sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself and wake up.

I mean, really – how did I end up in such a fortunate position..? I think about what I do for a living and feel like shaking my head in disbelief.

life indeed is good.

I get the opportunity to spend time with couples that inspire me and are inspired by what I do. they open the doors to their lives, families and friends and allow me share and capture the most intimate, real of moments. and then trust me completely to craft these moments into a meaningful work.

it’s very humbling.

I put everything into every wedding I capture and yes, it can be exhausting. physically and mentally. weekends are a writeoff. but the payback and personal satisfaction is huge.

it’s so much more than just about the wedding though. the little things and moments that I seek out are forever archived in family histories.

I shared elise’s dad nervously thinking about his speech.

would the $6 iron that matt and the boys were using trash their shirts?

would the seating arrive in time for the ceremony?

and what about the weather

“the forecast says rain.”

“no – it says it’s fine.”

“yes, it says it’s going to rain. look…”

“oh – they must have changed it.”

all of this I’m privvy to and and these little moments become a part of the wedding day story.

I know this is not something I’ll always be able to maintain but right now, there are not many things I would rather be doing.

life indeed is good.

after seeing this for the first time I received a simple three word sms from matt…

‘off the charts’

elise and matt’s ingredients:
photography: lisa ford
celebrant: michelle shannon
ceremony: victorias at ewingsdale
music: david ades
reception: byron beach café

I’ve never run any type of competition or promotion before so when I decided I wanted to do this…I wanted to make it worthwhile.

absolutely worthwhile.

and I wanted to make it big.

facebook ‘fans’ (or ‘likers’ as they’re now known) have a bit of a head start with this promotion before it’s revealed in full here so if you’re not already there you can become ‘a liker’ here

I am so, so excited for this.

I hope you catch the enthusiasm.

oh – and I have some amazing wedding pieces to share here soon :)

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three things that make my life complete are love, laughter and you…

evilia and barry’s ingredients:
videography: matt barwick films
photography: nick murray
location: albert river winery

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jocelyn and anthony’s wedding in reverse piece has touched quite a few people.

more than i could have imagined.

they’ve very kindly given me permission to premiere their seventeen minute main feature.

inspired by amélie.

the magic of winter at Deux Belettes.

100% jocelyn and anthony.

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sakhee and ashwind.

a day exploding with love. colour. traditions. rituals. family. laughter. joy. emotion. celebration. promises.

aint that everything the perfect wedding really is..?

oh.

did i mention the dancing..?

sakhee and ashwind’s ingredients:
videography: matt barwick films
photography: clare sophia
hair and makeup: donna sullivan
location: links hope island

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this is going to be a little more wordy than most of my posts but bear with me.

ok…so where to start…

a winter wedding.
deux belettes.
jocelyn and anthony.
my 1st ‘first look’.
a four hour degustation.
speeches that had me hooked from start to finish.

i’m not sure it could get much better.

joc told me a couple of weeks before their wedding they were planning on having a ‘first look’ – her and anthony meeting in private prior to the ceremony and then having their photo shoot before exchanging vows. naturally having never shot a first look before i was pretty excited.

first looks are popular in the US & canada but they’re not so big in oz – yet. if you’re considering it, having been there for one now, i can highly, highly recommend. there’s something very special about seeing each other prior to the ceremony.

so – onto my method and also the edit.

i’m always trying to look at fresh ways of approaching things. whether it be consciously trying to see things differently, shooting in a new, more meaningful manner or editing using a completely different concept.

i not only want each piece to truthfully represent and honour each couple and their wedding but also endeavor to push myself creatively as much as possible.

complacency is an uninspiring option.

so…being that things were happening in a slightly different sequence i had the idea of editing their day completely in reverse.

turned out to be much more challenging than i could have imagined.

jocelyn and anthony – thank you so much for having me along – i trust i’ve done justice to your amazing day.

here’s the result.

jocelyn and anthony’s ingredients:
videography: matt barwick films
photography: feather and stone photography* – see below
celebrant: emily jade o’keefe
ceremony and reception: deux belettes country guesthouse
catering: your gourmet
co-ordination: creative weddings byron bay

* i cannot rate seth and tenielle from feather and stone highly enough. having never worked together before, they took the initiative a few weeks out to contact me and discuss each of our approaches to the day and work out any potential issues. there were none of course. they are super easy, relaxed and professional and their work is amazing. i’ll be updating this post as soon as their images from the day are online.

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i had plans of writing this post with loads of words about david and esther’s day.

their 2 beautiful families.

a touching, emotional ceremony.

the heartfelt, and at times hilarious speeches.

instead, i’ll leave the talking up to david.

he has a much better way with words than me.

videography: matt barwick films
photography: peter crichton photography
ceremony and reception: hyatt sanctuary cove
co-ordination: louise from majeek weddings

what a day.

i was fortunate enough to be invited into kristy and blair’s life for the day they got married – a perfect day overlooking the stunning burleigh heads.

i also had the chance to learn a little about another culture.

here’s a teaser

N.B. ‘pounamu’ is the traditional Māori name for New Zealand jade, also known as greenstone. it is only found in the south island of NZ and is of great significance in their culture and considered treasure. this is the surprise gift given from kristy to blair.

kristy and blair’s ingredients:

videography: matt barwick films
photography: stephen tilley photography
ceremony: john laws park, burleigh heads
reception: Oskars @ Burleigh

Protected: jessica and adam / a love of powder

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she knew he was going to be nervous.

‘would you mind giving Dan a message from me..?’ Katherine asked as I was about to head to the ceremony.

‘sure, no problems’

‘tell him…our feet are the same’

there was a reassuring sense of relief when I passed it on moments before the ceremony. it was almost like seeing a massive weight lifted off his shoulders.

I didn’t know what it meant – and still don’t – but it was a great moment and something that obviously means a great between them.

here’s a teaser from their day.

katherine and daniel’s ingredients:

videography: matt barwick films
celebrant: hillary dobbie
location: eco studio fellini

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