Recently we were lucky enough to not only film but also photograph (for the first time) the absolutely smashing shindig that these two absolutely smashing humans put together. You’ll notice we’ve not yet referred to it as a ‘wedding’ because that word implies something traditional – which this was not. This was really one big giant festival where the shoes were optional, the whisky was mandatory and the festoon lights were aplenty. And what brought this all together, what really created the heart of the day was the music. Everything centred around the music. Every artist who performed that day had close ties to DJ & Tahlia, and it sounded like we were listening to the literal soundtrack of their lives, which in turn created this crazy, unique atmosphere that we haven’t quite experienced at a wedding before.

To get a real idea of why music binds these two together, you need to hear the story of how they met, which is best told by someone who knows them better than we do.

So in a not-so-small nutshell, Andrew & I rolled up to Tahlia’s family home in Wodonga, Victoria a day before the wedding. Living on a boat in Brisbane themselves, they both made the decision to celebrate their love back home. And in keeping with the style of these two easy-going gypsies, we wanted to keep things as low-key and relaxed as possible, so we decided to explore the hills around Wodonga and do a bit of a pre-shoot. We thought if the following wedding day was going to be as fun as the pre-shoot was, then we were in for a damn great time.

The wedding day itself was nothing short of ‘what the hell just happened and can we do it again?’ With a beautiful creek running behind Tahlia’s family property and plenty of space to boot, this was where the whole festival took place. With some proper DIY, lots (and lots!) of hard work and love, what you see in the pictures below is evidence of the effort put in by Tahlia + DJ and their entire village – their people. The most special moment for us was watching these two exchange vows in the centre of a circle of their loved ones. Every part of this day was created to have true meaning to Tahlia + DJ – if it didn’t relate or speak to them, then it wasn’t included – and that’s a truly wonderful thing to be apart of.

Please give the song a play – a song that is particularly loved by Tahlia + DJ – and flick through the memories and enjoy.

A big thank you goes out from us to Tahlia + DJ for not only allowing us to film their day (stay tuned for the film) but for allowing myself to photograph it. A wedding is no small thing, it only happens once and the memories you create are some of the most significant. So a big heartfelt thank you for putting your trust in me and taking a chance on a first time wedding photographer – I couldn’t be more happier to be able to say the first wedding I shot was yours!

BANDS
Sahara Beck
Busby Marou
Good Oak
Harry Hookey
Small Town Alien
Big Kitty
Tim Sladden
Matthew Graham
MC & MUSIC
Dave Dow
SOUND ENGINEER
Nathan Davis
STYLING
DIY by the bride herself
CELEBRANT
Susan Gillingham
DRESS
Maria Lucia Hohan
DRESS SHOP FRONT
The Babushka Ballerina, Fortitude Valley
MAKEUP
Michelle Michaelson
CAKE
Chantelle Syme
CATERING
Belinda Wilton
Pizza by Flour + Water
Caravan by Meet Gertrude
LOCATION
Bride’s family home, Wodonga NSW