White tee and black dress
Our first frames of Ashlee and Matt came on a sunny afternoon in the bush, well before any suits or veils appeared. She wore a black dress, he wore a white tee and a cap, and they wandered along a dirt track hand in hand with the sun behind them. Shooting straight into low sun puts a soft haze and a little flare around the hair, so we let it in on purpose. They finished sitting on the grass at the edge of a playing field, sharing a kiss while the shadows stretched out. A relaxed warm-up like this makes the big day feel easy in front of the camera.
Brogues, blue jacket, buttonhole
On the morning itself we started with Matt. His brown brogues and pale blue jacket were waiting for us, and the wedding rings sat on a little hessian pouch tied with twine. A groomsman helped with his cuffs while the two of them laughed about something we never got to hear. Then a loved one stepped in to pin on his white rose buttonhole, standing back for a long proud look before a big hug. We kept the frames tight and close to the window so the light stayed soft. Matt stood grinning in the hallway, then he and the groomsmen strode along a timber boardwalk in matching blue jackets.
Rosé, a brindle dog and blinds
Over at Ashlee’s, white rose and eucalyptus bouquets rested on a table, and the bridesmaids peeked around a doorway, one with her phone up, to see her in the dress. Out on a timber deck surrounded by gums, the girls sat in white slip dresses with glasses of rosé while a brindle dog in a pink collar pushed in for attention. Back inside, we turned Ashlee towards a tall window with timber blinds. Light filtered through slats falls in soft stripes, and from one side it shows every bit of lace on a strapless bodice. She looked down at her bouquet, then out the window, completely calm.
A tap on the shoulder
The first look happened in a bush reserve about 20 minutes from the hall. Matt waited on a gravel path under towering gums, his back to the track, hands in his pockets. We set up wide so the trees could frame him, then came in tighter as Ashlee walked up behind. One tap on the shoulder and he turned around to see her for the first time. His face did all the work. She did a twirl, he reached for her hand, and down the path the bridesmaids and groomsmen stood watching from a distance until Matt waved them over to join in.
Six on the bush track
Portraits went straight on from there, and the wedding party never stopped moving. Ashlee and Matt walked a leafy bush track hand in hand, then the six of them came at us in a laughing line, the boys in blue jackets and the girls in white. We sent everyone single file through the scrub, lined them up among the ferns, and let the couple drift ahead for a kiss under the trees. On the open grass the breeze kept lifting Ashlee’s long veil, so we waited for each gust and shot as it rose. Walking keeps people chatting, and chatting is when the real smiles turn up.
Iced tea and a rug aisle
Up at the hall, white folding chairs sat on the grass below the building, with a rug for the aisle and a timber altar looking out over paddocks to the forested ranges. Urns of white flowers and greenery stood at the front, red roses with eucalyptus waited on a side table, and a timber cabinet held vanilla iced tea and cups of caramel popcorn. Matt and the groomsmen waited. Ashlee arrived by car and shared a smile with her dad. The bridesmaids went first down the path from the hall in warm late light, then Ashlee’s dad led her along the rug aisle and shook Matt’s hand at the front.
Vows into the setting sun
Our Christmas Hills Mechanics Hall wedding photos from the ceremony are about that light. The sun was sinking towards the hills right behind the altar, so we shot into it for the glow, then moved around to the side to catch faces lit warm and gold. Matt grinned through the vows, Ashlee laughed, then covered her face for a moment, and guests leant over the rail of the hall’s covered balcony above. A guest stood for a reading, the rings went on, and the first kiss came with a cheer. They signed at a table draped in eucalyptus, then walked back through the chairs to a crowd of happy faces.
Festoons and a grand entrance
Dusk turned the sky pink and blue behind a big gum, and the hall glowed under strings of festoon lights with the guests spilling out across the forecourt. Inside, a semi-naked cake stood beside a tower of doughnuts on timber rounds, next to a candy bar, a bunting-trimmed card box and a guest book frame filled with wooden hearts. The MC took the microphone at the timber doors, the bridesmaids and groomsmen burst through first, and Ashlee and Matt followed with their arms in the air. The dancing began right there on the brick paving, while others raided the photo booth for pirate hats, masks and a horned helmet.
Speeches, a high kick and night
Inside the timber-lined hall the speeches had the room in fits. A bridesmaid read from her phone, another held a printed photo up over her face, and Ashlee took the microphone herself with Matt laughing beside her. Matt, down to his white shirt, danced with a loved one, and Ashlee danced with her dad. Their first dance played out against curtains of fairy lights in the windows, finishing with a high kick from Matt before the bridesmaids and the whole room joined in. We ended outside in the dark, the two of them alone under the festoon lights.
