Coombs Hill Wedding
“Jon is a creative genius. I love his ability to perfectly capture all the emotions of our special day -from our happy tears while exchanging vows to celebratory cheer amongst our beloved guests! His photos are exceptional with the magical ability to transport me back to relive all the happy memories of our wedding. My favourite photo was us against the backdrop of a double rainbow at golden hour..it was simply perfect!” - Ernest & Grace
I first met Ernest during a workshop that I ran with The Robertsons back in 2014. And I met Grace, or as I know her - Sue Lynn, in 2008, a year after arriving in Melbourne. Sue Lynn has been a big part of my life since, and we’ve seen each other through different seasons of life - so I’m very grateful for our friendship. So when they got together, I was so happy for them - and even more delighted when they got engaged.
They asked me to photograph their wedding and I was very much humbled that they did. Ernest is a wonderful wedding photographer himself, and it’s always an honour and a privilege to photograph someone who is in the same industry. Grace is a stylist herself, so the pressure was definitely on.
On the morning of Ernest & Grace’s wedding, I wake up with a fever. My nose is blocked and my body aches. After a series of negative Covid tests, I realise the dreaded flu has caught up with me. Everyone around me was getting the flu and I’ve managed to stay clear of it for weeks until now. There were news reports about how the common flu was worst than Covid, and having caught Covid earlier in the year, those reports seemed true.
In my 17 years of photographing weddings, I’ve only ever missed 1 wedding due to illness. Other times when I haven’t been 100%, I just take some medication and it’s enough to get me through the day. This time seemed different though. My body aches, my nose is completely blocked and I’m finding it difficult to breathe. I make the hard decision of reaching out to my network of photographers that could fill in for me and send a text to Ernest. I give him an update of my condition and lay out the options. A few texts back and forth later, the conclusion is that he rather have me drugged up with medication than another photographer. I take that as a compliment, but at the same time, my body is screaming at me to rest. There are no doctor appointments available left in the town so I seek out doctor friends in an effort to get some stronger prescription rather than the over the counter top medication.
I arrive at the wedding, all drugged up with pain killers and steroids to help my breathing. Adrenaline kicks in, and thank God for adrenaline. It’s amazing what the body can do despite and I know all I want to do is my best for Ernest & Sue Lynn. The rest of the day I photograph my heart out, pushing every fibre in my body to make sure their big day is captured in the most authentic, honest way possible.
Their wedding is held at Coombs Hill, a 160 year old American Barn imported from America, restored and rebuilt at Merrijig looking out to Mount Buller. Styled by Curated Details, the ceremony and reception look impeccable. Being about a 3 hour drive from Melbourne, most guests have made a mini getaway weekend out of the wedding celebrations. Unfortunately, Grace’s father is unable to attend, summing up Australia’s visa shortcomings despite having applied well ahead of time. I know how close Grace is with her father, so I know this is not what she had hoped for. But she presses on, with smiles knowing God has ordained the day ahead. With the mountains as the backdrop, Grace’s mother walks her down the aisle. The ceremony is full of joy - songs of faith, stories of love - everything Ernest & Grace represent. As we take some portraits, it starts to rain. That golden sunset light we hope for is now fading away. No matter, we press on. We finish and head into the house for some canapés, and I realised I made a mistake and didn’t capture some of the portraits shots properly. As I walk into the room, Grace is wiping her shoes down from the wet residue of the portrait session. I sheepishly ask them whether we can head out for another 10 mins, they obliged. And as we emerge from the barn, we are greeted by a rainbow. It was almost as if God was smiling down at the happy couple.
After the reception has ended, as I speak to some guests, I learn that Ernest started going to church after meeting one of the attendees back in 2014 at the workshop I ran. And in that church, he later meets Grace, and now they are call each other husband and wife. So maybe it is fitting that I willed myself to photograph their wedding despite my body telling me otherwise. Later that night, I collapse in bed and turn in for the night, with no strength to have a shower - but I know it was all worth it to be there at their wedding, not just as a photographer, but as a friend.
