nose scrunching, wide smiling, heart warming love
Now this was a special one. For Matt and Elise, they both knew that they had found something truly unique in one another the very first time they met. However, as fate would have it, Elise had plans to go travelling and was adamant not to change them. And so she left, but was plagued for months with the fear that by leaving so was risking losing something extremely special. With this in mind, she made the decision to come home early and was met by Matt with open arms. He had waited for her. From this point on, they were an inseparable duo; camping, surfing, and taking their van on intrepid adventures.
Planning a wedding in the midst of a pandemic is no easy feat, particularly when you have close family and friends living overseas. However, Elise's dad must have been looking down on them because all of the stars aligned for the 5th March 2022. Borders opened, quarantines were lifted, and after weeks of floods and heavy rain, the sun shone from dawn till dusk. Friends and family converged from all over, travelling to Invergowrie Homestead, just west of Armidale. The homestead, a historic property, has been in Elise's family for over 150 years. It is steeped in rich history, and to be able to hold their wedding there clearly meant a great deal to both Matt and Elise. And this wasn't where the personal touches ended. There were a number of incredibly special details in Matt and Elise's day. In lieu of a veil, Elise wore tulle wings as a nod to her brother Matt, who they tragically lost at the end of 2020. They had Elise's mum and her late dad's wedding rings melted down to form their own, and all of the flowers and bouquets were done by Elise's god mother. Her something borrowed was a necklace that had been made out of her dad's signet ring, and their little nephew Jakey came all the way from Copenhagen to walk ahead of Elise down the aisle.
It was such a joy to be there to capture it all, and yet another reminder of why I love my job so very much.
