It was an absolute pleasure to capture the intimate gathering for Ari’s christening.

Those close to him gathered at the family home while he had his morning nap before heading to St Kieran’s Catholic Church for his christening.

As I was so warmly invited into their home, it’s a beautiful thing to see the family gathered around the table and catching up. The act of sitting around a table and talking might seem rather ordinary but this simple connection is essential to our human story. I never tire of seeing it.

Ari’s christening clothing and details where gathered in one place so I could start photographing those when I arrived.

Photographing the details as soon as I arrive, such as the gown/suit, candle, crucifix, towels, shoes etc.. is a good way to have all those small moments photographed to be woven into the great story but it’s also a nice gentle way to have everyone in the home to get used to my presence.

I am very mindful that having a professional photographer with two big cameras around is not a normal thing for most people. I always aim to introduce my presence with cameras gradually rather than come in hot and start clicking away in peoples faces.

Ari is dressed by his darling Godparents before having his parents step into help get those last few stubborn buttons done up. These moments are so darling in how Ari was taking it all in while four grown ups navigate all the parts of that oh-so-cute suit of his to get it looking perfect.

There’s a quick round of family photos with his parents, Godparents, grandparents and cousins before heading to St Kieran’s Catholic Church for his christening ceremony.

Getting some family photos before leaving for the church is always a good idea because it’s usually when your little one is most settled and feeling fresh after a nap.

Father Wilson delivered another beautiful ceremony at his parish of St Kieran’s Catholic Church in Tuart Hill. He’s always so kind and patient with the families and you can tell he deeply loves what he does.

One thing I do love about christenings at St Kieran’s is how they are efficient but very heartfelt. Their ceremonies go for approximately 20 minutes even when there is more than one child receiving baptism.

With the ceremony completed, there is another round of family photos in the church as the weather was a little sketchy outside, before Ari and his family headed off to Birraz Ristobar for an incredible celebratory lunch.

I don’t ever want to be THAT PERSON who tells a couple what they should be doing and when they should be doing it on their wedding day.

BUT….. if you want to make the cake cutting more than two hands on a knife slicing into a tier of baked artistry; follow in the smooth steps of Shayla and Armando.

Having their reception at the stunning Meelup Farmhouse in Western Australia’s glorious South West. Their wedding crew danced their entrance into the reception in epic style only to be followed by Shayla and Armando – who upped the tempo in a way I’ve never seen before.

It didn’t stop there.

The danced past their guests and straight over to their wedding cake and cut through it before Armando held Shalya’s face for a kiss.

The mood setting was dialled all the way up and all their guest were there for it.

It was all things fabulous.

Not only is dancing right in to cut your wedding cake at the start of your reception an entertaining or unique way to do it, it’s also a clever and efficient use of time on your wedding day.

If your wedding photographer, videographer and or content creator are booked for a certain amount of time, cutting your wedding cake at the start of your reception allows you to have that part safely documented in case your dinner and speeches timeline goes for longer than expected.

Venue | Meelup Farmhouse, Naturaliste, Western Australia

Cake | Sweet Stylin Wedding Bakery, Dunsborough, Western Australia

Music | Anomoly DJs Perth, Western Australia

You dreamed it.

You planned it.

You worked tirelessly for it.

There’s an endless well of wedding styling inspo out there and almost all of it is incredible. But the way you style your wedding and reception will be different. Why? Because it’s yours.

When you’ve spent so much of your time curating wedding incredible vendors to bring your styling visions to life, you absolutely NEED to schedule a walk-through of your reception area in your timeline.

Here’s some reasons why you should:

You get to see all of the elements and design infused into the venue space. The florals, signage, glass wear, table scapes and colour palette in perfect placement are bound to exceed your expectations when you see it with your own eyes on your wedding day!

Being in the space before your guests enter will allow you to see it all completely untouched for a few moments. When your guests arrive, it’s natural for them to wander over to their seating and put their jackets and bags on chairs or phones and glasses on the tables. You want to see the space free from jackets, bags and phones! It also gives your photographer a few moments to capture all the reception styling in wider and closer detail in its glorious perfection.

It’s another opportunity for the two of you to have a few moments alone on your wedding day. Having a few moments of quiet time together is a beautiful transition into your reception phase of the day. I’ve seen more and more couples schedule time in for this and you can just feel the reset in their energy from that small bit of time away from the excitement, noise (and likely heat).

The beauty of photographing christenings lies not just in the sacred rituals but also in the nuanced interactions and personal stories that unfold throughout the day.

As a photographer and consumer of the human story I cannot love this more. 

Christenings are celebrations of new beginnings. They mark a hopeful start and a welcoming into a larger community. The opportunity to gather together to support and nurture a child in their beginnings of life is a beautiful and important thing.

From the getting ready at home to the backdrop of Perth’s wondrous churches, the combination of the symbolic rituals of each faith and the connection of those present to the child is a true privilege to photograph.

While the overall structure of a christening is steeped in tradition, there is always the presence of spontaneity waiting in the periphery.  There are no guarantees of how a child will react to everything which is happening around and to them on their day.  Some children take it all in their stride while some find it a little overwhelming.  The important thing to remember is that it’s perfectly OK for your child to react in any way they do because it’s a lot for a little person all in one day.