Steven and Alexis elected to have a quiet Blue Mountains Wedding. Their preparations were carried out at a beautiful cottage in Katoomba, with the ceremony held at Everglades Garden in Leura, with photographs there, and at one of the scenic outlooks that turned out not to be, and then lunch at Silks Brasserie at Wentworth Falls.

I keep reiterating my enjoyment of intimate weddings. They’re so obviously personal, frequently emotive, deeply connected, and calmly joyous.

Alexis’ mum sent a note after the wedding, “Thank you for taking such good care of us on Friday at Alexis and Steven’s wedding day. Your kindness and patience throughout helped to enhance and create an amazing day for the bride, groom and us family members. We can’t wait to see all the amazing photos you have, capturing our precious daughters special day with Steven!”

It’s so lovely to receive these messages. We take photographs so that people remember their special moments, and also because we’re involved in a service industry, it’s really nice to make those connections to the family and friends, even if they’re only fleeting. It means the emphasis of the wedding always gets placed on the things, moments and people that the couple genuinely want. Conversely, some of the chaos, awkwardness, and formality of larger affairs is avoided.

Steven and Alexis, together with some of the family, had booked a cottage in Katoomba where all the wedding preparations took place. The cottage was large enough for the individual preparations to take place, and had a most delightful aesthetic inside and out. From a photography perspective, it was beautiful.

A small side street contained the wedding car, one of those lovely pieces of motoring history, and that’s where Alexis and her Dad jumped in for the short trip around to the ceremony.

The gardens really are worth a visit for no other reason than their beauty.

We wandered round, over the creek, and down to a clearing, where the celebrant waited with Steven and his parents.

The rain quietly fell, adding to the sense of calm.

After their Blue Mountains wedding ceremony, and some family photographs, the driver took Steven and Alexis around to one of the scenic views. We were going to make the most of that superb Blue Mountains backdrop. However, the weather had other plans. My heart dropped a little when we were presented with a mist whiteout. Rather than letting that dictate a retreat, we turned it into another opportunity. There’s a sense of romance to those images, a link to intimacy, as they stand holding each other in the certainty of their relationship.