Melanie Birt Photography

Sometimes when you meet a couple, you can not only see how in love they are, but you can sense that kismet has played a part. I love a good “how did you meet” story and Sarah + Andrew’s didn’t disappoint. Sarah is from Switzerland, and when her good friend Claudia met an Aussie, she needed somewhere to stay for the wedding. Who should the Groom ask to help out but his good mate Andrew (can someone say “matchmaker”).

Sarah not only enjoyed the wedding, she also caught the bouquet! And she obviously liked her digs in Sydney as well because after the wedding she shortened her travel around Oz to come back and stay with Andrew. Twelve months and thousands of frequent flyer points later, Sarah + Andrew were married on Sydney Harbour last Saturday.

I was super excited to be asked to photograph such a special day and I asked my good friend and fellow photographer Lisa Huelin to help me out with the photography.

No wedding is ordinary, but this one was up there for unique and fun. Sarah and Andrew held their ceremony on the Harbour, and because they needed their guests to wear appropriate shoes for a boat (i.e.  not high heels), what better way to make sure they got the message. The invitations were printed on a pair of thongs that were given to each guest {this was one dress code I was happy to conform with for the day }

The girls got ready at the Sebel Pier One. Some of the details…

Sarah…

Sarah, with her bridesmaids and Mum and Dad, who flew out from Switzerland along with 19 other friends to make up the “Swissies” contingent…

There was a queue for this couch!

Meanwhile Lisa was hanging out with Andrew and the grooms. Though Andrew made some notes for his speech they probably weren’t necessary as he has a bit of a talent for speechmaking. Among other things, he’s also a photographer so no pressure for us!

The boys looked pretty dapper!

Then it was off to the pub for a quick bite, followed by Taronga Zoo to meet the guests before heading to the wharf to board the boat.

Mind you, it wasn’t just any old boat though… introducing “Platinum”

The bride arriving…

The logistics of photographing this wedding pretty challenging, and Lisa did an amazing job securing her pozzie on one of the top decks to capture these awesome shots of the ceremony.Can you think of a more picturesque backdrop?

It’s worth mentioning here that there is a Swiss tradition of singing “Ewigi Liebi” to the bride and groom following the ceremony. The bridesmaids decided that being on another continent shouldn’t stop that tradition and so they literally spent about 6 months rehearsing for this moment.

Ewigi Liebi literally translates to Eternal Love and you can hear a version of it here on You Tube {but I have to say it pales in comparison to the bridesmaids version!}

The post ceremony cruise allowed us some time for group shots, which were full of fun and MORE singing, plus some great live music and spectacular harbour views.

On our return to Taronga Zoo we were ushered towards the Sky Safari for the short trip up to the Harbour View Garden Court but I couldn’t resist the sunset and called the bride and groom back to the Taronga Zoo Wharf…

It had been a long day, so we took our time heading back up to the reception…

But the entrance was worth it!

If I could sum up this day I would use the following words… genuine, fun, emotional, heartfelt, honest, loving. The following images of the speeches by the bridesmaids and best man probably some it up best. At some point throughout the day everybody shed a tear, but they also went home with their jaws aching from the laughter {even I was busted getting teary by the bridesmaids!}.

The details:

Ceremony: on board Platinum

Reception: Taronga Function Centre – Harbour View Garden Court

Bride’s Gown: Halo

Brides’ Shoes: Alan Pinkus

Makeup: Kerrie

Hair: Claudia Marques 0417 696 293

Flowers: Arome Living, Petersham

Music: Juicy Fruit

And to finish… I love this one because of the constant eye contact they had. There was no-one else in the room….