The Beautiful Wedding of Mark and Amanda Jason

It’s very cool to be able to title this blog “The Beautiful Wedding of Mark and Amanda Jason”! We wanted so much for their wedding to be amazing, and it was. After all, Amanda is my little sister who married the man of her dreams; my now very devoted brother in law, Mark Jason.

When I first arrived at the boy’s prep I got out of my car to hear lots of laughter. I’m not sure if any had been flowing, but spirits were certainly high. When I entered the room I wondered for a brief second if I’d packed a set of earplugs because the boys were jovial to say the least. After a few attempts to lower the volume in the room we eventually sat Mark down to read a letter that Mandy had written to him. It was comforting to see him become emotionally moved by her words. Mark’s a tall guy and it’s impossible not to notice him, so to watch him transform from being this giant very upbeat and somewhat loud fella to an emotionally sensitive man was something to witness. It was also pretty cool to photograph.I got a kick out of watching Mark get ready for the wedding because he was as excited as a kid in front of a Christmas tree. Lots of grooms go to an unknown place in their mind and spend a lot of the morning very quietly processing the magnitude of the event. However for Mark I think he was too busy having an absolute ball, eagerly looking forward to seeing his future wife, and getting on with being a happily married man.

After I’d snagged a bunch of awesome photos I left them and headed over to see Mandy and the girls.

I’ve watched Amanda grow up from being a baby to a successful and well known young woman! Previously known as Amanda Duval, Amanda Jason has been the subject of my photography many times over. I’ve shot with Mandy more often than I’ve worked with anyone else since Mum bought me my first camera. In fact, Mandy was one of the first people I ever photographed.

Some of you may’ve seen Amanda presenting the weather and the news on Channel 10. This is probably one of the reasons so many visitors to my website drop by just to search for images of her. I’m sure Mandy’s fans will be very happy to find this post. I could go on and on about how proud I am of her media achievements, but this blog will be about the beautiful wedding of Mark and Amanda Jason. It will also be about how happy I am that I got to photograph it.

Before I found out Mark and Amanda were getting married I’d occasionally joke about not being their wedding photographer. After all, I’ve never actually been a guest at a wedding. Every time someone I’ve known has gotten married I’ve been asked to shoot it. Of course, when their engagement became official, as a gift to them I offered to be their photographer. Let’s face it – jokes aside, there was no way I was going to let anyone else capture their big day.

It had to be me!

As well as offering to photograph the event, I shared every piece of wedding related advise I could think of. I also did my best to ensure that some of the most outstanding and professional suppliers I’ve worked with over the years got involved. Thankfully everyone Mandy contacted was available and I feel so grateful that they all gave Amanda and Mark the best service they possibly could. Thanks to their many talents the wedding was stunning and went by without a single hitch.

Everything was perfect!

I have a sneaking suspicion that some of you may see these images of Amanda’s very happy face and assume she’s always lived a charmed existence, but I can assure you that’s just not the case. Mandy’s had to work hard to get to where she is, and not just professionally. For a girl who deserved nothing but rainbows and fairytales, Mandy’s had to face many challenging years and some very tough times throughout her life. I won’t get into the details and turn this into a mini biography, but I will say that not many people would be able to walk though the maze she has and find a way out the other side… in tact. To Amanda’s credit, in spite of all the curveballs thrown her way and her subsequent need to develop resilience and resolve, she has still remained warm, engaging, compassionate and sincere. It hasn’t been an easy road for Mandy and I think that’s why this wedding was such an extra joyous event for her. As well as the 29th of August 2015 being about the decision to stay together for life, this was also a celebration of moving on from the past.

I couldn’t help noticing that her joy was accompanied by a real sense of relief.

Mark and Amanda’s love on their wedding day was inspiring to say the least. They were like two teenagers on a first date. As I scroll through these images I can’t help but feel immense satisfaction that for the rest of Mark and Amanda’s lives they’ll be able to look though their wedding photos and see nothing but happiness! They were so in love and in the moment together that I’m fully confident they’ll treasure the memories of that day forever.

Amanda’s joy was the star of the wedding. It was intoxicating and every single person couldn’t help being affected by it – including me. Every time I’d turn around and point my camera at her, if Amanda wasn’t crying happy tears, she’d be smiling, laughing or dancing a hole in her shoes. From the moment her day began to the moment she left that venue Mandy was squeezing every bit of joy out of every single minute.

I wish for ALL my clients that on their wedding day they too can forget about the logistics and leave any nerves at yesterday’s doorstep. I want for my clients to give themselves this kind of permission to ensure they don’t miss the magic. I hope that every client I photograph from today onward can see these images and understand that joy and love trumps EVERYTHING! If a minute is lost here, or a flower forgotten there, as long as the couple can allow themselves to be this happy, nothing will stop them fondly remembering their wedding day for life!

I love you Mandy! So much of what you do inspires the hell out of me. When life gets tough and I doubt that there’s a way to overcome some particular challenge in my life, I just think of you and realise that people can do amazing things. Thank you for allowing me to retell your wedding story and thank you for letting me share these images with the public; it’s such an honour and a massive pleasure to be able to do so. I’m so happy that your day was so wonderful and that you’ve snagged the man of your dreams who I know will forever treat you like gold!

My personal thanks and credits to the suppliers:

Bill Scurry – Celebrant I wanted to give a huge shoutout to the best wedding celebrant in the world, Bill Scurry. Thank you for ushering my sister and my new brother-in-law into what I know will be a long and very rewarding marriage! The ceremony was amazing; filled with so much love and emotion. You made their day extra special Bill and I can’t thank you enough! You’re a legend!

Sue McLaurin – Makeup and Hair I wanted to send out a massive thanks to the amazing Sue McLaurin for doing such incredible work at Amanda’s wedding! You’re a true master of your craft and it’s always an honour to work with you. I’m so glad everyone can see once again, just how incredibly talented you are! Thanks Sue!

Katta on Currumbin (Bridal Prep Accommodation) Thanks so much to Michael and Sally who own Katta on Currumbin. The property is incredible and enjoys the most amazing light throughout which is perfect for bridal photography! The owners were very helpful and did everything they could to ensure Amanda and the family were well taken care of. Thank you so much!

David Dunbah Another colossal thank-you must go out to the incomparable DJ-extraordinaire, David Dunbar and his lovely partner Andrea.

David, you are THE best wedding DJ I’ve ever seen. No one else I’ve ever worked with can keep a floor pumping right up until the end of the night like you! You’re an incredible DJ and MC who can work a room like no one else. You make my job so much more enjoyable! You’re an enigma and I hope to work with you on many more weddings to come! Andrea, every time I see you running that photo-booth I can’t help noticing that your happiness and warmth rubs off on the guests, helping them capture even more fun and happy snaps!

Tracy Hilsum from Art in Makeup A gigantic thank you to the wonderful Tracey Hilsum from Art in Makeup for her beautiful hair work at my sister Amanda Jason’s wedding. Tracy, your styling was beautiful and the girls looked extra incredible thanks to you! You’re always such a delight to be around. Not only do you do such stunning work, but you also help to create such a relaxed and happy atmosphere on the morning of a bride’s bid day! Thank you so much for being a part of my family’s day!

Kate Dawes Flower Design Kate, what can I say? You’re the bee’s knees! Your floral designs are just breathe-taking! Thank you so much for creating such wonderful arrangements for Amanda on her wedding day! Your beautiful flowers were the talk of the day and I can’t thank you enough!

Karen Willis Holmes There’s no other Wedding Gown designer like Karen Willis Holmes! Thank you so much Karen for creating the most incredible gown for Amanda! It was truly one of the most stunning dresses I’ve ever photographed! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hitched at the Boomerang Farm A big thanks to Tracey Cash and the “Hitched at the Boomerang Farm” team for putting on such a gob-smackingly awesome wedding for Amanda and Mark My first reaction when I arrived at your amazing venue on the day was “WHOA!!!!!” Everywhere I turned it was magic! You were incredible on and leading up to the big day and it means so much! Nothing was a miss and it allowed Amanda and Mark to think of nothing else but having an awesome time. Thanks for sharing your beautiful venue with us!

Cakey Creations A three tiered thanks to Leanne Purnell from Cakey Creations for creating such a beautiful cake for the beautiful wedding of Mark and Amanda Jason. You’re extremely talented and I always enjoy seeing your amazing work. Thank you

Beautiful Weddings Australia (Gold Coast Hinterland) Thanks so much to Bec from Beautiful Weddings Australia (Gold Coast Hinterland). Your styling added the perfect touch to Amanda’s wedding! Absolutely beautiful. Thank you!

16 Strings are a very accomplished quartette who add that extra touch of class to a wedding. There are a number of quartettes who frequent the scene, but in my opinion none are as talented as these four musicians. If you’re wanting to ensure your ceremony goes off like a song I would thoroughly recommend you consider booking 16 Strings. Thanks so much guys for playing so beautifully at Amanda and Mark wedding! You’re all so amazing at what you do!

Vintage Wagen Kombi Hire Thanks Mike for your excellent service and for getting Mandy and the girls to the wedding in great spirits! I love photographing Kombi’s and yours is such a beautifully restored 1964 gem! I especially loved how you vinyl wrapped Mark and Amanda’s name on the rear window. I’ve never seen that before and it was such a classy touch. It’s obvious you care about creating a great experience for your clients. Thanks again!

Missy Labelle Thanks to Michelle from Missy Labelle who did all the stunning decorative flowers around the venue. Your work added so much magic to the day.

Fame and Partners created the amazing bridesmaid dresses. I loved the colour and cut of the gowns. It was impossible not to notice how extra beautiful the girls felt wearing them. Thank you!

Shane Keighley from Big Chef Little Chef Catering – Thanks for doing such an incredible job with the food! People are still raving about it.