Amy & Iliya

Okay, at risk of sounding repetitious, I’m going to tell you how fabulous Amy & Iliya – not to mention their wedding! – are and was. I know that I say this about every wedding, but every wedding is so special that I can’t help it. I am running out of adjectives, though. Maybe I should start inventing some new ones.

Amy and I have been in touch for some time and we quickly became friends. In August I had the opportunity to photography Amy and her then-fiance Iliya for an engagement session. It was such a great experience, and really helped me to understand their dynamic as a couple, as well as a chance for them to get to know me, get a sense of how I work, and what kind of photography I produce. Iliya was a little nervous at the time (about photography in general) and he remarked how much more comfortable and relaxed he felt having had the chance to go through this pre-wedding photography process. As a result, I thoroughly recommend these sessions to brides and grooms, to help ‘break the ice’ prior to the wedding day!

Anyway – we had a ball that day and I was of course extremely excited to get to their wedding day. I knew without a doubt it would be incredibly special.

And so it was. The weather was perfect. Amy was glowing all day and was practically bouncing in excitement! In fact, they were both so happy that day (and all the people around them – they seemed to draw happy, wonderful, warm people to them like magnets) that I felt like I was somehow cheating. Just as with Cindy & Karl’s wedding the day before, I cried during the ceremony (had to try and hide the tears behind the camera!) And I continued getting teary while editing their photos, remembering it all. (Hopeless romantic, anyone?!)

The ceremony was held in the Himeji Gardens (I believe it’s one of the last weddings to be held there, which is such a shame!) and officiated by the wonderful Mark Bassett (who was also the celebrant for Katie & Chris’ Ayers House wedding earlier this month, as well as for Alana & Adrian’s Glenelg wedding the weekend prior). Vikki Threapleton, of Aisle Style did a fantastic job of decorating ceremony chairs, aisle runner and chilled drinks for guests, and Lauren Parkinson worked her magic on Amy’s makeup. The reception was held at the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed photographing the day! Congratulations Amy & Iliya and thanks so much for your friendship and for allowing me to be a part of your magical day.