Drums in the driveway
Stella and Saad had both planned a party at home before the church, and Saad’s started early. A mate straightened his collar in the lounge room, an older loved one in a red tie pulled him into a bear hug, and then the drummer arrived. Out in the driveway Saad crouched and danced right beside the drummer in sunglasses. The party spilled into the street, phones up, a little one in a white fluffy jacket staring at the drum. We stayed wide and close at the same time, so the noise reads in a still frame.
Cufflinks and a quiet minute
Inside, Saad lined up with his groomsmen, a little boy in a matching tuxedo out in front, all four of them standing a little taller for the camera. Then we found him alone by the window, fixing his cufflinks in the side light, which we finished in black and white. He sat back on the arm of the sofa and grinned at nothing in particular, the calm before a very loud day. The little ones squeezed onto the couch beside him, a tiny flower girl in pink tulle, and an older couple stood together for a portrait.
Gold curtains and a gown
Across town, Stella’s gown hung in a window framed by gold swag curtains, lace flowers scattered across the skirt. She stood beside it in her robe, and a little later she was wearing it, standing at the same window in her veil. Windows like that are our favourite light source in a house: soft, directional and flattering. We found her reflection in the glass of a framed picture on the wall, then climbed the stairs and shot straight down the curved staircase as she came up the steps, train spilling behind her.
A red sash and a kiss on the hand
Downstairs, against a bold red wall, Stella posed with a flower girl in a white tutu and a bridesmaid in ivory satin. An older loved one kissed her hand while a loved one in gold laughed beside them. Then came hugs, one after another. A red sash was wrapped and tied around Stella’s waist by family, a moment full of laughing and fussing. We kept a white rose arrangement in the foreground for some of these frames, because a soft blur of flowers in front of the lens makes a busy room feel calmer.
Veil on the front path
Out the front, a cool winter breeze picked up Stella’s veil the moment she stepped onto the path, and it streamed out sideways across the paving and the clipped hedges. We moved quickly, shooting from low down so the veil filled the sky behind her. A couple of those we kept in black and white, where the tulle reads as pure shape. Winter light in Melbourne is low and soft even in the early afternoon, which makes gowns glow and keeps squinting to a minimum. Loved ones watched from the porch.
Up the church steps
At Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Thornbury, Stella climbed the long stone staircase to the entrance, train lifted behind her, while a flower girl in white waited at the top. Then she came down the aisle on her dad’s arm, guests turning in the pews with hands on their hearts. Stella and Saad joined hands beneath a round stained glass window, and the colours behind them glowed. Loved ones in the front row watched closely, one with her phone up. When they kissed at the front, the room stood and applauded.
Arms up out the front
They walked back up the aisle together, Saad beaming, and at the glass doors he threw a fist in the air while Stella laughed. Then came the hugs, and plenty of them. Every guest gathered out the front under the church’s name for the big group photo, and we asked everyone to throw their arms up. It is the fastest way to get a hundred people looking happy at the same time, and it also gets the kids to look at the camera. From there the cars headed north to Meadowbank Estate.
Down the drive at dusk
We had about an hour of light left when we arrived, and the tree-lined drive at Meadowbank Estate was perfect for it. Stella and Saad walked towards us between the hedges with a red vintage car parked behind them, then kissed under the gum trees. Near the timber-roofed pavilion the lanterns were already glowing. The bridal party piled onto the car, a bridesmaid in ivory threw her bouquet arm in the air, and Saad hugged Stella from behind. Our Meadowbank Estate wedding photos in winter always lean on this golden half hour.
Chandeliers and a drum entrance
As the light faded we took them in close by the car, foreheads together under the veil, and kept those frames in black and white. Inside, family gathered for a few portraits under a crystal chandelier, with French doors, a stained glass window and antique sofas around them. Then it was time. The drums started up, Stella threw both arms up and Saad followed, and the room surged towards them clapping and cheering. We worked from the middle of the crowd, close to the drum, so you can almost hear it.
