I have known Zac for longer than anyone else in his life other than his family. So when he told me of his engagement to Kim I had to be their wedding photographer! And it was a real privilege to be a part of their wedding day.
It’s always an honour to be a part of the connection and closeness shared by a happy couple and their family and friends, but when you actually know them it brings this to another level.
Their wedding was held at Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast, just a quick plane trip up from Sydney for me.
One great thing about Surfer’s Paradise, other than the gorgeous white sand beach, is that everything is within walking distance. I loved being able to walk from venue to venue on the wedding day and not worry about parking the car and so on. Zac and his brother got ready at Pepper’s Soul; Kim and the girls got ready at Q1; and the ceremony and reception were held at The Island.
The Island resort at Surfer’s Paradise made for a wonderful wedding venue, with a lovely covered courtyard area for the ceremony and a chandelier-lit room with big windows overlooking the Gold Coast for the reception.
The ceremony was officiated by Rachel Johnson, who was friendly, professional, and always smiling—she wasn’t just a part of their wedding day, she truly added to it.
Zac is an electronic engineer and not given to displays of emotion, so the fact that I could photograph him with tears in his eyes several times on their wedding day shows just how much Kim means to him. I particularly like the wedding ceremony photo of Zac with tears welling up as he seeing Kim walking down the aisle and Zac’s brother Guy looking over at Zac. And then their father looking up at Zac with tears in his own eyes at the same time. It’s a beautiful shared moment.
Kim’s own eyes weren’t exactly dry by the end of the ceremony and if you look closely you can see happy tears still on her cheeks as she hugs Zac after they’re announced as man and wife.
The ceremony and family photos had us running late for the bride and groom portraits, which actually worked out perfectly: Had we been on time we would have missed the amazing sunset on the beach. When you scroll down, check out the incredible colours in that sunset! And this was without a view of the western horizon! The sky just filled with colour everywhere.
Zac is a long-time BMW fan—both he and Kim drive BMWs—so they had sexy BMWs for the bridal party transport instead of the typical limousine. Of course, we had to get photos with the cars!
Back before the wedding day itself, when we discussed the wedding portrait photos, I suggested going onto the beach. At first, they weren’t super keen.
Zac said, “I hate getting sand on my feet and then you put your sandy feet back into your socks and walk around like that all night.”
Fair point.
So I mentioned a few benefits to beach portraits and also brought a cloth for them to wipe their feet. They were happy with that, which was fortunate, because the sunset on the beach was stunning!
At the reception, every speech was heartfelt and peppered with humorous little anecdotes about the bride and groom. Zac’s speech was the wittiest groom’s speech I’ve ever heard, but also touching and filled with love—mostly for Kim’s dog, but still. These things are important.
