Elise & Ady’s Wedding At The Woolscour, Blackall

On our very first introductory call, Elise made it very clear that she wasn’t at all comfortable at the thought of a camera levelled at her for even a moment let alone the entire day of her wedding. This is a very common conversation for introductory calls and Elise & Ady were genuinely concerned about how it would go! I always relish the challenge of the flipping the I-am-unphotogenic-slash-hate-having-my-photo-taken couples on their wedding day, ensuring they end up relaxing into and even enjoying the experience, the ultimate result being that they love their photos! Elise’s beautiful message following the wedding day ‘Oh my gosh Sally I could nearly cry, they are so beautiful, thank you , thank you…’ was the greatest reward possible and as you will see by the images below, their concerns were completely unfounded!

The day dawned as perfect as an autumn day in the outback could, providing splendid conditions to match the only-in-the-outback vibe of the day. It was at Elise’s grandma Shirley’s home that the girls were preparing, a most appropriate setting, surrounded as they were by many memories and photos of the people who have cared most about Elise.

I could sense the nerves that Elise was experiencing as she was about to depart for the Ceremony, being the centre of attention was a confronting concept. But walking down the aisle and seeing her beloved Ady’s grin had all else fall away, it was only about the moment and their commitment to each other.

Elise & Ady had very few requests of me, they were comfortable to go with the flow and where ever that may lead but Elise was clear about one thing, she wanted photos at home with her beloved animals. Perhaps the dogs knew the significance of the day and just wanted the limelight as at one point there was a bit of a barney and Ady’s finger had a tooth impaled in it! I had already recognized these two as the typical stoic bushies so no suprise that there was little fanfare.

To discover more of their love story I will allow Elise & Ady’s words to do the talking:

What were your first impressions?

When asking Ady what his first impression of me was, he told me he was sitting there thinking ‘She seems a good sort’, such a romantic man I have (not). My first impression of Ady was he was different to what I had originally thought & the more we talked the more I was curious.

How did he/she propose?

It was the morning of my Birthday. I had some suspicions but due to being a chronic over thinker I thought it was all in my head. Until Ady said he had my present, though I couldn’t have it yet. It was then I knew what was going on. We had been talking about it for weeks before, discussing how Ady would have to ask my dad if I could be his wife. I wasn’t sure if people still actually do this but there are certain traditions that I love, this being one. Apparently, this is one of the hardest things to do, with Ady trying to build the courage for weeks. So back to my birthday morning once I worked out what was going on I said to Ady, “You’ve just got to do it, it will be ok it won’t kill you”. With lots of excitement inside of me I followed Ady out to the car, as he was driving away, I leant in the window and gently told him, “If you don’t do it, don’t bother coming home”. With a big smile on my face while saying it. Fast forward an hour I was feeling slightly nervous as Ady hadn’t returned home, then the car came over the grid. As he came through the gate, I half expected him to say he had chickened out of doing it, but he didn’t. Now I finally got my birthday present, on the front veranda of our house he was standing there about to ask me when I told him he had to drop the knee, to which he complained about a sore knee though did it anyway. Now we were officially engaged.

What do you love most about each other?

That although our relationship may be unconventional to some, we have stuck by each other through it all with no doubts about each other at all. We drive each other up the wall and back again with our very casual and very not so casual personalities but I think that is what makes us click. When asking Ady what he loved about me most his reply was “how do you even say that”, the normal stuff like your personality & how much you care for me. 10 minutes later I was feeding our pet pig and was smiling and so happy watching it chewing on the weeds when Ady said, “That’s what I love about you, when you are genuinely happy and smiling like that”. The thing I love most about Ady is that he comes across as a bloke with a tough exterior though is a big marshmallow at heart.

I'd love to hear one special memory of your courtship...what moment/day/event stands out for you?

The moment which stands out the most in our relationship was when we bought and moved into our home. A quaint little 25 acres on the edge of town, our own little piece of paradise. (Now known as ‘Walkers Creek’) The first night in the new house was so exhausting but exciting for us. A day of moving isn’t ideal, but it was all worth it. Sitting down that night, everything felt so right. Thinking of how we have our home, each other and the chance to make this place ours.

What Does Marriage Mean To You?

Ady – L – i – f – e – the beginning of a new life

Elise – Committing yourself to that one special person who you wouldn’t want to spend another day without – even when they’re driving you absolutely insane.

What was the main inspiration behind your wedding day?

The main inspiration behind our wedding was to keep it like us, simple! Something that would be simple yet special.

How would you describe your day? How did you feel?

Ady – Happy & relived (for someone who never shuts up talking this is like pulling teeth!)

Elise – Our day was literally how I had it all planned in my head. Everything was very cool, calm & collective. It actually all felt very surreal to me, like the day we had been waiting for was finally here and happening and suddenly it was like shit it’s over already.

What was your favourite part of the wedding day?

Ady – the whole day – getting ready with the blokes, getting it done, getting photos, celebrating. It was all just favourite parts.

Elise – honestly I have to agree with Ady with saying everything. Though there was a particular part towards the end of the night when majority of people had left. Ady & I just took a minute to sit down at our bridal table alone and look out at the night that had been. Soaking in those last few moments before it was all finished.

Were there any surprises or honourable mentions you’d like to talk about?

Ady – The only surprise was racing back to get some last photos at the scour before we lost the light and getting pulled over by the police. Only in Blackall.

Elise – I need to give a shout-out to my amazing family who went above and beyond to make sure our day was perfect. From setting up to moving things from A to B, they literally done the best job we could have asked for. Bloody legends.