Kathy and Gonzalo’s wedding was so much fun, and a very different one for me. I’ve shot Greek weddings before, but Kathy and Gonzalo’s traditional Greek Orthodox wedding was a totally new experience and was so cool to be involved with!
I started the morning at Kathy’s parent’s house where the girls were all getting ready, surrounded by many other friends and family members. It was turning into quite a warm day, so the aircon was pumping as everyone scurried about getting organised. Kathy’s Nan had made some incredible caramel slice that everyone happily munched on in the kitchen before getting dressed (I will admit, I may have had a few too many slices, but the rich caramel smell was just too much to ignore hehe). The ceremony was held at St Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Mascot. I arrived there and wheeled my bag inside only to blown away by the beauty of this incredible church. I’ve seen some amazing churches over the past ten years, but nothing prepared me for how spectacular the details and rich golden timber was here. Needless to say, I was pretty damn excited to get shooting! Guests started pouring in and some fans were brought in and set up on either side of the altar as it was now pushing 43degrees outside and the more people that piled into the church, the warmer it got.
The ceremony was so interesting to be involved with, with the whole thing being chanted in Greek. It was just beautiful. At the end of the ceremony all the guests were invited to come forward in a processional to congratulate the couple and their families. After we had finished the group photos and family photos outside, I took Kathy and Gonz back inside for some few quick portraits around the church (it was also a bit of an excuse for them to have a rest out of the sun). Then we all hopped into the Kombi to head to La Perouse for their portrait session.
Being a beautiful warm sunny summer day by the coast, the traffic around La Perouse was insane! We drove a few loops of the area before deciding we would just pull up in a loading area and hope for the best. We trekked down to the boardwalk just as the wind started to pick up. We had to try and work between crowds and gusts of hot wind, which was a nice challenge, but the bridal party didn’t complain once. They were such awesome troopers! As is standard Candice protocol, I got a crazy idea, so before we knew it, the whole bridal party was barefoot, gowns hiked up, climbing down a small cliff so we could take some photos at the bottom near the water… #worthit!
When we made our way back up the top to the kombi, we noticed an ice cream truck had arrive! So of course we had to get a few ice cream cones for everyone! Yummo! After we finished eating and shooting here, we all set off to Rockdale to head back to Kathy and Gonzalo’s apartment where they were having a small dinner with just their closest family and friends. Once we got there I decided we had to do a few more quick portraits in the street before we went inside. The dinner was super laid back, with lots of nibblies, beers and a beautiful wedding cake. Oh and kathy & Gonzalo’s adorable tiny kitten trying to steal the show!
It was such a fun day! Thank you both for having me there to share the day with you! It was a blast!
