When organising your wedding day, have you given much thought as to who will be at the “getting ready” location? It’s a given bridesmaids and grooms-men are there, possibility your parents as well. But what about friends or even family that are not a major part of your wedding day?
Are you the type of person that likes a lot of people around them or do you prefer only close family or friends?
A wise man once told me: “A calm start to the day, sets the mood for the whole day”
When I arrived to take photos of Kate getting ready at the Novotel Hotel, located at Sydney Olympic Park, it was very low key, only her make-up artist, her mum and her sister. Kate’s dad, brother and a family friend turned up for a bit, before heading off, each respecting the big day ahead for Kate and giving her space.
Keeping with the mood that was already set, I kept Kate’s getting ready portraits short, to allow her more time to herself.
One of my favourite photos from the day, is of Kate sitting by the window, having a moment to herself, while holding a handkerchief from her late grandmother. She was clearly deep in thought, but beautiful at the same time!
Nick got ready at his dad’s house and it was calm there as well. When I arrived, Nick was polishing his shoes, while hanging out with the best man. I choose two locations for the groom portraits and asked Nick for a few minutes of his time, which is all it took, for two simple, but strong portraits of Nick and then we left for the church, which conveniently was a few hundred meters down the road.
Nick’s uncle officiated the ceremony. I met him just prior to the ceremony. He shook my hand and said “I do things a bit differently, it’s going to be a short ceremony and I’ll make sure you get photos of the couple before everyone else”. I only just met the man, but I liked him immediately!
He was right, the ceremony was short, in fact, he would give any celebrant a run for their money. It went super quick, definitely, not a traditional catholic ceremony. It reminded me of a catholic wedding I went to where the priest almost forgot to marry the couple!
This left plenty of time for the bride and groom portraits. We took them at a waterfront location near the Woolwich Pier Hotel reception. Like their engagement session, Sydney Harbour was the backdrop. The bridal party were excellent and despite the wind and cold conditions, they had a few laughs and we got some great pictures.
The day started out with the two “getting ready” locations quiet and reflective, but by the end of reception, it was easy to see how much the couple loved each other and how much they were loved by their family and friends.
