Chelsea and Marco's surprise wedding!

Chelsea and Marco wanted a their wedding to be intimate and relaxed, but with a great big party at the end! They created their perfect wedding by having the coolest engagement party/surprise wedding that I have ever seen!

We have all been to an engagement party that turns into a surprise wedding halfway through, but this one was SO different!  Chelsea and Marco planned a beautiful ceremony at St Augustine's church with just 14 of their closest family members.   The day was great, even though there was an 80% chance of rain the sun stayed out while we went to Canterbury Park for some photos after the ceremony.  We then went for a sneaky look and a few photos at Ulumbarra Theatre which was the venue for their 'engagement party' the following week!  Chelsea and Marco then got changed out of their wedding gear (Clark Kent style) for a family dinner at Mr Beebes in town.  As we got there the light was fading and the predicted rain had started so I did what any photographer would do, brought them up to the roof to take some photos!  

The 14 people shared this day with Chelsea and Marco then had to keep it top secret for a whole week!  They succeeded!

To reveal their marriage to over 150 of their friends and family they enlisted the talented Ben Blennerhassett of Sundae films to document their wedding and create a video of their day.  Ben is awesome and we had so much fun working together on this wedding!  To film and edit a wedding video in under a week is an impressive effort, but for it to end up as good as it did is just amazing!  Chelsea and Marco snuck away from their engagement party to get changed into their wedding attire, and the video began playing.  Everyone gathered around the dance floor to watch the projected film of Chelsea and Marco's perfect wedding.  Tear's, laughter, applause and tons of smiles beamed from the crowd.  The video finished with a slideshow of images I took during their wedding (see below) and as it drew to a close everyone was wondering where the newly weds were....

Chelsea and Marco made their grand entrance down their epic stairs of the Ulumbarra Theatre to a roaring crowd so eager to congratulate them that they almost didn't make it is to the dance floor for their first dance!

The rest of the night was a whirlwind of dancing, singing to 'Greased Lighting', food, drink and massive groups of people jumping in the coolest Photo Booth the we have done (giant red Jimmy Possum couch)!

Watch the video then scroll down for images of the secret wedding and the epic party!

Video: Ben from Sundae Films
Photography: Me!
Suit: Laura Brady from Briggins Travelling Clothier
Flowers: The Eternal Vase (who else!)
Ceremony: St. Augustines
Engagement Party/Wedding Reception: Ulumbarra Theatre Bendigo

Tony and Narelle's Castlemaine Wedding

Tony and Narelle booked me all via email as they were from Melbourne but looking for a local photographer for their Castlemaine wedding.  We had the chance to catch up for a coffee a few weeks before the wedding and after hanging out with them just 5 mins I already knew that their wedding day was going to be crazy fun!  We discussed how I would approach the day, lazy eye's and fake smiles vs the smiles created by Japanese Beer Vending Machines!  

With around 30 guests this was the smallest wedding I had shot, and it really made the day special as every person there was either family or a very close friend.  

I had such an amazing day, by the end of the night my cheeks 

I'll let the photo's tell the story……..but keep an eye out for the 'Blue Steel' group shot!  

Ceremony: Castlemaine Botanical Gardens

Drinks: The New Northern

Reception: The Public Inn

Photography Package: 8hr Simply Great Photography

Nigel and Stefanie's Echuca Wedding

I love shooting weddings in Echuca!  There are so many beautiful locations and venues that it really makes a photographers job a lot of fun.  When you add a great couple like Nigel and Stefanie to the mix you know it's going be a huge day full of laughter and smiles!

Nigel and Stefanie planned a fantastic wedding day that was a reflection of who they are and what they love.  Amazing food, lots of drinks and and big friendly families were the heart of the celebrations along with some great music by the Baker Boys Band.  To make it even better I had Jim Aldersey shooting with me which meant even more great images.

There were storms predicted for Echcua but we managed to get nice weather for most of the day.  It did happen to bucket down for about half an hour while we were shooting the bridal party at the Port of Echuca Historic Wharf.  Luckily we found some shelter under the wharf and got a few cool shots.  With only 15 mins before the bridal part had to be back at Oscar W's the storm passed and we were given some of the most beautiful light we could hope for!  

The reception at Oscar W's was a absolute feast!  Course after course rolled out to the newlyweds and their guests.  Jim and I took this opportunity to setup the open photobooth so that it was ready for when the really partying started.  

There weren't many times when the photobooth was empty but the first dance definitely had everyone's attention!  Such a perfect couple, I am really glad that Nigel and Stef chose us to be a part of their wedding day.

Ceremony: St Mary's Church

Reception: Oscar W's 

Photos: Port of Echuca

Photography Package: 10hr I Want It All (with Photobooth)