Two butterflies, one each
We started with the small things, because on Peter and Elena’s wedding day the small things matched. A silver butterfly brooch sat on Peter’s pale linen lapel, and its twin was pinned to the lace at Elena’s shoulder. We moved in close so the brooch, his signet ring and the weave of the jacket all read in one frame. Elena sat calm and smiling with her eyes closed while her makeup was finished with a big soft brush, a sparkling comb already set in her hair.
Earrings and a swivel chair
Elena put her earrings in beside the window, and we stayed to one side so the light wrapped around her profile instead of flattening it. A glance back over her shoulder, a pearl necklace, a guitar leaning in the corner: real rooms make honest portraits. Peter, meanwhile, was the most relaxed groom we had met in a while. He crossed his legs in a leather swivel chair beneath two framed animal photographs, grinned straight down the lens and looked ready for anything the zoo could throw at him.
Hand in hand down the aisle
Up at the Gili Rooftop the doors were folded right back, so the room and the terrace became one space. Peter and Elena didn’t wait at opposite ends of the aisle: they walked in together, hand in hand, past the round tables and down the white runner while their guests turned and cheered. One loved one was already in happy tears. We followed a few steps behind as they walked, which puts the guests’ faces in the frame instead of only the couple’s backs.
Rings in the harbour light
The white arch stood out on the open terrace, a spray of white flowers on one corner and the harbour stretching away behind it. Guests sat in white chairs just inside the open doors, so every one of them shared the view. Elena wore tinted glasses against the afternoon glare and smiled the whole way through. When the rings went on we stayed low and to the side to keep the water in the background, and after the kiss they lifted their joined hands under the arch as if they had just won something.
A certificate with a view
The signing table sat on the terrace with the city towers and the Harbour Bridge lined up along the glass balustrade. A loved one leaned in to witness while Elena signed, then Peter added his name. They held up the certificate and kissed over it, the skyline right behind them. For a signing like this we stand a little above the table so the paperwork never blocks the view. Walking back up the aisle they stopped for one more kiss, and the hugs began before they even reached the doors.
Arms up on the terrace
Taronga Zoo Sydney wedding photos are all about that skyline, so we set up the groups on the curved terrace with the city behind everyone. We built from small family groups to the whole crowd, about fifty people by the time we called the last of them in. On three, everyone threw their arms in the air and cheered, with the harbour filling the space above their heads. We stood well back by the doors with a wide lens, which fits the back row, the bridge and the blue sky in one clean frame.
Skyline from the lawn
Then we took Peter and Elena down into the zoo grounds as the afternoon softened. On a grassy lawn above the water, with the skyline, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge across the harbour, Peter kissed Elena’s temple and she leaned into him. They rested their foreheads together with the Opera House sails just over their shoulders. The late sun sits out towards the city from here, so we kept it behind them, which puts a soft glow on hair and shoulders and lets everyone relax their eyes.
Boardwalk shade and giraffes
Next came a timber boardwalk under big old trees, palms and ferns spilling over the rails. Peter grinned at Elena as if he couldn’t believe his luck, and she pulled him into a dip kiss beside an exhibit sign. Shade like that is a gift at the end of a sunny day: even, green and kind to skin. Our last stop was the giraffe yard, where giraffes wandered in behind the couple in the golden light. We kept the lens wide enough to fit a full giraffe neck above their heads.
Blue bridge, last dance
The reception was back up on the Gili Rooftop. Peter and Elena made their entrance to cheers, Peter pointing out friends and Elena with a white wrap over her shoulders and a hand to her mouth. They had their first dance under the brass pendant lights with guests circled close, and later the coloured lights came on as Peter shared a big hug with a loved one in a silver dress. Outside, the sky went orange, then deep blue, and the Harbour Bridge lit up blue. We finished on the terrace with one last portrait in front of it.
