Every client who trusts me to capture their wedding means so much to me, but when Maddie & Quaid asked me it was extra special, you see Maddie is my sister. I was so honored to be asked and my biggest fear was blurry eye tears at crucial moments, however what I should have thought of was the logistics’ of shooting photo and video overseas and carting gear from international to domestic terminals in Melbourne!! I bet I was a sight with all my trundle bags, especially when I had to figure out how to navigate an escalator without a trolley!! But we made it!! This wasn’t just a wedding day for me, it was a week full of family and events. I got to meet a new nephew and niece. Hang out with my siblings, and learn what 40 degree summer days felt like in Perth.

When the day finally dawned the weather had changed, we had cloud cover and a definite drop in temperature to the milder mid 20’s. Maddie got ready at home, I love being in homes for the mornings, it reflects so much of your own personalities. In this case it also meant a more settled morning for the youngest kids with nap times in their own beds. There are definitely ways to elevate the at home experience and Maddie the queen of the cheeseboard knew exactly how to do this and ordered in this amazing spread for our breakfast. It was certainly the right way to get prepped for a day full of all the feels.

Quaid and his guys got ready at a BNB down the road and had the talented Xavier from Odd Sock Society (Melbourne based) there to help me capture this part of the day. The guys travelled in style via Limo to Barrett Lane to wait for Maddie.

Quaids Koro, Ngamaru took the service in a mixture of Te Reo and English. Having him there from NZ to perform this part of the ceremony and the extended families Waiata and readings meant so much to them and made the ceremony special. The vows were personal and moving and gotta admit it wasn’t easy to hold back the tears so I could see to focus my camera during these precious moments. The wind had picked up during the service and as the first kiss was announced a sudden downpour left us all sprinting for the cover of the covered patio where we ended up completing the signing.

Getting photos with their Munchkins was important to Maddie & Quaid, but at the same time they understood the need to be flexible and didn’t want the kids to feel pressured or stressed, so they put no expectations on what we could or couldn’t get out of them and this is totally the best way to approach a wedding days with young kids.

The vines and garden at Barret lane were beautiful, but this grass was unreal on another level. I was assured that if I walked and thumped my feet the snakes SHOULD run away and hide, but this was probably my one moment of trepidation about shooting a wedding in Perth. It didn’t help that we had spotted a snake a couple of days earlier down the road while exploring. Definitely a hazard you don’t have to worry about in NZ. But the grass was too pretty not to brave my fears…(and Maddie’s too!!)

The reception was full of fun, lots of dancing, singing and cultural performances, not to mention the coolest Father Daughter dance. And just like that all the planning and the talking comes to an end, and the big day is over, but it makes the photos and the memories all the more precious.