I sat with Liana and Tom in a dessert bar in North Adelaide for well over two hours to talk all things wedding photography. It was late 2015 - not usually the time of year that you would order a Jaffa Hot Chocolate, but I felt so comfortable with these guys right off the bat so I didn't feel weird about indulging in my childish guilty pleasure while we discussed their wedding. Their date was still over a year away, but the excitement surrounding their decision to tie their lives together was so adorably obvious. I could see it on their faces, hear it in their voices and feel it through the vibrations in their laughter - which turned a few heads in the otherwise quiet cafe. But we didn't care, we were trading wedding stories... sharing visions, hopes and ideas for their perfect day. What could be more important?

Liana told me about the first time she saw Tom; in his striped sweater at a high school party, and how she thought he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Tom said he spent countless hours on MSN messenger under the screen name 'funkymunky' chatting to Liana about anything and everything. Then, they each gave me their versions of the all-day scavenger hunt that ended in a proposal. While I listened, I thought to myself, how rare that an unashamedly cheesy high school romance makes it this far! That's when I knew that these guys were special, and that their wedding would be genuinely beautiful. 

Early the next year, we took a road trip together to familiarise them with the photographic process, and get them comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding. But that part was honestly almost too easy. They were already so comfortable with one another that all I had to do was point and shoot, and what showed up in the back of my camera was just pure love. Never the less we took the opportunity to explore some amazing scenery together. After scaling a few rocky outcrops, climbing in and out of some caves and enduring a freakishly random sand storm that whipped sand so hard it almost took off a layer of skin, we stopped for a late night feed at Subway... Ok ok, they had Subway and I might of had Hungry Jacks. 

So why am bothering to go in to so much detail about our brief history together here? Shouldn't I be telling you how pretty their wedding was, how lovely their flowers were, how ridiculously beautiful Liana looked in her dress, or how epic their venue was? Or maybe you want to hear about some of the quirky mishaps of the day... like the music skipping during the bridal procession, or about Tom's brother fainting mid-ceremony (don't worry, he's fine and it happens more often than you'd think). Well, all that stuff matters, to a point. But strip it back and all you have is the connection between two lovers, who have made a rather important decision. To publicly and boldly announce their deepest affections for one another. The traditions, details and moments on the day are only important because of the story that proceeded them. And through the time we spent together, the stories, laughs and experiences we shared, they were comfortable and gracious enough to give me the time and access I needed to tell their story as honestly and beautifully as I could. 

I can't thank them enough for letting me in to their lives on this day, and for the year or so prior. Here's how it all went down... Enjoy!