Well what an experience being the official photographers on one of the Melbourne weddings for the hit show Married at First Sight. From the minute we were contacted about the opportunity until it aired on Monday night we really had no idea what we were in for. It was a crazy roller coaster ride from start to finish. And who would have thought that a show where the couple getting married had never met, a crazy social experiment, would become so unbelievably popular, and that our humble little studio, Immerse Photography, would get to be a part of it.
Being on the set of such a massive production was a huge eye opener for both Paul and myself. Around 50 producers, film crew, sound guys, extras and assistants were swarming all over Bram Leigh when we arrived the morning of the wedding. Couple that with a typical 8 degree Melbourne’s winter day, torrential rain, thunder, lightning and gale force winds and we were set for one of the biggest challenges of my career.
Working in these extreme circumstances with a couple who we hadn’t met, who also hadn’t met each other was just surreal. Poor Alex from the minute we were introduced was rubbing his hands together, trying to get his breathing under control and pacing back and forth. The family’s were milling around nervous and anxious as we all awaited the arrival of Zoe our bride. Orchestrated for the sole purpose of the camera’s our role in the wedding was to be quite insignificant. Stuck in a scrum of 5 sound guys at the tight little front area of the chapel I was not allowed to breathe, move or make a sound. Standing just 2 metres from Alex as Zoe entered the chapel, seeing that horribly awkward moment close up, my heart just went out to both of them. And as you saw on the show Monday night, it didn’t get any more comfortable for anyone as the day wore on.
Once the official “I do” part was over we all migrated up to the beautiful Riverstone Estate in the Yarra Valley for the photoshoot and reception and our 10 minutes, yes 10 minutes of shoot time! Basically the producer said to me you will have ten minutes to get a series of shots with the couple, get them to connect, make them look like they are in love and do it all with a TV camera just 6 inches from your face. Paul and I did a quick scout around, made some snap decisions on what we would do and then just jumped into it. I didn’t even have time to get nervous, there wasn’t time for much of anything at all really.
So sometimes clients ask me what happens if it rains on my wedding day? I usually say you know I have lots of experience, I can pretty much work miracles in most situations. Well this was one of those situations. We had lots of awkward, lots of laughing and nervous giggling, but in the end the results were stunning, and achieved in only ten minutes. You might not see these images on the official website as the producers have used the channel 9 photographers shots that were taken over my shoulder on the day, which is fine, because she doesn’t know how to do what Paul and I know how to do!
So here are some of the shots we took on the day. Honestly one of the craziest days I’ve ever had at a wedding. I think Paul summed it up perfectly when we got back in the car to leave, wet, freezing, bedraggled and exhausted. We both sat quiet for a second then we just looked at each other and he said, “I don’t get paid enough for this shit!” then we both cracked up laughing.
Thanks has to be said to some amazing people in the wedding industry that we got to work with on the day. Maryanne and the team from Bram Leigh and Riverstone Estate thanks for putting us forward for this crazy experience, we really did love being a part of it! Peter from Enrik Limousines who drove our couple around and hung out and passed the downtime with us, thanks for your great company and professional services. Debbie O’Neill for her stunning floral arrangements. The Magical Makeovers team for making Zoe look absolutely gorgeous.
