I guess most wedding photographers have the odd Saturday off. It’s strange but sometimes everyone wants one date and another is destined to be a day off. Last Saturday was one of these days for us this year. Or so I thought! With less than 6 weeks to the date, Larry and Michele decided that they wanted to book a different wedding photographer and gave me a call to fill the slot. I knew they were a great fit for us from the getgo. They really care about their photos and they were looking for fun and drama, artsy shots with a cool look and well, lots of motorbikes. We ticked all the boxes here so it was a no brainer.
We met with Larry and the guys at Riverside Park in Preston. Larry had kitted out his team in brand new Harley Davidson T-Shirts. Between the Groomsmen Keith and Ryan as well as best man Kirk and MC Mike. We had plenty of bikes to do some cool guy shots from grungy to hip. Larry is a great looking guy and knows exactly how to work the camera. It made much of our job so much easier.
We finished of at Riverside and left the guys to get into their wedding gear while we set off to get the girls. Flower girl Jodie was already dressed when we arrived. What a cutie - eyes like saucers, she was so striking.
Soon everyone was ready and we used Michele’s mum and dad's beautiful home to the max.
Michele’s sister Stephanie was the maid of honour and being a dancer like Michele, she needed so little guidance. It was quite a big show on the girls' side. We had two bridesmaids, Lauren and Kirstie as well as Juniors Mikaela and Madison. I think the striking colour of the bridesmaids dresses owed more than a little to Harley Davidson which seemed to be a theme in the guys bow ties and vests too.
By 2.10 we were at St. Peter's in King Street Preston for the arrival of the guests. Larry and the guys were now in wedding attire so we had a round of photos to celebrate. It wasn’t long before the girls arrived. We split up to capture the service from the gallery and the altar. I stood to Larry’s right as I watched Michele coming down the isle. She was so beautiful. I watched Larry brush a tear from his eye with a Harley handkerchief but didn’t have the heart to capture his private moment.
With the service safely captured we grabbed some great shots of all the guests outside the church before starting our planned tour of locations before heading to Whistle Bear Golf Club for the reception.
First stop was Galt Collegiate Institute. Larry and Michele met here. I hear that their first date was prom night so this school holds some very special memories for the happy couple and their bridal party. Here we created some fun stuff for the bridal party and special romantic moments with the Bride and Groom. I have to say that here and throughout the day they didn’t take much persuasion to show affection. Its pretty obvious they are a great fit. The camera loved them too and they both knew how to get the best out of us.
We stopped off again at another planned location before heading off to
Whistle Bear Golf Club and the family shots. We finished our list of family and relations in record time thanks to great organization by both parents and Mike. With some time to kill before dinner we headed of in golf carts down to the woods on Whistle Bear Golf Course.
The lads broke out the cigars (chocolate ones but they fooled me) and we fooled around doing some fun shots before heading back for dinner.
Earlier in the week before the wedding I was told a little secret. I was also threatened that if I told another living soul, my life was in mortal danger. Why, because the bridal party had spent months practicing a well choreographed routine to surprise the guests at first waltz time. I guess I had to know to be prepared but I took this so seriously that I didn’t even tell my partner and we were shooting the wedding together. She caught on quick though. The guests were flabbergasted. It was a great show.
Larry and Michele are a very special couple. They treated us as friends throughout the day. It’s a real privilege to reach that status with wedding couples. Thanks guys, we wish you every happiness for the future.
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