Jacinta and Alex | Walkabout Creek Wedding Photographer

Hurrying down the dark path between the green trees, under storm clouds one of the bridesmaids shouts “Is that hail??!!” The bride keeps laughing and we don’t stop running. It’s dark, we’re all wet, we’re running late and now the sky is throwing ice at us….this just might be my favourite wedding yet. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.

Our shoot began in Red Hill under blue skies. The effortlessly relaxed Alex and Jacinta are marrying at Walkabout Creek in D’Aguilar National Park in a few short hours, myself and best friend / wedding photographer Will Gordon are about to start shooting bridal prep. As we unload our gear from the car we’re greeted with laughter and cheek from two bridesmaids hanging over a balcony 2 stories above. Shouldering our cameras we exchange grins, it was going to be a fun day.

While we were sharing in the laughter at bridal prep the groomsmen were performing a “quick” round trip up to Maleny to look for a lost cap. Now every wedding without exception has some hiccups and this one was no different but it’s not whether you overcome the hurdle that makes the day a success or not but the attitude in which you face it. “The drive gave me plenty of time to rehearse my vows” reflects Alex with a smile and he’s not wrong, however the additional challenge may have spelt disaster for any other couple. This was just one of many moments throughout the day where Alex and Jacinta’s strength, love and positivity were on full display. Nothing was going to get in the way of their happiness that day, no matter how hard the universe tried.

“Some people say its good luck for it to rain on your wedding day, really stupid people say it to brides on their wedding day.” Me – Tim

2022 has been a particularly rainy year with many people and places suffering. D’Aguilar National Park is not such a place. It has THRIVED. Arriving at what is normally a dry and “crunchy” forest, I am blown away with how alive and vivid the greenery is, the lake sparkles and the under foot is…lush. The clean white drapes decorating the arbour look spectacular as they gently move with the breeze, the juxtaposition of its smooth, clean lines and the beautiful chaos of the native Australian bushland, a magical promise of things to come. The groomsmen, dressed in green, herringbone wool suits and rust coloured shirts, suit (no pun intended) the surrounds so perfectly it feels like we’re in a film. As flashes of Jacinta’s white wedding dress can be seen moving down the path between the trees, light rain begins to fall catching the light as it does so and completing the most fairytale-like ceremony I have ever witnessed.

Celebrant (also a Jacinta) Jacinta from Just Hitched by Jacinta, performed a remarkable ceremony, navigating the rain and emotions with such delicate confidence I could not recommend her enough. The extra time to practice his vows paid off with Alex and Jacinta both delivering heartfelt vows that dampened cheeks which many were quick to pass off as rain. It was magical and it was special and it didn’t end there.

Escaping to take location photos is meant to be fun, it’s meant to be a bit of a breather for the Bride and Groom after being in front of so many people but its never normally this much fun. Between the incredibly funny bridesmaids, Jacinta and Alex’s sense of humour we had a blast. It’s both amazing that any work got done and that I am lucky enough to call these days “work.” We did it all, we chased bush turkeys (don’t tell the park rangers) we frolicked in fields, we graduated from the school of silly walks, we chased more bush turkeys. We were having so much fun we didn’t notice the storm clouds building….and building….AND BUILDING. One minute we were all laughing, the next we were drenched, running down a dark path potentially getting hailed on….still laughing. This just might be my favourite wedding.

Did everything go perfectly to plan, no. Was it perfect, ABSOLUTELY.

Planning and executing a great wedding is incredibly hard, there are an infinite number of blogs, websites and top 10 lists to read, music playlists to put on, games to play and more. But with every wedding we shoot the more we are convinced that it’s not about the dress, it’s not about the venue, the season or the weather. It’s keeping a positive attitude and Alex and Jacinta have it in spades.