Danni & James - Torquay Wedding
It's been almost 12 months since I had the privilege of photographing the wedding of gorgeous couple Danni & James.
I met Danni & James only a few months prior to their wedding. Where possible, I encourage my couples to meet with me before they decide to...how should I say it... choose me to be their wedding photographer... It's not mandatory, but I believe it to be best for all. Why? because I believe your wedding day to be one of the most significant, momentous days of any couple's lives, it's a day that you literally share with - sometimes, and on this occasion - a complete stranger. I didn't know Danni or James from a 'bar of soap' and what they knew of me was what I put out there on social media and maybe word-of-mouth from others... I didn't have my website up and running yet so the best option was to meet! We met at my home. My home is where I conduct most of my introductions and where I carry out my portrait photography. My partner Wes was in the middle of cooking dinner - I will never forget it as he almost burnt the house down cooking bacon for our caesar salad!! Smoke, everywhere. Thankfully, James turned out to be a fireman so we were in good hands there! I was a little embarrassed, but at the same time wasn't... this is me... welcome to my home! I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. I'm a family person. I'm a mum first and photographer second. So the times I can meet people are generally 'out of hours' times... times when people are usually having dinner or after dinner. I invite people into my home so they can understand the person I am.
We talked for what seemed like ages... I felt a connection with them straight away. It was like I had known them for years. And thankfully that night, I received and email from Danni advising that it was a 'no brainer' for them to have me as their photographer. I was thrilled. Thrilled because I really felt that connection with both of them and that is so so important when you are photographing somebodies wedding day or taking a portrait for that matter. It's one thing to like the way a person photographs a wedding - don't get me wrong - this is by far most important - but very close second is you need to ask yourself, do you have a connection with this person? Can you share your most important day with them? Do you trust them to capture your day the way you envisage? and if you answer yes to these three questions, then I think you've found your photographer.
Danni & James's wedding ceremony and reception was at Wyndham Resort on the Esplanade in Torquay, Victoria. Their ceremony was outside in a private courtyard with Whites Beach as a backdrop, the beautiful Michelle Lothian was their Celebrant of which I thought was the perfect fit for James & Danni. They were surrounded by so many of their close family and friends, their beautiful husky Santi even made an appearance with carers by her side from Checkmate Pet Minders.
After the ceremony, we carried out their portrait session over at the famous Bells Beach, and as it turned out, the RipCurl Pro was on... and honestly, who would deny a bride and groom access to this area - nobody! We shot some beautiful landscapes along the beach and had the perfect conditions for their portraits. It wasn't the warmest of days, but Danni, James and their bridal party braved the conditions - they were real troopers!
I was really thrilled to be apart of this special day. I hope you enjoy looking through a snippet of their gallery as their one year anniversary approaches very soon!
Big Love
Sal x
