Welcome to our Real Life Weddings page !

This is where the spotlight shines on all of the amazing weddings that we shoot !

Today the spotlight is on Belle & Luke !

Belle & Luke aren’t your average couple, they are two beautiful souls who like to do things a little differently.

So when they first told me that they were going to have a picnic/wedding/afternoon tea I was not suprised at all, you see both Luke and Belle dedicate a lot of their time to working with kids both here in Australia and in missionary’s overseas, so friends and family were top of the list when it came to wedding priorities.

What a beautiful day it was too, as soon as the ceremony was finished everyone enjoyed a basket of goodies on their picnic blankets, right there in the park!

  I remember talking with Belle on the wedding day and mentioning that most couples that choose me as their wedding photographer are more about the people at their wedding rather then the “stuff”

It’s easy to get all caught up in what colour flowers you’ll have or should the boys ties match the Brides Maids Dresses, and don’t get me wrong these are important issues but without your friends and families there to support you and be there with you on your special day then what’s the point…??

After you’ve had your honeymoon and the cakes all gone, you’ll look back at your wedding images in the years that follow and as nice as the image of your shoes and bouquet is, I guarantee you’ll treasure most the images of your family and friends, those moments caught as you laugh with your partner and you’ll be taken back instantly to your wedding day.

Belle & Luke share a secret that we all learn at some point in our lives, and that secret is that friends and family are irreplaceable and you should spend time with them now, not later.

The Proposal

We’d been together for a bit more than a year and good friends for three years before that.  Belle had a friend in the Philippines getting married and since I (Luke) have a sponsor child in the northern part of the country I thought I’d come along and then we’d go and visit my sponsor after the wedding.  Turns out some good friends of ours also have a sponsor in the Philippines and were planning to visit him as well so we met up after the wedding and travelled together.  I thought it’d be pretty nice to propose to Belle back in her home country so I picked out a ring about a month before we left and kept it on me the whole trip just waiting for the right moment.  That moment came when we were staying with our friends at a small beach shack hotel in Bacolod in the Visayas region.  It was raining for most of the time we were there and we were all itching to get out to see the beach after a few days of watching movies in our room.  One morning the rain passed just long enough for us to go for a walk so we jumped at the opportunity and so did I.  Belle though it od that I brought my bag on such a short walk but I needed it to hide the ring box until the right moment.  We told our friends that we wanted to go off on our own for a bit so we left them and kept walking.  That was when I proposed, with the sound of a man singing Michael Buble out of tune on a karaoke machine and the waves splashing at our feet I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.  At first she squealed, then she laughed, then cried so I got the full spectrum of emotional responses which is so Belle.  After that we went back to our friends and decided to see how long it would take them to notice.  We played cards as it was still raining, all the while Belle flashing around her new ring.  It wasn’t until later that Arthur noticed the ring and it took him a second to take it in.  He quickly went and got his wife Kylie and their two girls saying they had to see something.  Naturally Kylie screamed and we celebrated together that night.  Arthur and Kylie were our God parents at the wedding which is a tradition in the Filipino culture and their two girls played special roles in the ceremony as well, Ellie as the flower girl and Brie reading Song of Solomon 8:6-7

I know what you’re thinking, Luke’s shoes look too cool to be wedding shoes, and you’re right !

These aren’t just any shoes, they’re TOMS Shoes – With every pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Find out more here –   TOMS Shoes

The Details

Ceremony & Reception: Crockatt Park, Woody Point – Belle’s Dress: Curitthy Couture, Philippines – http://www.facebook.com/Curitthy -

Wedding bands and engagement rings: Bride’s – 2mm white gold band from Gillette’s Jewellers, Brisbane Groom’s – 8mm tungsten carbide from Titanium Kay, New York

Brent Sweeney, Senior Pastor, Bracken Ridge Baptist Church conducted the ceremony

Decorator: Judi Harland (mother of the groom) Hair: Leanne Wiseman – Hair piece: Curitthy Couture – Bridal party attire: Kirsten Dart – Make-up: Karla Strachan

Flowers: aisle of origami flowers by Naomi Wecker, Kylie and Eloise Conomos – Stationery: recycled paper from Eco – Cake: cupcakes by chef Aileen Manalo Go – Entertainment: Steven and Andy Packer

Honeymoon: one month in Thailand which includes:

• 8 nights in Phuket (we got stranded in Bangkok during the first tsunami warning after the Indonesia earthquake a few weeks ago – and got to stay for a night at the Novotel Airport Hotel for free – very fancy detour! hehe)
• 11 nights in Khon Kaen – one of the homes of Ban Meata (House of Mercy) for HIV orphans – Mercy International
• 4 nights in Bangkok
• 7 nights in Koh Samui

Funniest Moment: Best man’s speech – when James introduced the other woman in Luke’s life (Bebe, his baby doll); when Kobe (our ring bearer) started barking at a random dog and his human passing by (right in the middle of the ceremony)

Favourite Wedding Day moment:

Bride’s – when Luke sang the song he wrote for me.

Special thanks to:

too many people to thank really… it was a spectacular day which would not have been as wonderful without the people who loved us so generously during the 15 months of our engagement.

It was an emotional day … There were lots of laughs and a few tears too, but what’s a wedding  without lots of emotion ..

In your experience what did you value most about using Ben Clark Photography ?

Our day was such an unusual celebration that we knew we needed someone who was professional, flexible and able to capture the moments that we would not necessarily see. We loved that Ben and Lisa were so on-the-ball while being relaxed at the same time. It allowed us to let loose and just enjoy the day, and feel confident that our memorable day would be captured in the best way possible. Thank you Ben and Lisa for being part of our special day. We really enjoyed having you both with us, and we would recommend you both to all our engaged friends.

Advice for other brides-to-be

Savour every moment of your engagement and wedding day, and remember that it’s your relationships (your other half, family, and friendships) that truly matter – not the stuff.

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