I met Katrina and Alec at the 2017 Tweed Coast wedding expo. We spent a while chatting about wedding photography and Katrina’s ideas for her day. I could tell immediately that Katrina and Alec were my kind of couple, see, they had been together since high school and were super sweet and in love. After the expo I was pleased to receive an enquiry from them, so we met at my favourite café’ on the mountain, “Spice of Life”. We chatted over coffee about their plans and we connected instantly.

Katrina and Alec decided they would like an engagement session so we booked in for myself and my husband Garratt to go down to Ballina for the day in early February, just 30 minutes from where they lived in Alstonville. Ballina is a sleepy coastal town with this cute tiny lighthouse and that was going to be our location for the shoot. Come the day of the shoot the weather was perfect and Garratt and I were excited to get out of the house, enjoy a picnic and shoot with Alec and Katrina later in the afternoon. We found a spot just near the lighthouse, had our lunch and as we started to pack up and get ready for the shoot the weather started to turn. Big black clouds rolled in as Katrina and Alec pulled up. We chanced it anyway, we had all driven along the way to be there and Katrina had her hair and makeup done. Well as we started shooting the sky opened up and we found ourselves in the middle of a summer storm. Tucked away under the awning of the lighthouse we grabbed a few shots and then jumped in the cars for refuge.

We all thought maybe the open beach would be better and less windy, plus the drive would give the storm a chance to pass, so we hopped in the cars and drove down the hill. The rain had eased, there was no more thunder and lightning, so we kept shooting in a light shower of rain. Its was quite fun really and the images turned out great despite the downpour. I will include one here for you.

When the first of September rolled around I was really delighted to be shooting with them again, Katrina had shared her vision for the day and it all sounded so gorgeous. As I drove the almost two hours from Tamborine Mountain to Alstonville NSW I could see this think blanket of what looked like smoke or dust covering the entire coastline. It seemed to get thicker and thicker, it turned out it was smoke haze from a fire burning on Stradbroke island that had blanketed the coast. Despite the haze the day turned out really nice, the haze acted like a big softbox and we got some really beautiful shots.

One favourite moment from Katrina and Alec’s day would have to be when Katrina’s bouquets arrived. She absolutely loved them and they were just divine, soft spring tones of floral goodness all tied up in a sweet little ribbon. Katrina noticed the charm hanging from the bouquet, it was a small framed picture of her grandfather, her eyes welled up and she spent a moment just taking it all in.

Another moment I loved was when her sister and bridesmaid serenaded the church with her gorgeous voice. In-between notes you could just about hear a pin drop it was so special.

At the end of the day we headed to the reception, we snuck in first before all the guests (love this idea) to get some shots of the room. Katrina really made this rustic barn soft and romantic with ambient fairy lights and candles. The same flowers I had drooled over in the morning adorned the tables and there was a heartfelt memorial table with pictures of the family attending only from heaven.

Before dinner the entire reception took a moment to say grace and pray for the newlyweds, it was silent and still yet the room was filled with love and peace.

During dinner I sat and had my meal listening to the chatter and laughter coming from inside, I thought to myself how wonderful this family was and how lucky Katrina and Alec were to have such a beautiful support network behind them.

It was time for me to leave and we took one last shot near the gates of the venue to end the day.

It was a pretty perfect day.

Claire xxx

Church – Christine’s Chruch of Two Grandfather’s

Flowers – Alstonville Florist

Reception – Down Converys Lane

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