the others heart as they spoke.  It is all of these things. They asked me on the day whether I became ‘de-sensitised’ after seeing so many weddings’ and I had to tell them that it is the complete opposite! That by the time Sunday came around, I felt like they were mine, like they were my friends, my family and like I was there celebrating with them and yes, shedding a tear or two during their ceremony.

Sunday certainly was a very special day.

We began by meeting Skye at the Homestead at Longview Winery where we photographed her preparing for the day….

The image below on the left is a very special one. Sadly, both of Skye’s parents are no longer with us.  Skye put her Mum’s wedding dress on for a few photos (and then changed back into it later for a another special moment for her family).  She looks like an angel.

Then a short walk and a decision to test the Adelaide Hills weather and keep the ceremony OUTSIDE!  (Go KATE!!) …. we arrive at the ceremony….. could they be any more in love?!

After the ceremony A big bus arrived – the bus that Skye was working on the very first time Skye and Dave met……

We then headed off to Strathalbyn Railway Station – one of my favourite locations to shoot at!

We then piled into our little car – Videographer, Kate, myself, Skye and Dave and went to our favourite Cafe – Appleseed Cafe – who kindly stayed open especially for us and treated the bride and groom to a muffin topped with chololate love! (I think Dave liked it!)

We had such a wonderful afternoon. SO much fun. Back at Longview Winery we drove around the vines as the sun went down and captured even more of the love between these two lovely souls….

And I think these last images of the night really sum up Skye and Dave and their love for eachother.  A love which Kate and I were so privileged to photograph….

I would like to leave you with this last image which was my favourite little touch to the whole day – and just seemed to wrap up Skye in one small act – making that extra effort to make sure Dave knows how much he is loved.  I just adore this so so much.

Thank you so much Skye and Dave for choosing us to share your day. It was extraordinary.

xx Merryn

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“One should believe in marriage as in the immortality of the soul.”

- Honore de Balzac

Well … what can I say? … we truly have the greatest job in the whole wide world. We can truly say that when we photograph weddings, it is more like attending the wedding of friends, we just happen to have our cameras with us!

Aileen and Marty’s wedding was sublime … I’ve never witnessed a bride so calm … after a volcano prevented her mother and brother coming out to Australia for the big day, HUGE dress dramas, and a never ending list of mini disasters … the day could not have been more perfect!

We started with the boys who were getting ready at Mt Lofty House …

Then we quickly headed down the hill to the Crafers Inn for a quick beer with the boys! …

Marty spotted his all time favorite car filling up with fuel in the service station over the road … little did he know, that it would be the car to take him to his wedding ceremony! Aileen had organised for the car to arrive after our shoot at the Inn, and he just could not believe it when it was parked there ready for him!

So we left the boys to look lovingly at the car, and went to visit Aileen and the girls …

isn’t she just stunning!?

Aileen and Marty’s little neice, Molly, was a very proud flowergirl … (with a Shelby Cobra!)

The ceremony was divine … held at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Stirling – THE cutest little church in the Adelaide Hills …

And during the signing of the register, Aileen and Marty had organised for a slideshow of images to be projected on the wall of the church … the shot that is on the wall is from their esession which can be found HERE.

After the ceremony, we all headed outside for a toast, accompanied by bagpipes, and a CFS truck!

And like a lot of Adelaide Hills Autumn days, it decided to give us just a little bit of rain ….

oh, and some wind, which caught Aileen’s veil and almost wrapped it around her head! (don’t you just LOVE that laugh!)

And a shot especially for Marty …

After the ceremony, the guests departed to start their eating and drinking at the beautiful Mt Lofty House, while we travelled to the most divine little location in the Adelaide Hills for our bridals …

and what always comes after rain?

What a wonderful place this location was ….

only one umbrella was hurt in the making of this shot …

And so, I must end it there … with the exception of this shot, which I think is just beautiful … Marty’s dad making his speech …

The guests partied and danced and laughed their way into the night …

Thanks for a most fabulous evening guys! It was super fun! We’ll have your full gallery up very soon

Kate xx

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“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person”

Germaine Greer

Last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of being IN the wedding of one of my all time favorite friends … we’ve been friends since we were about 17 … many many moons ago she stood by me while I married the man of my dreams … and I had the honor of repaying the favor, as I watched her marry her man last weekend.

Of course, for me it was an exercise in knowing what my job was on the day. There were a couple of times when I fell into ‘photographer’ mode, but I think I did pretty well to keep my ‘bossies’ at bay, and just let Merryn  (and the wonderful Melody Gibbs who filled my shoes on the day) do what they do best … and I think they did the most awesome AWESOME job …

now … I could literally blog EVERY SINGLE image from this wonderful wedding, but I must refrain … so here are just some of my favs …

The ceremony was held at Tennyson Beach, the day was divine, warm, beautifully overcast, slight breeze … the wedding gods were smiling …

part of the ceremony was the guests all collected little pebbles from in the sand. They all were asked to attach a ‘wish’ or ‘blessing’ to the pebble and then the bride and groom moved through the guests and collect them all up in a basket …

and while the big group shot was being taken, the bride and groom took a moment to walk along the beach …

the crowd disbursed and started on the drinks back at the Grange Hotel while the bridal party stayed on for some more images … of course I want to show you them ALL, but I’ve just got room for a couple more …

and as the sun went down, we all ate and drank and talked and laughed the night away ….

It was one of the best days of my life.

Kate xx

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“Love can make you do things that you never thought possible!”
~ Phil Collins

Finally! The day of John and Michelle’s wedding arrived… it felt like it took forever to get here – we were so excited to be able to give our competition winners their wedding photography package and they were the perfect couple to win such an amazing prize!

Saturday was very different to the ‘almost to bright to shoot’ day of their Engagement session at Henley Beach…. rainy and cloudy – the perfect backdrop we kept telling them…. John and Michelle did not let a silly thing like the weather spoil their day…

Sometimes people ask me if it is stressful being a Wedding Photographer…. Yes, it can be stressful… but it is also fun and rewarding and you get to meet so many wonderful people and see each couples individual touches to their wedding day.  But when you arrive to photograph the groom and you find this, you know that there will be no stress in the day at all……

The boys all looked gorgeous (can I call boys that?) in their shirts and a little fairy sent them some flowers to pin on as a surprise.. how nice…

Just as we were leaving the boys, the first drops of rain appeared on the windscreen…..  their last words to us were (regarding the location of the ceremony….) ‘You’ll find us’ LOVE how relaxed they all were.

And on to the girls…. where we found another house filled with beautiful, happy, relaxed people just getting the final touches ready…. and trying to be a little bit late to allow the boys to organise somewhere undercover for the wedding!

Kate and I headed to Henley Square, not entirely sure where the boys had relocated to…. and we found that they had cleared out the pub and had the verandah set up, guests and all, ready for an intimate wedding…. and intimate it was.  Having planned the ceremony to be outside, it was so lovely to see the owner of the local pub happy to empty out his venue so that John and Michelle had somewhere to have their wedding.

It was refreshing to be reminded that a wedding ceremony is not about the location or the weather but about the two people coming together in marriage and celebrating it with their family and friends… and from what I hear, getting married in a pub is perhaps more their style anyway…..

Seriously… how lucky were we that the rain held off for long enough for us to get outside for a few shots…. and then a mad dash inside as the rain came down again!

We headed to the Sandbar which was upstairs (closed – thank you!!!) and scouted out some great indoor locations…. it was a real challenge to not be able to go outside but we used every bit of light we could find!

How stunning are these two? They compliment each other in every way and are contagiously fun to be around. I could tell it was going to be a big night for the wedding guests!  The sun peeked through the clouds again for a very short time and we snuck out for a few more shots. So glad we did.

Thank you John and Michelle for a fabulous day – we loved every moment.

xx Merryn

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…and here is a special quote for a lovely lady I spoke to today – you know who you are….

‘To love means to never be afraid of the windstorms of life:

should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.’

- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

You know its been a great wedding when your feet are killing you from standing/running/walking, and your cheeks hurt from smiling!

This beautiful Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens wedding of Jo & Michelle was just that!

We started in the beautiful South Australian country town of Balhanna, where ‘the boys’ were getting ready … when we arrived Jo had on not one, but TWO ties … ! … (don’t ask why), but soon Jo’s wonderful mum Michelle (yes, that’s right Jo’s mum’s name is Michelle too!) arrived to save the day !

‘the boys’ looking, in their words, ‘dapper’ – all suited up …

the great men who stood by Jo’s side …

We left the boys to their beer and antics, and headed off to Woodside to photograph the girls … and WOW. Stunning.

and not forgetting Michelle’s totally gorgeous mum, Helen.

some little details before we headed off to the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens …

As you can see, I’m already going totally overboard with this so called ’sneak peek’ … but hay … I’m allowed to get excited!

During the ceremony, the breeze caught Michelle’s hair, and Jo gently tucked it behind her ear …. *shucks* too sweet …

they are just seem so totally relaxed in each others arms ….

and finally … just as we were getting kicked out of the gardens at 6pm … we captured a couple more …

You can see Jo & Michelle’s Engagement Session also at the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens here.

{Thank you so much for a great afternoon full of fun, laughs, gorgeous people and fabulous locations! We’ll have your full gallery up soon! Enjoy your honeymoon }

Kate (& Merryn) xx

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I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.

~ Amy Tan

November and December were so busy we did not get a chance to share everything we had hoped with you from all of the incredible weddings we were lucky enough to be a part of in 2009.  So stay tuned for some updates to come… starting with David and Jo who clearly had the hearts of all their family and friends…

I have said this so many times – the Adelaide Hills are truly magical and we get so excited when we are asked to photograph weddings in the Hills.  And we know them inside and out.  If you are planning your wedding and would like some recommendations on Adelaide Hills locations flick us an email.

xx Merryn & Kate

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‘Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly!’

- anonymous