Pink flats and a woven heart
Our morning started at the window. Bianca’s blush lace gown hung against the glass, and on the sill a little vase of pink and yellow flowers stood beside the invitation with her and Mark’s names in silver script. We always photograph details like these first, while the light is clean and nobody needs them yet. Two pairs of glittery pink flats and two satin bows waited beside a woven heart for the flower girls. The kitchen bench was buried in breakfast and makeup cases, and Bianca sat quietly while a fine floral vine was pinned into her curls.
Waistcoats and a spaniel
The little ones were already dressed. A ring bearer in a black waistcoat perched on the window seat looking very pleased with himself, and Bianca’s dad straightened the other boy’s collar. A small spaniel wandered in to inspect the train, and Bianca bent down to say hello before smoothing a flower girl’s tulle skirt. Then came the buttons: a row of them down the back of the gown, and several hands working on them at once. We moved in close for that frame, because hands tell the story of a morning better than any posed shot.
A kiss on the hand
Bianca slipped on her bracelet and earrings, and her bouquet of white orchids, pink peonies, roses and dark foliage finally came out of its box. We turned her to the big corner windows and let the train fall across the floorboards, a frame we kept in black and white. Window light from one side shapes a face and shows lace texture beautifully. The two ring bearers and two flower girls lined up beside her, a loved one in black looked on with shining eyes, and Bianca’s dad kissed her hand. Then four bridesmaids in tiered burgundy dresses crowded in, bouquets thrust at our lens.
Blue carpet on Collins Street
Scots’ Church rose above Collins Street in grey stone, its spire half hidden by autumn leaves. Bianca arrived in a white car and the bridesmaids spilled onto the footpath, laughing, before heading in. Inside, Mark waited at the front with his groomsmen beside the carved timber pulpit. The ring bearers walked the long blue carpet first, very serious, and then Bianca’s dad brought her down the aisle. We shot that walk from the back as well as the front, so the organ, the stained glass and the full length of the nave sit behind her, which shows just how big that aisle is.
Laughter under the carved screen
At the front, the celebrant kept a microphone in hand and the mood light. Bianca and Mark held hands in front of a curved wall of dark carved timber, with the pale stone tracery of the apse rising above them. That contrast is a gift for wedding photos: warm timber below, soft cream stone above, and two faces lit in between. The rings brought plenty of laughter, the pews clapped and cheered, and the first kiss came with the whole wedding party lined up on the steps. They signed the register at a timber table, grinning at each other across the page.
Hugs on the church steps
Walking back up the aisle, Mark stopped to kiss Bianca in the middle of the blue carpet, with every pew turned to watch. Outside, the stone steps filled in seconds. A bridesmaid wrapped Bianca in a hug, guests reached in for handshakes, a grey-haired guest held her tight, and Mark was claimed by one loved one after another. Then we gathered the whole family in front of the church doors for one big group. Steps are the easiest place for a large group, because every row gets a little height and every face stays visible, even from the back.
Collins Street to the gardens
From the church we walked east along Collins Street. Outside a row of boutique awnings, we laid Bianca’s train out across the grey stone footpath and let her look back over her shoulder at Mark, a frame that only takes a minute between pedestrians. Then on to Treasury Gardens, where an avenue of tall trees and a carpet of fallen leaves waited. The wedding party marched under a huge golden elm, Mark scooped Bianca up in his arms while the groomsmen leaned in, and the bridesmaids squealed together over their bouquets. Autumn colour does half the work for you.
Red leaves by the fountain
Our Scots’ Church wedding photos kept going in the gardens, by the pond and its fountain. Mark posed with each groomsman in turn against a wall of red and orange foliage, with plenty of backslapping and one handshake that turned into a full celebration. Then we had Bianca and Mark to ourselves. They walked hand in hand across the lawn, kissed with the city towers rising above the red trees, and laughed close together over her orchids. The sky stayed soft and overcast, which is perfect for portraits: no squinting, no harsh shadows, and colours that look rich rather than washed out.
Lunch above St Kilda beach
The reception was a long lunch upstairs at Stokehouse, with the sand, the palms and the pier framed in every window. A semi-naked cake with pink roses waited by the glass, and the bridal party made their entrance between round tables and timber walls. Bianca’s dad spoke, Mark took the microphone and had Bianca laughing into her hand, and they cut the cake with the beach behind them. A singer with an acoustic guitar played their first dance, then Bianca danced with her dad, the bridesmaids threw their arms in the air, and Mark swept her up by the windows.
