{ A Beautiful Day - Courtney and Brian }

My friends Courtney and Brian were married on the 4th of January 2010 - this is the story of their beautiful day...

The bride and groom both prepared for the day at The Grand Hotel on Spencer Street - the historic former railways administration building. Being only a few doors down from one another was trickier than expected when doors were opening and closing! The girls sipped champagne whilst getting their hair and make-up done, while the boys had a yum-cha feast for lunch and watched the cricket.

 

  

Courtney was the most amazingly relaxed bride. When we arrived at St Peter & Paul's Church in South Melbourne in the 1957 Bel-Air Chevrolet's she waited in the car to fix her make-up and relax before the biggest moment of her life: walking down the aisle to meet Brian.

  

The infamous Father Bob McGuire officiated the ceremony and had everyone in stitches and very relaxed. As Courtney's dad was walking her down the aisle he held back tears, Courtney whispered to him "Don't you dare! Suck it up Dad!"

 

 

Being friends with the couple is obviously an advantage in capturing great shots - but having a beautiful bride, a groom so in love with his new wife and an amazing wedding to showcase helps a lot too!

  

The bridal party consisted of maid of honour Lauren, bridesmaid Tegan, best man Brendan and groomsman James. The bridesmaids wore custom made raspberry coloured dresses made of chiffon with a v-neck and bare backs. The boys wore grey suits with grey ties, Brian wore an ivory tie.

We had a lot of fun taking photos - the fig leaf ones were actually Brian's idea. Both Courtney and Brian were the perfect models - I really didn't have to work hard at all to make them look as good as they did! They were willing and able to jump through any hoops I told them to. 

 

The weather was perfect just to add to the beautiful day. Courtney could not get over the amount of strangers congratulating her and little girls pointing and saying "Mummy! Look at the pretty bride!" We first went to  Treasury Gardens, then Flinders Lane and The GPO, then on to Docklands where the reception was held on a boat, taking us to Williamstown, then down the Yarra and back to Docklands.

      

It really was a beautiful day. Thank-you Courtney and Brian for making me a part of your wedding, it was an honour to document the start of your married life - it is only the beginning.

{ All images by Emma Durkin Photographics }