Rings and window light
Our afternoon began close up: the rings in their open box on a fold of tulle, creamy blooms beside them and soft light running across the metal. Courtney and Justin both got ready on the property, which is a gift for Tatra Receptions wedding photos: no travel, and more time for the small things. We found Courtney in a room of tall white-framed windows, a crystal tiara in her hair and blush roses with feathery plumes in her lap. Then we turned her side-on to the glass, because one big window shows off beading better than any lamp, and kept one frame in black and white.
Justin under the Cupola
Out in the garden the sun was high and bright for the 4pm outdoor ceremony. Justin waited at the front in a pale grey suit, a blue tie and a dark pocket square, hands clasped and eyes on the far end of the aisle. Behind him rose Tatra’s wrought iron Cupola, its rust-coloured vines curling over the flagstones and a low stone wall. A groom’s last minutes before the aisle are worth photographing, nerves and all, so we stay a little way off with a longer lens and let him forget we are there.
Her dad and the stone path
Courtney came down the aisle on her dad’s arm, starting from the gazebo end of the lawn and walking a path of stone pavers between rows of white folding chairs. Guests turned in their seats, a few with phones held high, and the afternoon sun lit up the lawn and the edge of her veil. Courtney’s dad was beaming, and she held her bouquet low and looked ahead to Justin. We stood at the top of the aisle beside the front row, the one spot where we can see the bride’s face and the whole walk at once.
Everyone, arms in the air
Once they were married, we gathered everyone for the frame couples thank us for later: every guest on the lawn in front of the gazebo, Courtney and Justin in the middle, the bridesmaids in powder blue on one side and the groomsmen in grey on the other. Sunlight streamed through the trees above and flared across the top of the picture. We took one with everyone standing still and smiling, then asked for arms in the air, and the second frame is all cheers, raised bouquets and waving hands. Straight after the ceremony is the easiest time for it, while the chairs are still full.
Families by the conifers
Family photos moved to the lawn beside a wall of dark green conifers, which gave us open shade and a clean, even background for every combination. Courtney and Justin stood together first, then family groups of every size came and went: toddlers on hips, a cluster of older loved ones in purple, blue florals and soft pink. Shade like this is gold for groups in the middle of a sunny afternoon, because nobody squints and every face gets the same soft light. A printed list of groups with one helper calling names keeps it all moving.
Powder blue and a lift
The bridal party was a picture of powder blue and grey: the bridesmaids in flowing chiffon, the groomsmen in grey suits and blue bow ties, and a little girl in white tulle front and centre. We did the neat version first, the girls with Courtney, the boys with Justin, then everyone together. Then the groomsmen scooped Courtney up and held her across their arms like a prize, her skirt spilling towards the bridesmaids, and the laughter took over. Some of our favourite group frames happen right after the proper one, so we always keep shooting.
A hiding spot in the skirt
Between groups, the little girl in white tulle decided Courtney’s skirt was the best hiding spot in the garden. She tucked herself into the folds, fingers at her mouth, while Courtney looked down at her with a glass of bubbles and her bouquet in one hand. A moment later she popped out, arms wide, and Courtney laughed into her palm. Meanwhile the groomsmen had found a patch of fallen leaves under the tall gums and were striking poses around Justin. We love these loose minutes between set-ups, because they often give us the truest frames of the day.
The white iron bridge
Then we walked down to Tatra’s white wrought iron bridge, which crosses a small creek among tree ferns and clipped hedges. Courtney twirled on the timber boards and her skirt flared out behind her. Justin joined her for a stroll, a laugh and a kiss in the middle, the white railings leading the eye straight to them. The bridesmaids crowded onto the bridge next, all powder blue against fern green, and Courtney laughed at something none of us caught. The canopy keeps the light soft here through the afternoon, so the bridge works even when the lawn is in full sun.
Lamp posts and late sun
Our last stop was a gravel path lined with old-fashioned white lamp posts, already glowing as the sun sank into the trees. We put the sun at Courtney and Justin’s backs, so it lit the edges of her hair and veil and spilled a warm haze through the leaves. They kissed, Justin dipped Courtney until one white heel kicked up off the gravel, and then they wandered back across the lawn hand in hand. Up on the mountain the tall forest hides the sun well before sunset, so we save this light for the end of portrait time, just before the reception.
