Kristie was looking radiant in her champagne silk gown and Alex was looking handsome!

Kristie just loved her new ring—it was so cute to see her glance down at it all day!

After the ceremony, we headed over to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for some family and bridal party shots.

Then it was time for a stop at the iconic Australian Hotel for a celebratory drink!

Of course, we had to grab a few shots around The Rocks. I love these shots of the two of them, they were just SO happy to be married. Looking gorgeous, Kristie!

And I just love this one! They’re not fashion models but they sure could’ve fooled me!

Such a beautiful day also called for a stroll down by the harbour!

Could the weather have been any more perfect?

And with that, it was time to head to the reception at the simply stunning location of Coogee Beach… just wait ’till you see… this beautiful day just kept getting better. If you have a favourite photo, please do share in the comments below!

Marianna and Hernan met in the most glamourous and romantic of locations: Zurich, Switzerland! They both lived there for a time and met each other at a group for newcomers to the city, but they didn’t really get to talk to one another until a chance encounter at a bus stop turned into an hour-long conversation. Hernan decided to ask Marianna to hang out again sometime, but something important needed to be a part of that date: a pastry appreciation test. Three of his family members are all trained pastry chefs, so of course, a lack of pastry appreciation could really be a deal-breaker for the relationship! We couldn’t resist having some coffee and Swiss pastries to start off their engagement photo shoot.

Marianna and Hernan have an inside joke about touching foreheads, ever since they once saw a baby staring people down and bonking his forehead on things in an awkward and hilarious exercise in discovering the world. When they remembered this encounter with the baby during the photoshoot, several minutes of laughing ensued. You guys crack me up!

Goofy faces are a must!  I just love Hernan’s red shoes, they are perfectly suited to his personality.

Hernan mentioned early on in the shoot that he would be keen to run, jump, or climb on things. So he hopped right up into this tree!

After The Rocks, we hopped on a ferry over to Kirribilli. It was such a beautiful day out!

All of us loved the view from this street and thought it was the perfect place for Hernan to try out those jumps he wanted to do.

If you want to know the story behind these great glasses, Hernan proposed to Marianna while wearing them. They thought they were so funny they went out and bought a second pair. Perfect photo session prop!

We had to capture some of the colour of Luna Park!

Great levitating skills, Hernan! Nice choice on the ring, too.

When Marianna and Hernan first met, they were amazed at how much they had in common. After meeting Hernan and seeing them together, we couldn’t agree more—it’s clear these two were made for each other. Congratulations, Marianna and Hernan! We wish you many years of love and happiness (and much continued laughter). Leave your wishes of love and happiness for Marianna and Hernan below!

For three whole years Ben and Manasi’s friends tried to get them to meet, but seeing as they lived in different cities, the nagging fell on deaf ears. But eventually they obliged their friends, and got in touch. The chat went well and so they made plans to meet the next time they found themselves in Sydney together.  I imagine their friends must have given each other high fives at this point (and there might have been a few I-told-you-so’s mentioned here and there). They hit it off and not long after, Manasi began plans to move to Sydney. That was, until a wrench was thrown into the works when Ben was offered a great job in Melbourne. Manasi encouraged Ben to take the opportunity, and so they continued their relationship long-distance. They’ve been planning their Sydney wedding from afar too, and we can totally sympathise. But we know it’s going to be amazing—Ben and Manasi’s families are both from Sri Lanka, and we are super excited to experience their big, two-day Sri Lankan wedding this April!

I love all these photos that we grabbed in the narrow space of Nurses’ Walk.

Non-photogenic? Hah, these two are totally adorable! You can’t tell at all in these photos but Manasi was a bit ill on the day we did this shoot. Um… I sure wish I looked this good when I’m sick!

Looking gorgeous, Manasi!

These two were up for anything we suggested. Sit on the ground? Why not. And it was worth it−I love this set of photos!

I am crazy in love with Manasi’s engagement ring. Her emerald cut diamond is to die for! Excellent choice, Ben!

Another one of our favourite shots!

For the last part of our session, Ben and Manasi wanted to change into their traditional Sri Lankan outfits. I absolutely love the sparkle and colour of saris!

Their outfits looked absolutely beautiful in the setting sun.

We couldn’t resist taking another panoramic shot with the beautiful view. Click below to zoom in.

After their wedding this year, Ben and Manasi will finally get to call the long-distance thing quits. They seem super compatible and we couldn’t be more delighted for them! Ben and Manasi, we had such a fun afternoon with you and we can’t wait for your wedding!

The guests got the royal treatment as they disembarked from the limo onto a red carpet.

The University of Sydney quad is such a beautiful location with its warm sandstone, tall archways and long hallways. I love some of these shots so much I could hardly contain my excitement while post-processing them!

Such a fashionable group!

Love this shot of the whole group:

Febien’s veil was such fun to photograph. The wind kept picking it up in beautiful sweeping lines. Jeff took this shot and it’s my favorite portrait of bride and groom from the day. I absolutely adore it!

Stunning!

And here is one that I took—it’s my other favourite portrait from the day. Gorgeous light, gorgeous bride, perfect breeze! Love, love, love!

After the University of Sydney, it was time to move on to the reception at the Sir Stamford Hotel at Circular Quay. We snapped a few portraits outside and in the lobby before heading into their private reception space in the Prince Albert Room.

Jeff took this amazing photo of the bride and groom sneaking a kiss:

The Prince Albert Room was set up for a romantic candlelit dinner. It was absolutely beautiful!

Febien had chosen a beautiful perfectly white cake to go with her all-white theme.

Of course, we had to get a few close-up shots of Febien and Michael’s rings. I love the design!

The food was delicious. The guests (and Jeff and I too) were treated to dessert PLUS wedding cake. That’s my kind of menu!

Everyone toasted the happy newlyweds, and then of course it was time to dance!

Thank you, Febien and Michael, for letting us share in the joy of your wedding day. We loved being a part of it and we hope the photos serve as happy reminders of a wonderful day for the rest of your lives!

Friends and family can see the rest of the photos in Febien and Michaels private galleries: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

We snapped a few portraits around the beautiful interior of the Intercontinental Hotel before it was time to head to the ceremony site.

The day started out with a bit of uncertainty, with the ceremony planned to take place at the beautiful Blues Point Reserve in McMahons Point. The morning of the wedding I had phoned Febien, and the first words out of her mouth were: “It’s raaiiiinning, Erin! Oh nooo!” We all wondered whether the ceremony would have to be moved indoors to location plan B. But to everyone’s delight, in the hour or two leading up to the wedding, the rain stopped and the clouds thinned out.  The weather was absolutely perfect the rest of the day! The ceremony site at Blues Point Reserve looked absolutely beautiful, having been decorated by Weddings With Love.

Febien and Michael met through their best friends—who ended up married as well! Their two friends stood by them as attendants at the wedding, of course.

Febien’s mother walked her down the aisle and both ladies were looking lovely!

The wedding was officiated by Ann Dally and she did a wonderful job! The ceremony was beautiful.

Once the rings were on, they were married!

The wedding guests had HUGE handfuls of cream-colored petals to shower the newlyweds. Fantastic!

After the ceremony, the guests all climbed in to the very cool stretch limo that would transport the entire group to our next location. And awesomely—Jeff and I got to ride in the limo too! Out came the champagne and it was time for a first round of toasts!

Check back soon, because there are some gorgeous wedding party portraits coming to the blog for Part 2! Tell us what you think of Part 1 in the comments below.

Seriously, SO cute. Can you just hear me say “Eeeeeeeee!”  It’s a sound I make when I see cute babies (or kittens).

Isla loved to climb on things, so this spinning circular contraption (is there a name for it?) got a lot of attention!

These two photos were too cute together, so we had a bit of fun turning it into a mini-animation. Isla was having so much fun!

This basket-shaped variation on a tire swing was pretty neat. I would have loved this when I was a kid. OK, OK, those that know me probably know what I really mean is: I STILL would love to swing in this, and probably would have if we weren’t busy doing a photo shoot.

When it was time to get out of the sun, out came the tea set and picnic blanket for some make-believe high tea. How cute is she?!?

What’s a tea party without dress-up time too?

And did we mention she loves balloons? This one might be my personal favourite of the afternoon. I love the light, her cute dress and the expression on her face!

I love these photos of Isla with her father too. Sooo sweet.

Swing time with Mum. Awww!

Such a beautiful family!

Thank you, Isla and family! We had such a fun afternoon with you guys. Thank you for letting us capture this special time in your daughter’s life! Heaps more photos are now in your online proofing gallery.

It’s been a week since the fireworks sparkled, the champagne bubbled and the kazoos trumpeted jubilantly across the harbour. Now the city trains are filling up again with freshly tanned commuters, hot muggy days are exploding into afternoon storms, the beaches are swarming with people, and the Sydney Festival is just kicking off! It’s the summer of 2012 and it’s the Wong Couple’s favourite time of year in Sydney. We want to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Us Wongs had a wonderfully relaxing end-of-year holiday. The end of 2011 was busy with visitors as my (Erin’s) parents finally visited Australia, followed by my sister who was here for the last two weeks of the year. We had an absolute blast and have lots of fun photos to share! We also still have a backlog of our personal travel photos, but one of our new year’s resolutions is to get caught up on our personal blog posts. So stay tuned for lots of travel fun from 2011 (and, gasp, 2010).

As we shifted out of holiday mode this week, we looked back on 2011, a year that once again flew by more quickly than the last, with a great feeling of satisfaction and appreciation. Starting our own business was a big dream, and we are amazed at how far we’ve come in just the last six months. We can’t thank all our clients enough for giving us a chance and allowing us to share in your engagement and wedding day joy! We’ve loved every minute of it so far, and 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome year. We’ve got lots planned including a mini-makeover for our site coming soon, and more posts coming to the blog. We have some amazing couples to photograph this year, and we just can’t wait!  We’re looking forward to large weddings, small weddings, non-traditional and traditional weddings from east and west, and even a sci-fi themed wedding!  You’ll just have to wait and see the fabulousness as it unfolds!

If you’ve recently gotten engaged, congratulations! We’d love to chat with you about your wedding (or any other photography need that you might have). Just send us a note!

So happy summer everyone.  We’ve got our hard drives humming, fans blasting, and my favourite iced tea brewing. I’m off to continue editing some images that I’m so excited to share, it is hard for me not to post a few sneak peeks right now!  But you’ll just have to wait…

Awaiting the guests inside were a super adorable cake and a cute and colourful lolly buffet made by Jen’s cousin. It looked too good to eat!

Once the bubbly began flowing, the newlyweds made their grand entrance!

And the guests were welcomed with some heart-warming speeches.

As any Sydneysider knows, the beautiful harbour really sparkles once the sun has set. With all their guests well attended to, Jen and Ben snuck a few private moments outside to enjoy the last bits of daylight and reflect on everything that had just taken place that day.

Before they knew it, they were back inside celebrating with many of the most important people in their lives.

Being a chef himself, Ben had high standards for the food that would be served on his special day, and Sails delivered!

Jen and Ben had chosen to do a cocktail reception instead of a sit-down dinner, which I thought worked out great, as it gave them heaps of opportunities to mingle with their special guests.

There was a fantastic line-up of beautifully written speeches, starting with Jen’s brother, who delivered a touching speech that had many guests misty-eyed. Jen’s Matron of Honour and Ben’s brothers also had the guests laughing, crying, reminiscing, and toasting the happy couple.

Jen and Ben finished things off with their own beautiful speeches, which read more like love letters to each other. I love it when the bride and groom speak, as it gives me a chance to hear more about our couples. Jen revealed that the first time she realised how patient Ben was, she thought to herself, “This man is going to be my husband one day!” Ben recounted an uncertain time in his business a few years ago, when Jen offered him the words “I believe in you.” Ben refocused and very quickly after his business skyrocketed in success. Patience, encouragement and support—it’s a magic combination in a marriage. Jen and Ben truly seem like they will be there to support each other in the years ahead!

Of course, Jen and Ben‘s first task together as husband and wife would be to cut the cake. And as they were about to toast to their marriage, right on cue, some fireworks exploded across the harbour in the distance. It was the perfect icing on the cake! Get it?

Fireworks or not, the atmosphere at Jen & Ben‘s wedding was hard to beat. It was the perfect combination of good weather, good food, and spectacular scenery.

Jen and Ben opened the dance floor with a well-rehearsed first dance! Nice moves, huh? The guests followed suit to dance the night away.

Jen and Ben made a fantastic grand exit. The perfect end to a wonderful evening!

Cheers to you, Jen and Ben! We wish you all the fine dining, cruising, and love you can handle in the upcoming years. Best wishes for a happy life together!

Observatory Hill is such a perfect spot for a wedding. It’s one of those places that not everyone in Sydney has heard of. I lived in Sydney for a few years before I heard of this special spot hidden high up on a hill in The Rocks. I’ve encountered several taxi drivers who had no idea where it was. It’s a nice little secret park, and the view is killer. There had been worry of some possible rain, and grey clouds loomed in the morning. But by mid-afternoon all the clouds had evaporated and there was nothing but glorious blue sky!  The guests enjoyed the stunning view over the Rocks, the harbour and the bridge.

Jen’s father looked so happy for her as they walked down the aisle.

Their ceremony was beautiful and heartfelt.  Renee of Ceremonies Your Way did a beautiful job.

And they were married!

Then out came the bubbles, and of course the bubbly, perfect conclusions to a sunny ceremony!

After the ceremony, we headed down the hill to The Rocks for some bridal party portraits.

I love these shots on the back side of the Glenmore Hotel!

We couldn’t resist a few fun ones here!

This jacaranda tree and all its fallen blossoms matched the wedding colours! Perfect!

We crossed the bridge and arrived at McMahon’s Point, on Lavender Bay. These were taken just steps from the reception venue, the amazing Sails Restaurant! We let the guests settle in while we took some time to bask in the golden afternoon light.

I love these last few of just the two of them.

Now… as much as I love, love, love parts 1 and 2… I think part 3 is my favourite. Let us know what your favourite shot is so far!

We have loved getting to know Jen and Ben and some of their darling friends during their Engagement Session and their Bucks & Hens Party. We loved being a part of this beautiful, emotional, gorgeous, stylish wedding, and we are SO excited to share the photos with you! We were going to do two blog posts, but we simply could not eliminate more photos from our “favourites” list. So, we’re bringing you not one, not two, but three blog posts of Jen and Ben‘s wedding day!

Jen and Ben are very thoughtful people, as are all of their friends. One person in everyone’s thoughts on the day was Jen’s mum. There were many misty eyes throughout the day (including mine) and everyone knew that Jen’s mum was watching over the celebrations, and her spirit was most certainly in the air. Jen’s family was in agreement that her mum would have most definitely approved of Ben. I’m sure she also would have loved Jen’s stunning wedding gown.

The girls had a leisurely morning getting their hair and makeup done. Jen’s makeup artist commented that it was one of the most relaxed bridal parties she had ever seen! All three of the girls were looking particularly lovely this morning.

One thing that I love about Jen and Ben is how non-nonchalant they are about deadlines. They booked several of their wedding vendors at what some would consider “the last minute.” Jen and Ben joke on their website that with the wedding on the 18th, suits would be ordered on the 17th. Hah! But we’ve never seen Jen and Ben stress out.  And so, after getting her make-up done, with less than an hour to go, Jen said calmly, “I’m going to go finish my speech now.” And without any stress or worry, and a little bit of emotion, Jen methodically wrote the rest of her speech and finished just in time.

I also had to capture a few shots of Jen’s beautiful shoes, her sparkly wedding jewellery, and the lovely bouquets that were made my Ben’s mother. She did an outstanding job!

Then it was time to get dressed. Jen’s bridesmaids stressed for a minute or two about how to get the dress over Jen’s head without wrecking her hair—of course, for Jen, no worries at all!

You looked stunning, Jen, and I’m sure your mum thought so too.

Meanwhile, the boys were also enjoying a leisurely worry-free morning, complete with plenty of iPhone-checking and lunching at the beautiful Hilton Hotel in Sydney’s CBD.

I think these “hot” and “cold” cufflinks are super cool!

The guys were lookin’ stylish as they suited up in their freshly-pressed white shirts, vests, and ties.

Check out the awesome view they had from their hotel room! It wouldn’t be long before Ben and Jen would be standing side by side on Observatory Hill, reciting their vows in front of that iconic Sydney backdrop.

Bad-ass look nearly complete…

And there we have it. Looking like they are straight out of Ocean’s Eleven… or maybe Inception…

Ben was just beaming! You could see how excited he was to see his bride.

With the finishing touches on the wedding cars, it was time for the big event! This concludes part one, but stick around… because if you think Jen looks beautiful here, wait until you see her walk down the aisle. And if you think the view from the hotel was cool, just wait until you see the views from their ceremony and reception venue! Stay tuned, folks!