What can I say about a couple as fabulous as Owen & Kate! Kate booked me without even meeting me, and the first time we met a few weeks before the wedding, she had me over for dinner and cooked THE most amazing meal. BIG brownie points!!!
What really took me in about these two was that their day was simple. And that’s how they wanted it. No fuss, no fanfare. Just two people so much in love and wanting to celebrate that with eachother, and the most important people in their life.
Kate has a smile that will light up a room. It’s been a while since I had a bride who just beamed all day. She didn’t stop smiling from the time we arrived, until we left. It wasn’t just smiling. She laughed, she giggled, and you couldn’t help but join in with her.
Owen was waiting over at New Farm Park where twice in the same weekend the ceremony was conducted by Andrew Sinclair. We then took a turn around the park and over by the Powerhouse, before heading on over to Paddington to round out the afternoon.
We had such a great afternoon hanging out with these guys, that they made our job so easy, and an absolute pleasure. It was a shame to leave them at the Onyx Bar at Milton, but I’m sure there was an awesome party go down that night!!!
I think this one is my favourite. Kate had just arrived at the ceremony and leant out into the light to see if she could spot Owen and give him a wave…
Poo caught this lovely shot while hiding in the bushes in “stealth mode”…
Check out this little starlet who interuppted my bouquet shot to be in the photo…
Bit like this starlet who just loves being in front of the camera…
I was talking to a friend recently, and they wanted to know where all the fun stuff went off the blog. When I asked exactly what she meant by “fun stuff” she said “you know, your nights out on the town, social gatherings, that sort of stuff”. First of all, I told her that she was under the misconception that I actually had a social life!
Fact of the matter is that I tend to post most of my personal “extra-curricular” stuff on Facebook these days because it saves me time. But between you, me and the keyboard, it’s mostly because there are some things that the wider internet just doesn’t need to see!
So to keep her happy, here’s a picture of me and my new friend Tina from NKN Photography at a lame-ass awards ceremony we were at a week or so ago!
The minute I walked in the door I knew Amy was a champion bride. She had organised a Macca’s run for everybody, and I’d barely arrived before I was presented with a Big Mac. Yes, the fastest way to my heart is definately through my stomach!! The whole house had this calming presence about it - no one was stressed, no one was nervous, and Amy was just ready to go and get married.
It was a perfect Friday afternoon for a ceremony down by the Laguna at Sirromet winery. It was a small gathering of family and friends, and was officiated by the wonderful Andrew Sinclair. Rob & Amy have been living in London, and only jetted back for the wedding, so it felt like not only a celebration of their marriage, but that everyone was so pleased to have them back here, if only for a short time.
After drinks, everyone made their way back up to the reception, and we slowly made our way up with the bridal party, stopping along the way for some photos in the field, and in the vineyards. We only had a short amount of time, but everyone was having such a good time, it felt like much longer. We could have stayed out all afternoon enjoying the beautiful sunset!
Rob & Amy, it was a absolute delight to spend the day with you and your families. See you in London!
I love it when a bride takes my demands of “you MUST eat” seriously…
The “ride her like a horse” part of doing up a lace-up dress…
I love a good Sunday wedding. Everything flows so easily on a Sunday. People are much more relaxed. Maybe it’s because most of them take Monday off so they know they’ve got an extra day to live it up a bit.
Josh & Alison were married at St Luke’s church at Buranda, which looks deceptively a lot like Our Lady of Victories at Bowen Hills. Our own little slice of Europe, right here on the south side. Alison got ready at her parents house at Coorparoo, and I get the feeling she may have actually been dreading having her photos taken. I secretly love it when my brides feel like that - it makes the results even the more satisfying.
Josh & the boys arrived to the church sans buttonholes - which is actually a pretty common occurance. For some reason, when men leave the house the last thing going through their mind is “have I got my flowers”. And not that I blame them. A quick duck home by one of the groomsmen, and we were back in business.
Afterwards it was onto the city botanic gardens for some more hi-jinks with the crew for the afternoon, before finally arriving at City Hall where the reception was underway.
In just over four weeks time I’m heading off to the UK and Europe for a bit of a holiday. I have no idea exactly where I’m going (I pick up my itinerary in the next few days). It was one of those things where I just walked into the travel agent, closed my eyes, opened the brochure on any random page and said “I’ll take that one”.
What I do know is that I have a few days in London before pushing off to Europe, so if there’s any blog readers/stalkers/photogs who feel like hanging out/shooting/hitting the town, let me know (enquiries@tonisnell.com.au). I’m in town from July 1-3 inclusive. I may also have another window from July 24-29, but that’s still yet to be decided.
Travel tips and recommendations are also appreciated!
After being up in the tropics and then enjoying a relaxing Easter weekend off, it was back into the full swing of things with Michael & Patti’s wedding.
Before I finally became a full-time wedding photographer (nearly 2 years ago) I used to work part-time in Patti’s parents business. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and if I wasn’t going insane with my workload, I think I’d still be there today!
Patti got ready at her parents place, where everything was running smootly, and exactly to plan. I think Patti was a little unsure about being in front of the camera, but she did so well (even if she was very strict on the “no lying down” rule!!).
The ceremony was held in the chapel of the BBC. Michael looked rather dapper in his tux with the boys by his side. Patti pulled up to the chapel behind a bagpiper who announced her arrival.
With a later 4pm ceremony we needed to get to work quickly in getting some great photos before we completely lost any light. Fortunately we were staying at the school so we got straight to work, and lost no time travelling to the next location. The entire bridal party were so co-operative, and seemed to be having a great time. They even humoured me by laughing at my lame jokes!
Once the sun went down, it was over to Hillstone St Lucia where we checked out the awesome reception room, and then snuck downstairs to get some last minute photos before they needed to get back upstairs to join the party!
Matthew, I warned you I’d be putting it on the internet!!!….
Poo doing his thing…
You can just spot Tony from Brisbane Wedding Videos there in the background. I would happily work alongside him anyday….
When my sister announced she was engaged, there was never any question that I would be shooting her wedding. A lot of people have asked me “wouldn’t it be weird?”, “aren’t you a bridesmaid?”, or even “wouldn’t you want to be a guest?”. Well, the answer is a resounding no, no and no. When it comes to the people I love and their precious memories, I simply can’t let them navigate the minefield and hope they pick someone who will do a half decent job. This is what I do, and I want to, actually I NEED to, share it with them.
Graham & Lisa live in Sydney, and began planning their wedding around my availability. After looking at various venues in NSW, they eventually settled on Palm Cove in sunny Far North Queensland. A destination wedding is never easy to plan, especially from another state. Lisa’s best friend and maid of honour, Tracey, lives in Cairns and was on hand to help Lisa & Graham out in amongst their few trips up to plan details.
Lisa had asked for my advice on how the day should flow. They had a very small guest list of only their immediate family and closest friends, so I suggested shooting the photos before the wedding so they could relax with their guests immediately after the ceremony.
The wedding was being held at the Sanctuary complex where everyone was staying. Once Lisa was ready, we went downstairs to see Graham, where he saw her for the first time in her gown. We got a few photos on the grounds of the Sanctuary, before I took them outside towards the beach. I’d found a spot in the nearby caravan park that I’d wanted to use. Lisa wasn’t so sure about climbing over the fence and into the long grass, but it wasn’t like she could really argue with me!
After a quick walk along the beach, we got back to Sanctuary where I did a quick costume change for the ceremony. Graham headed over to the ceremony site, as the guests slowly made their way downstairs waiting for Lisa to arrive.
Up until this point I’d been so busy focusing on getting the shots, and didn’t really think about the fact it was Lisa’s wedding day. I see Dad’s walking their daughters down the aisle every week, and it wasn’t until Lisa & Poo were walking across the bridge and the music was playing, that I realised “that’s MY Dad, and that’s MY sister”. Yeah, I cried.
I loved their ceremony. Kay Earl from Cairns Weddings did a beautiful job as the celebrant. It was an emotional ceremony for Lisa & Graham, where tradition didn’t really get a say in the matter. There were plenty of kisses way before they were announced husband and wife, and they also completely did away with wedding rings (us Snell girls are low maintenance!).
After some family photos, everyone made their way down to The Sebel Reef House and I had about 15 minutes to grab some last minute shots on the beach with just Lisa & Graham. Once we got down to the Sebel it was time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the awesome food and plenty of alcohol! (Oh yeah, and take a few more photos - what else am I gonna do!!).
Lisa looked so fantastic thanks to Shae Howlett from Tropical Beauty…
You can see more highlights in their slideshow…
A rare opportunity to get a shot of my family together…
A big mention has to go to my Dad who still second shot with me, even with his father of the bride duties. The only time he put the camera down was to walk Lisa down the aisle, then it was straight back to business…
Shooting in a dress and heels isn’t exactly my forte, but I do my best….
A conversation you can imagine went a little like this…
Jeremy: “See honey, this is why we need a 5D & 85 1.2L combo”.
After a run of perfect weather, the week of Mathew & Sarah’s wedding, the rain started to set in. It was anyones guess as to how it would go on the day, so we just held our breath and waited.
As we drove up to Mount Tamborine, the mist was lying low across the mountain. Sarah & her sisters got ready at these gorgeous cottages on the mountain that set the scene perfectly. After a late start due to hair & makeup running overtime, Sarah made up for lost time by rocking the camera something chronic!
The rain had already come, and then stopped, and then it might of come again, but by the time we got over to the Cedar Creek winery’s chapel, it had stopped. Mat was looking awesome, and was raring to go. It was so so sweet to see a groom get emotional with his parents by his side - it really drives home what a huge event it is in these peoples lives I get to see every week. Mat just held it together as his bride walked down the aisle, it must have been so hard for him, because the emotion he was feeling was written on his face.
After the ceremony we got to work getting some images around the chapel, and the neighbouring vineyards. Everything was going great, until the rain decided to come back again. Only a torrential downpour will stop me from doing what comes naturally, so we stuck it out in the vineyard and kept on shooting. Luckily it didn’t last all that long, and we were able to finish what we set out to do.
It was then time to walk up to the reception when the rain had finally had enough and dropped by to see us one more time. By sharing umbrellas we had just got ourselves up to the shelter, and as if it was waiting for us to finally be safe and sound - it began to bucket down.
We were also joined by Rob of RPB Productions on video. It’s been a few years now since we last worked together, but he was just as cool as I remember. The relationship between photographers and videographers can often be a volatile one, but we hardly knew Rob was there, and he was awesome to work with.
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