Kate & James — Rainy wedding at Athol Hall, Mosman

Kate and James were married inside Athol Hall, in front of a hundred and twenty people, in a room that had been set for dinner an hour earlier. It rained all day, so the tables and chairs were pushed aside to make an aisle down the middle, and pushed back again afterwards.

The plan had been to marry at Bradleys Head, then walk back through the bush to Athol Lawn, with photos down on the beach as the sun went. In her notes to me beforehand, Kate had written that she was really, really, really hoping it wouldn't rain. There was a wet weather backup booked at Mosman Art Gallery, just in case.
By the afternoon the lawn was mud, the beach wasn't reachable, and driving to the Art Gallery and back would have cost us more light than we had left. So we stayed where we were and worked the gaps.

That's the whole job on a day like this. Watch the sky, and when it eases, move fast. We got the family photos done outside in a break, then the bridal party under clear umbrellas when it came back on. Later I drove Kate and James down to Bradleys Head on their own, where they'd meant to be married, harbour flat and grey behind them, the city on the far side sitting under cloud. At some point the whole bridal party ended up jammed under the cover out the front of the hall while it came down properly, waiting it out with drinks, having a laugh about it. Then back inside, a room full of people waving napkins over their heads as the two of them came in, speeches, cake, dancing. The last photos we made were outside in the dark, still raining, the city lit up across the water behind them.

Also at Athol Hall: [Laura and Tom] and [Genevieve and Jordan]  or  get in touch →.

Vendors:
Venue: Athol Hall
Photography: Anetta Kirk