Tim + Zoe | Avon Valley Country Wedding | Beverley WA | 30 March 2019 {Perth, Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Wedding Photographer}

As many of you will know, I love a good Avon Valley or Wheatbelt wedding, and Tim and Zoe’s beautiful day held out in Beverley, just over 100 kilometres from Perth, certainly didn’t disappoint.

From the leafy surrounds of the Station Gallery for the ceremony, to the paddocks on the outskirts of town as a backdrop for bridal portraits, and the romance of one of our treasured Art Deco buildings for their reception, the town of Beverley really was the perfect wedding location for this local farming family. As was the weather - a glorious Autumn day full of light and colour (and the usual sprinkling of dust we get at this time of year!).

Add to that a team of awesome vendors and hard working, creative locals, and you have the recipe for an event to rival anything currently being produced in the city. All credit to the following people for making Tim and Zoe’s day so completely fabulous - you guys really know how to nail a country wedding! Carissa Shaw (P&C event co-ordinator), Beverley Electrical Services (festoon lighting), Love Ashleigh Perth Marriage Celebrant (celebrant), Foliage Bespoke Floral Design (flowers), Grandscene Wedding & Event Hire (furniture hire), Simple & Beautiful Catering (catering), Three Shucker (oysters), Say Cheese Towers & Blue Cow Cheese Company (cheese platters & cake), Hair By Sonora & Naomi Payne Hair (hair), Freelance Make-up Artist (make-up), The Wedding DJ (music), and Mr Potplants (plant hire).

Congratulations Tim and Zoe, and thank you for having me along to document your special day for you…

Glenn + Jess | Rustic Farm Wedding | Northam WA | 22 September 2018 {Perth, Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Wedding Photographer}

I love a good farm wedding, and this one was certainly no exception! Held on the family farm at Southern Brook just east of Northam, surrounded by their family and friends, and blessed with a superb Spring day, Glenn and Jess really did have the makings of a perfect wedding day.

But farm weddings can be hard work too, with much of the labor required the day before, and on the morning of the wedding. Everything has to be accounted for, and set up without the help of a venue or experienced staff to share the load. Furniture, seating, flowers and decorations need to be brought in, drinks, food, and portaloos sorted, and the ever present flies and mozzies dealt with.

So early in the planning stages, Glenn and Jess decided to engage the help of local wedding planners and stylists Holly and Sarah from Confetti & Co Events. These girls rock at what they do - seriously, they take all the stress out of the day! They organise the hire of furniture and equipment, which they collect, set up, and then drop back to the suppliers when it’s all over. They help plan the schedule and timetable for the day, then keep vendors updated and running on time as everything unfolds, and they deal with the little problems that can arise on a wedding day. Plus they’re super creative too, adding the finishing touches to everything from ceremony areas to table settings, to take your wedding to the next level.

So I was stoked when they announced that Glenn and Jess wanted me on board as their photographer, along with Sarah from Petallica Flower Co on flowers, making it a Wheatbelt Collective collaboration. Formed just over 18 months ago by myself, Confetti & Co Events and Petallica Flower Co, The Wheatbelt Collective encompasses a group of local wedding and event suppliers who aim to provide a high level of service and quality to people who wish to host their wedding or event in the country. Our goal is to encourage people to ‘keep it local’ by providing the kind of service previously perceived to only be found in the city.

But our ability to provide great service relies to an extent on the fabulous suppliers we work alongside on the day. And we were blessed to have the following team on board for Glenn and Jess’s wedding. Julie Chesson A Love Story (celebrant), Jasmine Fowler (hair & makeup), Yvette’s Cakes (cake), Lala Design (stationary), Little Miss Vintage, Grandscene Wedding & Event Hire and HA Hire Events & Weddings (furniture & tableware hire), Complete DJ (DJ), Avon Valley Hospitality (catering) and The Northam Country Club (reception venue).

A huge thanks to all of you for creating such a beautiful and well run wedding for our couple, and for showcasing the possibilities for events held out here in the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt. I think the results below speak for themselves. Seriously, why would you want to get married anywhere else, people?

Congrats Glenn and Jess, and thank you so much for having me share your day with you, it really was fabulous!

Helena & Aurora Range | Koolyanobbing WA | September 2018 {Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Documentary Photographer}

The Helena and Aurora Range (also known as Bungalbin by the Kalamala Kapurn people) lies 100km north of Southern Cross, near the mining town of Koolyanobbing in WA.

Surrounded by the Great Western Woodlands, and classified as a Conservation Reserve within the Yilgarn Shire, this is a special place which only recently escaped mining through the recommendations made to government by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

The range is a 10km Banded Ironstone Formation (BIF) containing more than 350 native plant species, and a number of remarkable animals - according to the brochure. Although to be honest, we didn’t hear boo from the animals, although we did find some roo poo up in the caves along the eastern side, and there were a couple of crows hanging around our camp!

Of these threatened species, the Malleefowl and Tetratheca aphylla, subspecies aphylla (a spiky little number with a delicate pink flower) are the rarest, with the latter being the main reason the range was given a temporary reprieve from mining. The whole area really needs to be made a Class A National Park though, to give it greater protection, because under WA Law a Conservation Reserve can still be mined. And pooey to that, I say!

So last weekend my old Uni mate Hugh and I packed the bare minimum (just the important stuff, like swags and food, a winch and a coffee perculator), and headed east to explore the ranges. And this is what we came home with... no words required, really. And all made possible by that big piece of blue Duplo, the Toyota FJ Cruiser, which took us into places your average 4WD couldn’t, and allowed us to climb to the very top of the ridge at dawn to shoot the sun rising over the Woodlands. Truly spectacular...

Tim + Bonnie | Backyard Festival Wedding, Toodyay | 21 October 2017 {Perth, Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Wedding Photographer}

It was an overcast and stormy day for Tim and Bonnie's rustic, festival styled wedding held in Toodyay, in Western Australia last month.  With a ceremony on the side of a hill in the bush, and a marquee nestled amongst the trees in the backyard of Bonnie's family home, this wedding had a beautiful, rural Australian feel about it.

Add to that a gorgeous rambling cottage garden (created and lovingly maintained by the brides parents), a host of DIY touches (including the boys belts, who were made by groomsman and saddle maker Simon, the couples daughters dress, which was made by Bonnie's Nanna many years ago, the garden sculptures and signage by Bonnie's dad, and the flowers by her sister Ellen), some amazing food by the clever folk at Kazoomies, and a close circle of family and friends who returned to Toodyay to celebrate, and you have the perfect recipe for an awesome day!

Big shout out to vendors Lynne Lawson (celebrant), Petallica Flower Co (brides bouquet, flower crowns and wine barrel arrangements), Bonnie's sister Ellen Putland (bridesmaids, cake and reception flowers), Bonnie herself (cake), SJW Hairstylist (hair), Daniella Piscopo (makeup), Samantha Wynne (gown), Kazoomies (catering) and Swan Event Hire (marquee & furniture), who all helped make the day such a success. 

Congratulations Tim and Bonnie, and thankyou so much for having me along to cover your beautiful wedding day for you.  It was awesome!