Golf before the suits
Our day with Brad and the groomsmen started with a view of houses climbing the green hillside above the bay, and a golf bag waiting by the front door. Before anyone thought about suits, the boys headed out for a few holes. One teed off barefoot at the sixteenth while the others heckled from the edge of the tee, and another posed on the fairway with his club over his shoulder. We love starting a groom’s day with something he actually enjoys: the faces stay relaxed, and that ease carries straight into the portraits later.
Wooden bow ties and navy
Back inside, Brad pulled on a crisp white shirt and a wooden bow tie, and a groomsman helped with his cuffs in the clean white light of the living room. A firm handshake later, the jackets were on. We walked the groomsmen up the middle of a quiet street in their navy suits, and a flock of birds crossed the sky in a long V right over our heads. Plain white rooms make great groom portraits: nothing competes with the people, and window light bounces softly off every wall.
Peach roses and lace buttons
At Caitlin’s, her nude strappy heels rested on a cloud of veil tulle, and her bouquet of peach and blush roses, white blooms and eucalyptus sat waiting on the table. She closed her eyes for the final touches of make-up beneath a bold painting of a face with one bright blue eye, while an older guest relaxed on the couch underneath it. Then a loved one did up the row of buttons down the back of her lace gown, and Caitlin turned to the window to fasten her earrings in the soft side light.
A buttonhole for her dad
Caitlin’s dad arrived in his navy suit, and between them Caitlin and a loved one pinned on his buttonhole and all three of them laughed. He kissed her cheek, she beamed, and for a moment none of them looked at us at all, which is exactly when we shoot. A playful toss of the veil in the bright white room followed. Then we went down to the water, Caitlin holding her skirt above the sand as she walked a sandy track between the coastal scrub towards the beach, where Brad was waiting.
A first look on the sand
Brad stood with his back to the path, hands clasped, trying very hard not to turn around. When Caitlin reached him he spun round, grinned and kissed her cheek, then bowed to kiss her hand. We then let them walk along the beach together, the calm bay on one side and the long line of hills behind. A first look on a bay beach is lovely in bright sun: the pale sand throws light back up into faces, so shadows stay soft even at midday. Caitlin lifted her skirt and laughed her way across the sand.
Willows by the lake
At Stillwater at Crittenden, a hand-lettered welcome sign stood among pencil pines, and an arbour draped in white fabric and flowers waited on the lawn beside the lake. Brad pulled a groomsman into a big hug at the front. The bridesmaids walked in one at a time in champagne sequinned gowns, past a row of wine barrels, and then Caitlin came down the restaurant steps on her dad’s arm and across the grass. Before she reached the arbour a loved one stopped her for a hug, and Caitlin laughed with her bouquet held high.
Vows, a microphone and the vines
Under the willows Caitlin could not stop laughing, and Brad took the microphone to say his piece with a cheeky grin. They signed at a little table with the vine rows close behind and the whole bridal party gathered round. Then we pulled every guest together on the lawn for one big photo with the vineyard behind, before working through the family groups at the water’s edge. The willows trail right down to the lake there, so we used them as a soft green frame and kept the bright water behind the families.
Long grass and vine rows
For portraits we walked out across the estate with the bridal party first, everyone in a row on the lawn. Then it was just the two of them. Caitlin stood with her back to us between old fence posts in the long grass, her train spread behind her, and turned to smile over her shoulder. Our Stillwater at Crittenden wedding photos from this walk lean on the vineyard: Brad and Caitlin strolled between the rows, then rested forehead to forehead as the light warmed. We finished with the bridesmaids walking beside a clipped green hedge.
A high kick through the doors
Inside the restaurant a pencil sketch of the two of them stood on an easel. The bridal party came through the glass doors in pairs, arms in the air, and Brad brought Caitlin in with a high kick that set the room off. They cut a white cake dressed with roses, then the speeches began against the wall of bottles behind the bar, a bridesmaid at the microphone and Brad reading from his notes. Caitlin twirled under his arm for the first dance, the floor filled, and we closed with a quiet portrait outside in the dark.
