St Ignatius Church wedding photos: Ricky and Fransiska share a kiss in a sunlit laneway between old brick buildings, city towers beyond, Melbourne
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Real wedding · Richmond, Melbourne

St Ignatius Church Wedding Photos: Ricky & Fransiska

St Ignatius Church · Richmond VIC · Melbourne

Church & Cathedral Wedding · City: Melbourne · Venue: St Ignatius Church

Love letters read back to back on a city rooftop, a family dressed in powder blue, and two fluffy white dogs in little navy tuxedo bibs waiting outside the church doors. Ricky and Fransiska’s day began high above Melbourne’s CBD and carried on up the hill to St Ignatius’ Church in Richmond, where bluestone, roses and an old iron fire stair gave us a skyline kiss to finish on. We were there for every cheer, and we loved it.

The gallery
Two wedding rings rest on Ricky and Fransiska's deckle-edged invitation, tied with a pale blue silk ribbon.
Ricky and Fransiska stand back to back reading their letters on the rooftop terrace of Lancemore Crossley St.
Ricky kisses Fransiska's forehead on a sunny hotel rooftop, her white bouquet in hand and city towers behind.
The couple stand with two loved ones in a powder blue shirt and lace dress beneath tall office towers.
A family group in powder blue lace and pale blue shirts gathers around the couple on the rooftop.
Four family members in matching blue lace and shirts line up with Ricky and Fransiska under a bright blue sky.
Ricky and Fransiska pose with two loved ones in pale blue, rooftop planters and towers framing the group.
Another family group in soft blue chiffon, lace and shirts stands with the couple on the paved rooftop.
Family smiles all round as the couple share a wide group portrait in blue beside a white planter pot.
Ricky and Fransiska stand with a groomsman in a light blue suit and a bridesmaid holding a silver posy.
The groomsman throws a fist in the air and the bridesmaid raises her silver posy beside the laughing couple.
Fransiska leans back into Ricky's arm and laughs as he takes her hand beside a rooftop lounge and planter.
Two seated loved ones sip from small cups as Ricky holds an orange tray beside Fransiska by sheer curtains.
An older loved one in a pale blue shirt pins something to Ricky's lapel while Fransiska looks on.
A loved one in blue lace fastens a bracelet around Fransiska's wrist in soft window light.
Fransiska and Ricky stand with two loved ones in blue lace and a pale blue shirt against white drapes.
Ricky hands a small cup to a seated loved one in blue lace while Fransiska holds an orange tray.
A loved one in pale blue lace settles a fine necklace at Fransiska's collarbone, her face intent.
Fransiska glances down as the necklace is fastened behind her, sheer curtains softening the light.
The couple pose for a family portrait with two loved ones in a pale blue shirt and lace in the hotel room.
Ricky and Fransiska smile with two loved ones in a pale blue shirt and ruffled blue chiffon by the drapes.
Fransiska's dad and a family member in pale blue lace walk her into the church, veil down, beneath a stained-glass arch.
Fransiska walks down the long aisle of St Ignatius Church between Gothic arches, bluestone columns and timber trusses.
Ricky waits at the red-carpeted steps as Fransiska arrives for their church wedding beneath the carved white altar.
Two loved ones in matching blue stand shoulder to shoulder in the front pew during the ceremony.
Another pair of loved ones in pale blue stand with hands clasped beside the timber church pews, heads bowed.
Fransiska dabs a tear beneath her pearl-dotted veil as Ricky reads quietly from a card beside her.
Ricky and Fransiska kiss at the top of the red-carpeted steps before the carved white altar of St Ignatius' Church.
Fransiska throws her head back laughing in Ricky's arms as the officiant in white robes smiles by the church altar.
Ricky gathers up Fransiska's long satin skirt as they walk between the polished granite columns of St Ignatius Church, Richmond.
A guest in a tan blazer signs the register at a white-clothed table while the couple and a friend in grey satin watch.
A friend in grey satin signs the register as Ricky and Fransiska smile behind her before the carved altar.
Family in the front pew clap and beam, with rows of applauding guests filling the church behind them.
Loved ones in pale blue lace and shirts clap from their pew as a little one sits on a lap behind them.
Ricky speaks into the lectern microphone as Fransiska laughs beside the old organ pipes of St Ignatius' Church on Richmond Hill.
Guests in floral prints and pale shirts smile from the timber pews, framed paintings lining the church wall behind.
Ricky and Fransiska stand either side of the officiant on the red-carpeted steps beneath tall Gothic arches.
The couple and the officiant line up on the church altar steps with four family members in matching pale blue.
A wide view of the wedding party on the sanctuary steps at St Ignatius Church beneath the stained-glass apse.
Groomsmen in tan, light blue and navy and bridesmaids in grey line up with the couple and officiant in the church.
Ricky and Fransiska share a kiss halfway down the aisle of St Ignatius' Church as guests stand and cheer.
The newlyweds walk back down the aisle hand in hand, grinning past guests holding up their phones.
Fransiska laughs as Ricky leads her out beneath the soaring timber roof and Gothic arches of the church.
Two fluffy white dogs in navy tuxedo bibs join the couple on the forecourt of St Ignatius Church, Richmond.
Guests crowd the forecourt around the couple and their two white dogs outside the bluestone church.
The whole crowd throws their arms in the air on the forecourt, the arcade of St Ignatius Presbytery behind them.
Two guests in coral linen and a pink shirt stand with the couple against the bluestone church wall and rose beds.
Five friends in white shirts line up with Ricky and Fransiska beside the hedge at St Ignatius' Church on Richmond Hill.
A friend in green satin and a friend in a tan suit hug in close to the couple beside the bluestone wall.
A friend in pale blue and a guest with a toddler on his hip join the couple at St Ignatius Church.
A toddler in white peers at Ricky from a guest's arms beside Fransiska and a friend in pale blue by the parish sign.
A friend in navy lace and a friend in a grey suit squeeze in beside the laughing couple by the church roses.
Two friends in navy stand with Ricky and Fransiska against the bluestone wall and leadlight windows of St Ignatius' Church.
A friend in an aqua shirt beams beside Ricky and Fransiska in front of the clipped hedge.
Family in blue lace, florals and pale shirts gather with the couple at St Ignatius Church, Richmond, a baby held up in front.
A friend in a pleated wine red jumpsuit and a friend in charcoal flank the couple below a leadlight window.
Friends in wine red and charcoal stand with the couple by the red and white roses at St Ignatius' Church on Richmond Hill.
A guest in a long red dress with a camel crossbody bag smiles beside Ricky and a friend in black.
The couple share a wide portrait with two friends in red and black against the bluestone wall and hedge.
The bridesmaid with her silver posy and the groomsman in light blue stand with the couple at St Ignatius Church.
A guest holds a baby in a pink headband beside the couple and a friend in teal near the parish sign.
Fransiska's veil trails across the footpath as she poses with a friend in teal and a guest cradling a baby.
Guests in a bright printed dress, a caramel dress and casual shirts line up with the couple by the roses of St Ignatius' Church.
Eight friends in black, blush florals and checked shirts gather around Ricky and Fransiska outside the church.
Friends in a green wrap dress, blush ruffles and a blue blazer smile with the couple at St Ignatius Church, Richmond.
A friend in black lace and a friend in a richly patterned brown and green shirt hug in with the couple.
A friend in a nude slip dress and the groomsman in light blue pose with the newlyweds by white roses.
A friend in a green tie and a friend in emerald satin stand with the couple at St Ignatius' Church on Richmond Hill.
Friends crouch in front with the big white dog, tongue out, for a laughing group outside the church.
A friend in a navy suit and a friend in a black pinstripe jumpsuit smile with the couple by the stone wall.
A masked friend in navy and a friend in a bold orange and black patterned shirt join the couple at St Ignatius Church.
The bridesmaid in silver blue satin and a friend in a white shirt and grey trousers pose with the couple.
A guest in a navy floral dress and a guest holding a toddler on his arm stand with Ricky and Fransiska.
Ricky and Fransiska hold the leads of their two fluffy white dogs in navy tuxedo bibs outside St Ignatius' Church.
The couple crouch on the footpath as the big white dog grins with its tongue out beside the small one.
A friend in a black and gold floral dress laughs beside Ricky and Fransiska by the white roses along the church wall.
Fransiska and Ricky stand with two family members in a pale blue shirt and blue lace at St Ignatius Church, Richmond.
Four family members in powder blue lace and shirts line up with the couple in warm afternoon light.
The couple pose with four loved ones in pale blue under a leadlight window of St Ignatius' Church on Richmond Hill.
Ricky leads Fransiska by the hand down a sunlit laneway between red brick buildings, her veil lifting behind.
Ricky and Fransiska kiss mid-step in the laneway as the late sun rims her veil and her train fans across the bitumen.
Fransiska looks back over her shoulder, smiling, as they stroll past tall red brick walls with her train sweeping behind.
Ricky and Fransiska kiss on an iron fire-stair landing with the city skyline and stadium lights beyond the treetops.
Fransiska lifts her skirt and laughs as Ricky guides her down stone steps beneath a rust-red iron fire escape.
Ricky and Fransiska share a kiss on the stone steps, her satin train spilling down below the red-brick stair.
The wedding story

Our St Ignatius Church wedding photos: letters on a rooftop, two white dogs on the forecourt and a kiss above the city

Rooftop letters at Lancemore Crossley St · Family moments by the curtains · Ceremony at St Ignatius’ Church · Groups by the roses and parish sign · Laneway and fire-stair portraits

Read the full story

Letters on the rooftop

Our day with Ricky and Fransiska began on the rooftop terrace of Lancemore Crossley St, with two rings resting on a deckle-edged invitation tied in pale blue silk. Then came the moment they had planned: they stood back to back among the planter boxes and read each other’s letters before turning around. Fransiska kept her eyes on the page while Ricky held his card in both hands. A rooftop at midday gives you hard overhead sun, so we framed them against the city towers and a bright blue sky, and let the pearl-dotted veil catch the light.

Powder blue against the towers

The families came up next, and the rooftop turned into a sea of powder blue: lace dresses, pale blue shirts and Fransiska’s white gown in the middle of it all. We worked through the groups quickly with the towers stacked up behind them, then brought in a bridesmaid and a groomsman for the fun ones. The groomsman in light blue threw a fist in the air, the bridesmaid raised her silver posy, and Ricky stole a kiss while Fransiska leant back into his arm. A hotel rooftop is a great early stop for groups: the whole family fits, nobody has to drive, and the city does the backdrop.

Gifts by the curtains

Back inside, the room went quiet for a family moment. Seated loved ones took small cups from Ricky and Fransiska, and gifts came back the other way: an older loved one fixed something to Ricky’s lapel, a bracelet was fastened around Fransiska’s wrist and a necklace was settled at her collarbone. We stayed close and low with a longer lens so nobody had to perform for us. The sheer white curtains behind them were perfect, soft window light on every face, and we finished with family portraits right there against the drapes.

Her dad and the stained glass

At St Ignatius’ Church in Richmond, Fransiska waited under a stained-glass arch above the doors with her veil down. Fransiska’s dad walked her down the long aisle, with a family member in pale blue lace on her other side, and we backed down the aisle ahead of them so the window stayed framed above their heads. Ricky met her at the front under the Gothic arches. In the front pew, two loved ones stood shoulder to shoulder in matching blue, watching every step. Long naves like this one reward a photographer who plans the walk before anyone arrives.

Laughter at the lectern

The ceremony had plenty of smiles. Ricky leant into the microphone at the timber lectern and Fransiska burst out laughing beside him, with the old organ pipes glowing in the transept behind them. Their kiss at the top of the red-carpeted steps came with a whole carved white altar for a backdrop, and Ricky gathered up her long train as they moved to sign the register. In the pews, the family clapped and beamed. St Ignatius Church wedding photos are all about scale, so we mixed wide frames of the arches and windows with tight faces.

Two white dogs on the forecourt

We gathered the families and the bridal party on the altar steps for formal groups, then Ricky and Fransiska walked back down the aisle, grinning through a church full of phones. Outside, the cutest guests of the day were waiting: two fluffy white dogs in little navy tuxedo bibs, one big and one small, on leads for the walk out. Then everyone squeezed onto the forecourt and the church steps for the big group, arms in the air, with the bluestone presbytery and its arcade behind them. Ricky kept a lead in one hand.

Roses and the parish sign

The rest of the afternoon was hugs and groups beside the church, lined up against the bluestone wall with rose beds and the parish sign beside them. Friends in navy, red and green, little ones held up on hips, a baby asleep in someone’s arms, and the dogs back again for their own portrait, the big one tongue out and very pleased with itself. For a guest list this big, a written group list and a helper who knows the family make this part fast, and a hedge and a bluestone wall give every frame the same clean background.

Laneway and the fire stairs

Then we stole Ricky and Fransiska for a walk. In a laneway between red brick and bluestone, the late afternoon sun sat right behind them, so we let it rim the veil while Fransiska’s train fanned out across the bitumen and they kissed mid-step. Beside the old red-brick buildings, they came down a flight of stone steps under a rust-red iron fire escape, Fransiska lifting her skirt and laughing. Our favourite frame came last: the two of them kissing on an iron landing with the city skyline and the stadium lights across the treetops.

Photographer's venue notes

St Ignatius’ Church, Richmond: a long-aisle ceremony, two white dogs and a fire-stair kiss above the city

Read the venue notes

From a city rooftop to the church on the hill

Ricky and Fransiska’s morning was split between a city hotel and the church. We did their letters and the first family groups up on the hotel rooftop, then quieter family moments in a room lined with sheer curtains, before everyone headed up to Richmond. At St Ignatius’ the ceremony filled the nave, formal groups happened on the sanctuary steps straight after the signing, and the whole crowd then spilled out onto the forecourt. Guest groups ran along the side wall by the roses, and we finished with a short walk to the laneways and stairs close by.

Light from rooftop noon to a low sun

Midday on the rooftop meant hard overhead light, so we turned faces away from the glare and leant on that clear blue sky and the towers. Inside the church everything softened: the stained glass above the doors gave a glowing frame for the arrival, and the red carpet and white altar bounced warmth back onto faces at the front. By the time we stepped outside for the couple portraits, the sun had dropped low enough to sit behind them in the laneway, which is exactly the light you hope for at the end of a church day.

Where we stood for this couple

For the walk in, we worked backwards down the centre aisle so the arched window stayed above Fransiska and her dad. During the vows we moved to one side to pick up the organ pipes behind the lectern, then came back to centre for the kiss on the top step. Outside, the forecourt and front steps held the big cheering group with the presbytery arcade behind, while the bluestone wall and clipped hedge kept a long run of small guest groups looking consistent. The iron fire stair gave us height for the final skyline frame.

Tips from Ricky and Fransiska’s day

If your dogs are coming, ask a friend to take the leads once the walk out and a first portrait are done, then bring them back later when everyone has relaxed. With a long list of guest groups, make the hedge side of the church your base so people can queue along the footpath without crowding the doors. And keep a little time at the very end for the laneway walk: the low sun between those brick walls was worth every minute of the wait.

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