I’m pretty much a normal, everyday girl. I’m a proud mum and wife who happens to be lucky enough to photograph weddings.

I really enjoy a photojournalistic approach to weddings, which suits me well as I’m a bit of a wallflower in social situations! I like to let things unfold naturally and photograph them as they happen.

I’m lucky enough to work with another local photographer, Simone Hanby from Imagine Creative Images. We photograph all of our weddings together. Because we have such a great relationship, our days are always smooth, fun, eventful and productive and we can present our clients with a diverse image collection, as we both see things unfold a bit differently. Two sets of eyes are almost always better than one!

I put all of my heart and soul into the weddings I photograph. I always walk away from my freshly married clients feeling as though I’ve made a friend or two. The last wedding I photographed recently, I felt like part of the family! The day I stop investing my heart into my clients’ special days is the day I should probably stop photographing weddings.

What do you love about weddings? 

I love that every wedding is different with the bride and groom injecting their personalities into it.

I love that it’s always the moment when the bride-to-be puts her dress on and it suddenly hits her that she’s close to being married. I love how the groom’s happy, nervous-but-calm, ‘don’t-cry-don’t-cry’ face looks when he’s watching her walk towards him. I LOVE hearing their vows to one another. I cry a little every. single. time.

What does a typical day look like for you?

6am wake up calls, coffee, mad rush for school drop offs, coffee, email enquiries, printing/editing/deliveries, coffee, school pick ups, dinner, wine, exercise, edit, bed. Rinse. Repeat.

Tell us about a particularly memorable moment from one of your weddings? 

It was a recent wedding I helped a friend with. The bride’s grandparents travelled from the UK to be at their granddaughter’s Glen Ewin Estate wedding. After the dads made their speeches at the reception, he (the grandfather) unexpectedly got up in front of the crowd and sung a song for the bride and groom. I forget what the song was, but this little old frail man had the voice of a crooner and the whole room was gobsmacked listening to his smooth voice singing a love song for the couple. It was perfect. He got a standing ovation! (And yes, I sobbed in the corner quietly.)

What advice would you like to give to engaged couples planning their wedding? 

I would get them to read this article (on what wedding photography is really all about).

What wedding trends are you seeing that you like? 

I love that photo booths are a massive hit at receptions.

What’s your favourite Akimbo wedding invitation? 

I absolutely love be a bit of ‘Oberon’!

What do you like doing when you’re not working? 

I love travelling. When we know we have a free weekend ahead of us, we go on a short family holiday. Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road is our favourite little getaway. We are also planning a few overseas trips for the near future. Work hard, play harder!

Best marriage advice?

I learnt this one from Jesh De Rox, it’s simple but I love it: Avoid the words ‘always’ and ‘never’ in arguments. No one likes a blame game!

I also think it’s really important to remember to invest in the friendship between the two of you. You’ll be spending the rest of your life with this person, so make sure they are one of your best friends.

Loved the wedding advice, Sandy, that’s one of the the ‘rules’ that my husband and I live by.

Visit the Memory Bank Photography website. 

(Headshot by Pobke Photography.)