Gosh, what a wedding! My heart was literally brimming with joy the entire trip home from Jugiong (and still is to be honest, as I upload these sneak peek images)…
Back in November, I got an email from Lyndal that said something along the lines of “I’m engaged, I’m getting married on Easter Saturday, I would love nothing more than for you to photograph my wedding but I’m sure you’re booked out and won’t be in the area.”
I’ll admit that being able to reply ‘Yes, I’m available!’ never gets old for me and being able to say it to someone I know and respect is even better. So I was instantly scrambling through my diary to see what I could do, nothing was going to stop me from photographing a wedding on a sheep station in Jugiong for the lovely Lyndal who (as a vet) has taken such great care of my fur-family and humans over the last decade, I was finally able to repay her.
So before I tell you about their actual wedding day, here is a little more about the two of them:
Tom was originally a Sydney boy who moved to the country when his parents bought a farm near Jugiong in 2012. Tom has fond childhood memories of visiting Jugiong, eating homemade jam coffee biscuits and making a claim to his family that his “future wife will know how to make these biscuits” and that’s how he’ll know she’s ‘the one’.
Lyndal has always been an Adelong girl, she moved away to study vet science in Bathurst but returned to work and live in Adelong in 2010.
Tom and Lyndal first met when Tom’s dog got injured and he took it to Lyndal’s clinic.
As soon as Lyndal saw Tom she knew he was ‘the one’ but it took Tom a lot longer to catch on… After a couple more vet visits which involved Lyndal’s clinic nurse doing all she possibly could to make Tom stay in the surgery and talk to Lyndal and a hilarious lycra incident in the car park, Lyndal and Tom developed a bit of a Facebook message friendship and things (slowly!) started to evolve…
A few months after their first meeting, the farm next door to Lyndal’s house came up for sale and she sent the “FOR SALE” advertisement to Tom as a joke… 3 months later he bought that farm! Fast forward 5 years and Tom proposed at the spot on that very farm where they intend to build their new home together. With a mutual love of animals, outdoors, “doing jobs” together and just generally having fun, they are very excited about what their future holds…
Fast forward to Saturday 16th of April 2022…
Lyndal, Tom and their 35 guests were part of a beautiful ceremony on the bank of the Murrumbidgee River, exchanging a ring for Lyndal and a jar of raspberry jam coffee biscuits for Tom (a recipe that Lyndal has perfected).
Everyone then took a few steps towards the water and skipped stones adorned with the initials of the couple across the water. After the obligatory group family photographs, everyone wandered back to the house for a delicious lunch provided by the team at Embellish catering, every tasty morsel was made from scratch and with love. The meal was followed by a beautiful speech from Tom about his side of how they met and just how much he adores his ‘Lynnie’. We snuck in a quick toast and cake cutting and then the 3 of us headed out on the farm buggy to go and visit all of the locations I had been swooning over the day before…
This is where I need to thank Tom for his patience, my constant “OMG, look at that beautiful dry grass / mossy rock / prickle bush / dead tree / abandoned ag pipe stack” was possibly a bit much at times, but he followed my (slightly unhinged) lead with an open mind and a laugh.
Whilst in the hilltop paddock we were treated to the sun setting in front of us and the moon rising behind us, it was one of the most magical locations I’ve ever been to, a place I will never forget.
On the way back down the hill, we stopped into the hayshed for a few after-dark shots and then called it a day at 6:30pm so Lyndal and Tom could leave on their honeymoon to Nimbo Fork.
When we returned to the house I was greeted by Tom’s family with an armload of gifts for me to take home and share with my family for Easter… I drove back to town in a puddle of happy tears eating a decadent caramel mud cupcake (#emotionaleater).
I’m forever grateful to clients like Lyndal and Tom who invite me into their lives, homes and families for a day with such kindness and hospitality, your trust in me with such irreplaceable moments is such an honour and a privilege. I’m so proud of you both for creating a wedding day that followed the path you have made together, may your intuition, love and respect for each other continue to grow and guide you into many happy decades as best friends and husband and wife.
Suppliers:
Suppliers:
Location: Private property – Jugiong NSW
Dress: Essense of Australia
Boots: Forever Soles
Engagement and wedding band: Claudia Jewellers
Catering: Embellish Catering
Cake: Sweets Treats Tumut
Honeymoon: Nimbo Fork Lodge