A pup in a little suit
Dominic’s morning had one guest who needed dressing before anyone else: the family dog. One of the boys crouched on the tiles to fit its little suit while the pup lay back and put up with it, and we got down to floor level to catch it. Then Dominic pulled on a white tuxedo jacket with black lapels and shared a handshake with a groomsman by the window. Outside, the groomsmen strode down the middle of a quiet street in dark suits and lilac ties, and we finished with portraits beside a garden in full flower.
Floral robes and lilac roses
At Joanna’s, the details came first: a crystal hair comb and a bottle of perfume laid out on white fabric. Joanna ran her fingers along the lace sleeve of the gown on its hanger while we stood back near the window. Then the bridesmaids, all in matching floral robes, threw their arms in the air together in front of the sheer curtains. Once dressed, they lined up in lilac and plum gowns with posies of lilac roses beside Joanna and her white roses, and the room went quiet for the first proper look at the bride.
Little ones and window light
A flower girl in a sparkly tiara and two little page boys in waistcoats squeezed onto the couch beside Joanna, and the smallest one could not sit still for a second. We kept shooting through the wriggles, because the real frames with children come between the poses. Then Joanna stood alone at the window to show off the back of her gown. Sheer curtains are one of our favourite tools in a home: they turn hard daylight into a soft wash that runs down a long train and lights every bit of lace.
Petals on the lawn
At Federal Golf Club the guests gathered on the grass below the clubhouse while a kangaroo sat up and watched them from the fairway. The ceremony lawn was set under tall gums, with white chairs, a red aisle runner and a white flower wall. The flower girl scattered petals from her basket, a page boy carried the ring cushion and the bridesmaids came in one by one along the petal path. Even the dog was there, in its suit beside the groomsmen. Then Joanna’s dad and a loved one in navy lace walked her in, and her dad wrapped Dominic in a hug.
Vows under the gum tree
Joanna and Dominic faced each other under a tall white-trunked gum, with the bridesmaids in lilac on one side and the groomsmen on the other. The rows of guests, half of them in sunglasses, grinned in the sun. Bright afternoon sun can be tough at an outdoor ceremony, so we chose angles that kept the sun off their faces and let it glow through Joanna’s veil instead. At the signing table a loved one in pink leaned in close, and the couple stole a kiss behind her. Then the hugs started and did not stop.
Families in the shade
We moved the family photos a few steps into the shade of the gum trees, where the light was soft and even and nobody had to squint. Joanna and Dominic stood at the centre while we worked through each combination, a woman in a purple sequinned jacket, a boy in a black suit, loved ones in red and coral. Dappled shade needs a little care: we place people so the bright patches fall behind them rather than across faces. Federal Golf Club wedding photos have that easy advantage, with big trees only a short walk from the ceremony lawn.
A bridge and the boys
With the formal groups done, the bridal party loosened right up. The bridesmaids laughed together in a row of lilac on the grass, Joanna and Dominic kissed in the dappled light with everyone cheering around them, and the groomsmen played up for the camera on the lawn. A timber footbridge on the course gave us a ready-made stage: the whole party lined up along the railing, bouquets held high in the air. We also caught Dominic on his own on a path among the trees, a frame we kept in black and white.
Gold light on the fairway
Inside, the function room glowed with draped ceilings, curtains of fairy lights and another flower wall, and the tables carried handwritten table names on clear acrylic beside red and white roses. The bridal party danced their way in to big cheers, and Joanna and Dominic kissed at the top table under the lights. Then, as the sun dropped, we took them back out onto the course. The light came low through the gums and flared across the grass behind them, the best ten minutes of the day for portraits.
A duet and sparklers
Back inside, Joanna and Dominic took a microphone each and sang to each other under purple stage lights, and the room loved it. Joanna shared a dance with her dad, and then the floor filled: bridesmaids hugging, groomsmen pulling faces, loved ones dancing in a ring, and a guest striking a pose behind the decks. To finish, the guests lined the lawn outside with sparklers, and Joanna, in a denim jacket over her gown, wrapped her arms around Dominic as the little stars fizzed all around them.
