Beers on the rooftop
Michael’s morning started in a bright white room, with a man in a black waistcoat helping him into his own waistcoat and a guest in a blue jacket planting a kiss on his forehead. A little dance-off broke out, and we kept shooting. A white rose went onto his lapel, then the whole crew headed up to the rooftop. Bottles clinked over the outdoor lounge with the city skyline far off behind them. Rooftops are great for groom photos: open sky, clean light and a horizon that tells you exactly where you are.
Pink dresses and an earring
Across town, Nicole’s junior bridesmaid and flower girl were already in their pink dresses and grinning at each other. They gathered close to help her with a bracelet, and a loved one leant in to fasten an earring while Nicole laughed. We stepped back and shot one frame through the soft edge of her veil, letting the tulle blur the foreground into a haze. It is one of our favourite tricks for getting ready: shooting through fabric adds depth and makes a small room feel dreamy without any extra light.
A courtyard full of lace
Then Nicole stepped out into a courtyard of potted palms and greenery, and the lace train spread right across the terracotta tiles. We shot from behind and above so the whole length of it showed, then let her turn and look back over her shoulder. Her dad and a loved one came out to stand either side of her, all smiles. At the front door, under a floral arch, the girls in pink flanked her, and soon the three of them were squeezed into the back seat of a vintage car, laughing on the way to the Garden.
Past the sandstone pavilion
The ceremony was on the lawn of the Palace Rose Garden, and the walk in passed the old sandstone Shelter Pavilion. The flower girl came first in pink, holding her posy with both hands. Then Nicole’s dad brought her along the path between the heavy sandstone columns, both of them beaming. Warm stone like that is a gift behind a white gown, so we stood low on the grass to keep the pillars in the frame. At the end of the aisle her dad shook Michael’s hand before stepping aside.
Vows under the rose arch
An arch thick with pink and white roses framed the couple, with a huge old tree behind it. A guest in a blue jacket stood up with a microphone and a black folder to give a reading, and the rows of white chairs did the rest of our work for us: older guests leaning in, guests in sunglasses grinning, a woman in lilac lace clapping. We move along the side of the aisle during vows to catch those faces. Nicole and Michael laughed through their words, and the kiss came right under the roses.
Every arm in the air
Walking back up the aisle, Michael kissed Nicole’s cheek while guests clapped from both sides. Then we gathered everyone on the lawn for one big group photo, and every arm went up at once, with palms and a heritage roofline behind them. Big group shots go faster when we climb a little higher and call it in one go. After that came the smaller sets: the bridal party in pink and black, the family groups, the girls holding their posies, and a few cheeky frames of the bridesmaids walking ahead.
Roses, lawns and fading light
In late autumn the sun in Sydney goes down before five, so we started portraits straight after the group photos. Nicole and Michael walked hand in hand along a gravel path between clipped hedges, then across the big lawn with a long verandahed heritage building behind them and a white pergola in the distance. These Palace Rose Garden and Pavilion wedding photos rely on that low side light: it warms skin, glows through the veil and keeps the lace from going flat. We kept them moving, which always looks easier than posing.
City towers at blue hour
As the light dropped we headed to a garden road lined with statues, where the CBD towers rise straight out of the trees. We waited for the office lights to come on against the last blue of the sky, then brought Nicole and Michael into the middle of the road, with her train spread out in front of them. One lamp behind them lit up the veil like a halo. Later, in the dark, we stood the bridal party in front of The Calyx, its white arches glowing with Sydney Tower behind.
A spin and a dance with her dad
The reception was at Botanic House, under fairy lights and trailing greenery. Nicole and Michael’s first dance turned into a proper spin, her veil swinging out across the floor, and then Nicole danced with her dad, laughing the whole way round. We like to shoot dances from the edge of the floor and let the fairy lights behind them sparkle, so the room still feels warm. The rose arch from the ceremony had come along too, set up behind the bridal table, and the night ended with family photos in front of it.
