Last Sunday’s wedding of Bill and Eska was my return to photography assisting after a few months off to have Toby and I had forgotten how much I loved doing it. Yes, it meant waking up at 5am (quite a sleep-in compared to Eska and the girls!) and the weather was a bit chilly, but just to be surrounded by so much joy, love and happiness all day was definitely good for my soul. I am emotional at the best of times, but as many mums will relate I’m sure, having two kids has increased it ten-fold; it doesn’t take much to set me off these days!
Bill and Eska’s wedding was a family affair, with traditional tea ceremonies held at two houses, a touching ceremony at St John Bosco’s church in Niddrie, before the reception at Leonda by the Yarra. But for me, there were two stand out emotional moments that reminded me why I love this job. Firstly was when the priest asked Bill and Eska to repeat the simple words: “my love for you is so strong, I commit myself to you forever” (I had to type it into my phone immediately, so no, if anyone was watching, I wasn’t just texting someone!). And the second was immediately following the bridal waltz when the dance floor filled with enthusiastic dancers rocking out to the incredibly talented guys from UnLimited. Everyone was just so happy to be there to share the day with Bill and Eska, it was quite overwhelming.
It just made me realise that some people spend their days taking complaints from angry customers, others have to tell people they have weeks to live and some people collect garbage for a living, but Iain and I get to spend our time surrounded by such love and joy and create memories for people that they will treasure for the rest of their lives. It really is a privilege – thanks Bill and Eska for letting us be a part of it.