Krystal and Catlin’s intimate Stonebarn Pemberton wedding was my final bash of the season, right before the global pandemic settled over Perth, and MY WAS IT GLORIOUS. I really couldn’t have asked for a better way to wrap up my season. For one beautiful, hilarious, fun-filled day, we were all able to hide away in the woods and forget about the chaos of 2020 and impending isolation, just one last time.
These babes and their crew are such cool people. I remember thinking so the first time we sat down at Monk Brewery in Freo and hit it off like we were old mates (if most of what I remember from a meeting is coming home a bit tipsy, it was a great first client date). We talked shit about weddings, first dates, proposals, and family drama, and wasted a good couple hours over a few drinks, and I knew the wedding was going to be a banger.
I love shooting both preps
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and have explained my approach to this with a lot of couples, but basically, I want to schedule your wedding day so that I am able to capture prep for both you and your partner, rather than dividing it up between myself and a second shooter.
There are a few reasons for this – firstly, when two different people shoot two different preps, they will always be a bit dissimilar, and feel different based on the vision and technique of the person shooting. I feel that when you book me to shoot your wedding, you’ve connected with my vision and the way I capture things, and I want to be able to deliver that from the start of the day to the end. Secondly, I don’t particularly love getting to the rest of the day and feeling like I haven’t really gotten to know half of the wedding party. Humans love familiarity and I find that when I haven’t had a proper introduction to one side of the party (the groom and groomsmen, for example), I tend to drift toward the side that I AM familiar with, which tends to be a bride and her party.
When I approached Krystal and Catlin with this concern, we came up with a rather unique approach. The lovely Rhianna May was my second photographer for the day, and we structured prep as a sort of tag-team… Rhianna with Krystal and her crew while they finished hair and makeup, while I was with Catlin getting into her dress; similarly, when she finished, I captured Krystal getting into her dress while Rhianna followed Catlin to the ceremony and it was a beautiful (albeit slightly chaotic) dance!
Stonebarn Pemberton as a wedding venue
I have nothing but good things to say about it. Want a beautiful, down-south venue with everything in one place, including accommodation? Stonebarn. Feel like partying into the night and not worrying about keeping the neighbours up? Do you want complete customisation of your wedding and the freedom to bring in any vendors you want? Also, have you ever dreamed about a ceremony location where the sunshine is drifting through the trees and providing a perfect amount of backlight for a couple, without blinding the wedding guests? No? That’s just me then..
Click, click, B**ch
It’s an inside joke. Honestly, I do find the best couples, and Krystal and Catlin quickly started to feel like good friends. For instance, I honestly felt like a guest more than I have at many other weddings, and even though I was there to document, I also spent the evening drinking, laughing, crying, and dancing along with the crowd.
Vendor Credits
Bridal Shop – Confetti Occasions | Flowers – Manjimup Florist | Hair – Ahead of Style | Makeup – Centre of Attention | Cake – Bell’s Bake | Celebrant – Southwest Weddings With Nikki | Catering – Simple and Beautiful Catering | Photobooth – In The Booth
