Living Lens Journal » Highlights

MELBOURNE WEDDING: JASON & HUYEN // Treasured Moments

Peter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:05:26 +0000

Welcome to 2012 everyone!

You may remember just before Christmas we shared Jason and Huyen’s Love Story, so we thought what better way to kick of the year than with The Story of Jason & Huyen – Part 2!

It was Jason who contacted me early last year about being part of their wedding. Being a graphic designer by trade, we immediately hit it off and it was a great experience for me to be able to work so collaboratively with both him and Huyen in the lead up to their big day. Creativity is an important part of their lives and they wanted this to be represented in their wedding. From the big things like Jason designing their beautiful wedding invitations, to the little details like Huyen and her bridesmaide spending the morning of the wedding tying a ribbon onto each one of their guest gifts, Huyen and Jason took care to make this day beautiful and meaningful to both them and their guests. And they couldn’t have picked a better team of creatives to help make their vision come to life, so a special shout out must go to Nat from Nattnee Photography who came down from Sydney to do their photography and Joanie from One Wedding Wish who styling their wedding which included a beautiful garden themed drinks station (make sure you click on their links to see images from the day!)

And to Jason & Huyen, thank you for including me in this chapter of your story together.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Nattnee Photography // Wedding Sylist: One Wedding Wish

Celebrant: Maree Livy // Wedding Ceremony: Como House // Wedding Reception: Bram Leigh

PALM COVE WEDDING: JOE & ANGELA // Love Is A Verb

Peter — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:53:46 +0000

We often talk about weddings being more than one day of celebration, about how they are the beginning of a new era, a new joining link on the family tree. Family life in the twenty-first century is a lot different to the way it was at the beginning of last century. A hundred years ago people lived in smaller communities where it was normal for three generations living under the same roof and even when children moved out, it was only to the house next door, or one just down the street. These day children move out to the estate across town or into the city, and life is taken up with work and travel and general busyness, so it is not unusual for families to be strangers to one another until they meet on the wedding day. Not so for Coluccio and Brittliff families!

Instead of a full on wedding day in their home town of Sydney, Joe and Angela chose to invite their family and friends for a week long holiday with them in Palm Cove, north of Cairns. It was a chance them to take some time, to relax in the sun and get to know each other. And at the end of the week they all came together to celebrate the wedding of Angela and Joe as one big family. So now the Coluccio and Brittliff families are not just joined in the links of their family tree, they are family in the real life sense of the word as well.

Congratulations Joe and Angela, it was wonderful to be included in your family celebrations!

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Jeremy from Between Us Photography
Ceremony Venue: Angsana Chapel // Reception Venue: Vivo Bar & Grill

EMU PARK WEDDING: TENILLE & SHANNON // Perfect Moments

Peter — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:50:28 +0000

When I think back to the first time I spoke to Tenille, I remember the distinctive description she made about Shannon was how romantic he was, how he has always done little suprises for her and that he was a real gentlemen. What really top it off was the story of his amazing proposal, which even made the local papers! He had booked a chartered flight for the two of them and had the plane to fly past a huge paddock where he had made a huge love heart, with the words “Tenille will you marry me?” in calico letters.

Tenille and Shannon’s wedding day was no different – full of romantic gestures and special touches that made it such an intimate and beautiful celebration of the special connection these two had. Shannon had put a lot of thought into making sure their wedding day was filled with perfect moments, every one letting Tenille know how much he loved her. And at their ceremony of the cliff at Rita Mata, Tenille’s vows showed Shannon and everyone present, just how much he was loved in return.

Tenille and Shannon, may your marriage be a long and happy one, and may your wedding highlight remind you of a day filled with perfect moments.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Blink Photography // Wedding venue : Rita Mata, Emu Park
Flowers: Wilsons Roses // Bride Preparations Venue: Echelon Apartments// Groom Preparations Venue: Villa Mar Colina

MARGARET RIVER: LIZZY & ERIC // Always at Arm’s Length

Peter — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:50:09 +0000

It’s amazing how the internet connects the world. When we moved to Central Queensland, we thought we were leaving all our interstate couples behind – instead we have been back to Melbourne to TEN times to shoot weddings in the past year, not to mention traveling to weddings in Palm Cove, Byron Bay and now Western Australia! Being able to reach across Australia to find awesome couples is so amazing to us and we are so grateful to be able to live in this beautiful paradise and still be able to travel and do the work we love.

The internet was a godsend to Lizzy and Eric when planning their wedding – they had spent many years studying in Perth, but Lizzy was trying to organise their special day from home in Indonesia. As fate (or Google!) would have it, Lizzy stumbled across our website and contacted us about covering her wedding in Western Australia. So in August I made the journey across the country to be part of Lizzy and Eric’s wedding in the beautiful Margaret River region south of Perth. Their day was a wonderful, relaxed family affair with a great mix of eastern and western wedding traditions and the Laurence Wines provided so many amazingly locations as the backdrop to the start of their marriage.

Congratulations Lizzy & Eric, thank you for choosing me to tell the story of your day.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Venue: Laurance Wines of Margaret River
Wedding Photography: Kirsty Clark, ENVY Photography, assisted by Mike & Kylie, Pixel Magix

ROCKHAMPTON WEDDING: SARAH & STEVEN // With All My Heart

Peter — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:31:11 +0000

For some couples, their wedding day is the beginning of a new chapter in their story, the start of a journey in which their lives will be forever entwined. But for Sarah and Steve, they had already cemented their committment to each other when they bought their beautiful daugters Mia and Maddy into this world. They had already bought a house and started a family, so their wedding became more about a celebration of how far they had come and a chance to share their happiness and the stregth of their relationship with all those who were important to them. It was also a great reason to have an awesome party!

Sarah and Steve pulled out all the stops for their wedding at Rosslyn Bay Resort, with the bride arriving to their beach ceremony in a state of the art limousine and the groom arriving in a procession of trucks. We also had the pleasure of working along side amazing wedding photographer Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions, who worked his magic around Keppel Bay Marina.

~ Emily

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Studio Impressions // Wedding Venue: Rosslyn Bay Resort

BYRON BAY WEDDING: ANNETTE & LEONARDO // Sea of Love

Peter — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:34:13 +0000

Annette speaks English, Leo’s native tongue is Spanish, but it was clear on their wedding day that these two are well versed in the lanuage of love. Coming from countries oceans apart, it is actually the sea that bought these two together. Meeting while working on a cruise ship, Annette was drawn to the quiet charm of Leo. They fell in love and Leo chose to leave Panama to join Annette and make a new life for themselves in Byron Bay.

Annette runs her own business Designer Weddings Byron Bay with her business partner/mum Maree and from the outset I could tell this was going to be a knock out wedding. Being a wedding designer and the mother of the bride, Maree was a huge part of the planning and more than once it was joked that it was more like Annette, Leo and Maree’s wedding day! As you will see from the video, they have amazing vision and turned a plain marque into a magical place for a celebration.

But as is true for the best weddings, it was the people that made this wedding such a joy to be part of. The time I spent filming their wedding day was wonderful, and with the added excitement to being able to work together with my friends Matt and Katie Photographers for the first time, made this wedding very special. But what really did make it memorable for me is spending time with Annette, Leo, Maree and the rest of the family who’d made me very welcome and part of their family.

Thank you for the wonderful time Annette and Leo and cherish every moment that you spend together.

~ Pete

Wedding Video : Living Lens // Wedding Design: Designer Weddings Byron Bay // Wedding Photography: Matt & Katie Photographers

ROSSLYN BAY YEPPOON WEDDING: SARAH & RYAN // Two Become One

Peter — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:43:20 +0000

It’s easy to forget that a wedding is in fact about more than just two people getting married. A wedding is a moment marked in time where two separate families become joined, and now the Wolhuter and the Pierce families are forever joined in the family tree of Sarah and Ryan.

The families converged on Roslyn Bay Resort for the weekends celebrations, and while Ryan was unfortunately a little under the weather, his bride to be Sarah more than made up for it with her bubbly personality and positive enthusiasm for the day! Their positive energy could be felt by everyone, and they injected fun into all parts of their day -especially their twist to the traditional bridal waltz!

Sarah & Ryan, thank you for trusting me to capture your special day, I hope you continue you life together with joy in your hearts.

~ Peter

Wedding Video : Living Lens // Reception Venue : Rosslyn Bay Resort

MELBOURNE WEDDING: BERNADETTE & NICOLAI // All The Reasons

Peter — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:38:27 +0000

He calls her “B”, it’s really more of a letter than a word, but there is so much more behind this affectionate nickname Nicolai has for Bernadette. Through out the day, he chose many other words to describe her – caring, wonderful, dedicated. And luckily for Bernadette, these same words can be used to describe Nicolai, and we get to see evidence of this right from the start of his wedding day, when he made breakfast for everyone – always attentive to others, even though it was his wedding day.

Now if you are a regular to the Living Lens blog, you may be forgiven for thinking Bernadette looks familiar, and those with an eagle eye will recognize that she was the violinist featured in Jade & Adrian’s short film! I felt then it was only right to feature the quartet in this highlight – music is a very large part of her life, as I found out when her dad proudly talked about her various achievements as a musician.

The wedding day couldn’t have been more perfect; beautiful weather with an amazing ceremony location on the balcony at the Melbourne Town Hall, and the awesome backdrop of the Royal Exhibition Buildings for the photoshoot. But for me the highlight was their tea ceremony, which is traditionally held in the morning at the family homes, but in order to share this moment with their guests they choose to hold it at the reception venue. This to me, seems such a wonderful way to share such an important cultural experience.

All these words and moments shared just served to highlight to me, and to all their guests, the reasons why Bernadette & Nicolai love each other.

- Pete

WERRIBEE MANSION MELBOURNE WEDDING: CELINE & MICHAEL // Say the word

Peter — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 05:05:49 +0000

With the average adult speaking about 16,000 words a day, it is easy to forget the power of the spoken word. Many couples spend hours planning the details of their wedding, only to use the traditional wedding vows, when this is there one chance to tell the world how they truly feel!

Celine and Michael took this opportunity, and standing between the flower beds of blooming roses at Werribee Mansion, they professed their love and commitment to each other. The words they choose spoke were of love, of giving, of appreciation and of joy. They voiced their hopes and dreams for their future life together and put it out into the world. And those there to witness understood the importance of those words, and the beauty of their meaning and instead of letting these words get lost in the wide world, everyone there took those words into their hearts.

I also want to thank Matt Barwick from Matt Barwick Films who was shooting with me on the day and Joanie Lim from One Wedding Wish who was so helpful and making sure we were accommodated for and the day ran super smoothly.

- Peter

YARRA VALLEY MELBOURNE WEDDING: JOANNA & ERICK // Found You

Peter — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:39:46 +0000

When I first spoke to Joanna, she said that she and Erick were quiet and didn’t talk much, but as I spend the day with them on their wedding, I could see that what they dont say in words, they more than make up for with small gestures, big smiles and lots of laughing – especially Joanna who just couldn’t help herself!

I can see why they chose to have their wedding at such wonderful location, it was a beautiful, intimate event with all the family staying at the picturesque Yerring Gorge Cottages and attending the ceremony at St Patrick’s Parish. After their beautiful lunch time reception at the Stones at Yarra, I got to spend a bit of time just hanging out and chatting with the two of them. Erick is so easy to warm and Joanna so welcoming, they made me feel like part of the family and I am so pleased to be able to give them this highlight, which I think really shows their wonderful connection with each other.