Jamie and Sarah's Wedding

I know I always say this, but its true....I had the distinct honour of photographing another wedding this past weekend. It was the wedding of Sarah Cleaver and Jamie Mackieson. Sarah and Jamie have recently purchased a piece of verdant paradise in Timboon, Victoria - about 20 minutes drive from the Great Ocean Road. It was Jamie's dream to marry Sarah on his own land and it was my pleasure to see his dream come to fruition and to photograph the entire process. Sarah and Jamie raise Highland cattle for beef while they both teach in the local school.

Knowing the weather's unpredictable nature in this region, Sarah and Jamie had planned to have a pre-ceremony photographic session to ensure that they would have some beautiful photographs before the weather turned in the afternoon, which it often does. They were happy to break with tradition in order to prioritise photographs, which I thoroughly agree with. For me it was also a relief for exactly the same reasons. Its always nice to know that you have the photographs that the couple will be looking for when they receive their wedding prints.

The ceremony took place on a small bridge in a rainforest area framed by the remains of a 120 year old trestle bridge. It is a place where Jamie and Sarah walk together each day. From there we walked further into the forest to find an even more dilapidated trestle bridge where the light was beautiful for more portraits of the bridal party. We returned to their property to photograph them under their favourite apple tree and then to the marquee on the hill where the reception was held, followed by an evening of fireworks.

It was a beautiful wedding - perhaps one of the most memorable of my career. All the elements seem to come together to make this experience so wonderful. Jamie and Sarah are such lovely people and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Jamie's family, for whom I had previously photographed their daughter Amanda's wedding. The light was beautiful and the surroundings paradisaic. There was plenty of time to do what I have to do and create what I desire to create and there was such willingness on the part of the bride and groom to have beautiful photographs of their special day.

Driving home the next day along Victoria's Shipwreck Coast, photographing the Twelve Apostles, Lochard Gorge and Erskine Falls was a wonderful way to finish the weekend.

Thank you Jamie and Sarah for the honour of entrusting your dream wedding to me and my camera and for the sheer pleasure it was to be with you, your family and your friends on your special day. I won't forget it. I have photographed hundreds of weddings in my time. There are some that you remember with real fondness. This will certainly be among them.