We have been following Jake’s music for quite a few years in the days when he was in the band, Playjerise. Sadly the band decided to go separate ways but thankfully Jake has continued his musical journey going solo. Last Friday night we had the pleasure of seeing Jake perform live at The Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba. What a brilliant night it was. It was so wonderful to see all the songs from his album, plus a track from his Playjerise days performed live. The Clarendon was such a perfect intimate venue for this great gig. Below is a little slide show from the shots I took on the night. Yeah I know, I couldn’t possibly leave my camera at home could I?

Enjoy!

The day I visited, the snow pear tree out the front put on a majestic autumn display. There is also a huge maple tree out in the street next door. I love watching leaves drift in the air when they fall from trees. I was lucky enough to witness a magical moment when I just happened to step outside. It was so beautiful. A big dust of wind picked up and this is what I saw… I imagined I was in a scene from Harry Potter!

M’Pulata d’Chalo…
A tradition symbolic of the bride leaving the home of her parents. Usually the bride is in her home taking pictures with family and the groom’s family visits to take her out of the home and to the church. While in the house, the women sing tradition lilyaneh and dola and zurna is played as they dance. Before the bride leaves the house, a member of the bride’s family usually a cousin, niece/nephew,uncle/aunty etc… stands at the door and receives an amount of money from a member of the grooms family usually a Father, or brother, the amount is decided by who’s holding the door.

Burakha…
The wedding tradition where the bride and groom are blessed by a priest in a church. The burakha traditionally lasted about four hours, but more recently the event goes for about one hour. Pins in the shape of two crosses are usually placed on the groom’s back.

Now the photo of the bride’s foot on top of the groom’s foot was implying that she has the dominating strength in their life together now! I don’t think this was an Assyrian tradition somehow. I think it was something more worldly! I always thought the man was the head of the house. In the case of my own wedding, the minister said I was the head but my wife was the neck that turns my head!

Well I hope that helps give you a bit of background to some of the images. Oh, and they sure know how to dance! I have never seen so much dancing!

It was certainly a beautiful day. The ceremony was held at St. Hurmizd Cathedral, Greenfield Park and the reception was at Le Montage, Lilyfield. Enjoy the photos!

Well finally after 20 wonderful years of marriage I took the urge to buy my beautiful wife an eternity ring. Yes, I know it is about time! I have never seen such a happy wife!…well she is always happy but now she is completely overjoyed! I really didn’t know how much a woman treasured an eternity ring! She said to me that it is not so much having more diamonds on her finger but what it symbolizes. She wanted to have one of her favourite Bible verses engraved inside of it which is Ecclesiastes 4:12 which says…

‘Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken’.

Just like the eternity ring completes the engagement ring and wedding ring, The rope-makers of the ancient world discovered that a rope made of a single or a double strand of thread could be broken so easily; however, a rope made of three strands was not so easily broken.

The author, Solomon does not want to teach us about ropes; rather, he wants to teach us about marriage. A person by him or herself, without companionship, support, and love, is like a cord of one strand – they are not very strong. Two people who support and love each other, like a rope of two strands, is stronger. A three-stranded cord, however, is even stronger. In marriage and the family, a three-strand cord is husband and wife and God. This sort of marriage is not easily broken. This sort of marriage can endure the trials of life’s journey.

Isn’t that a wonderful verse!

BTW, all you lovebirds out there whom are getting engaged, if you are looking for a jeweler for that perfect engagement ring, check out Nauthe’s Jewellers in Springwood, The Blue Mountains. They are amazing and great customer service too!

Well this is what can happen when a bride is having fun and then wants to share her wedding cake with the guests and have a piece for herself.

A few minutes later her step mother came to help!

The main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a fir tree hung with apples (paradise tree) representing the Garden of Eden. The Germans set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the host, the Christian sign of redemption); in a later tradition, the wafers were replaced by cookies of various shapes. Candles, too, were often added as the symbol of Christ.

I love this time of the year leading up to Christmas. In fact I love it more than the actual day itself sometimes. Today the local Lion International Winmalee club volunteers were selling Christmas trees. This only happens one day a year so it is a pretty special event. Every year I have driven past these guys and I have always wanted to stop and take some photos but being a wedding photographer I was always too busy heading off to a wedding. Well today I had no wedding, so after having my ‘cafe affair’ with my wife (this is special time out, that my wife and I treasure away from our kids for an hour or two, to have a cappuccino together in one of our favourite cafes up at Springwood) I rushed back home to grab my camera and snapped a few shots. I ended up talking to the guys for a little while. They have been doing this community service since 1986 (funny enough the same year I established my photography business). In their younger days these men would get up very early on a Saturday morning at 4am and drive up to Oberon, a town which is high up in our beautiful Blue Mountains and cut down the pine trees and load the truck and be back down in Winmalee ready to sell that same morning. These old fellas were so devoted to their service to our community. It was so lovely to take time out to talk to them.

Leah and Adriano were married there in one of Coffs Coast’s most beautiful country churches, All Saints Anglican Church where the Uniting Church also meet once a month. So it was a pretty special wedding with two ministers from two different denominations taking part in the ceremony.

Leah and Adriano may have made history as it could be the very last wedding to have taken place in this beautiful 101 year old timber church at its current location in Upper Orara. Sadly the church building is being offered for removal and relocation to another town. The local community are hoping the heritage listing will save it from removal. Here’s hoping!

After the ceremony we drove further inland to some stunning locations including a favourite family swimming spot called the ‘magic pool’! You will see in one of the photos below how magical it is with the amazing shade of blue water. This was a very significant spot for Leah and Adriano as this is where Adriano proposed to Leah.

This was our last stop before heading back to the community hall directly next door to the church. The hall was beautifully decorated to set the scene for a very relaxed reception. I love these kind of receptions where the families do all the organising and catering for it all. There is no pressure on the bride and groom and the guests to have to hurry up and get out of the place like in formal reception venues.

We were very blessed with the weather too as it rained while I was at the bride’s parents’ home but then it stopped and didn’t start to rain again until I was taking the last few shots at the magic pool! How is that for perfect timing. It made for some wonderful photos having the dark clouds hanging over the mountains in the background!

After the ceremony it was back down to Hopewood Country House for the reception. I had a ball photographing such a delightful couple in so many amazing settings… definitely a photographer’s dream wedding!

Thank you Rhiannon and Jeremiah for giving me this wonderful opportunity to capture your special day.