If you haven’t heard of Moment Junkie, it’s a wonderful and simple wedding blog started by three wedding photographers. Seeing that there were already so many blogs out there focusing on wedding styling, they wanted to focus on something different: the moments. The daily photos they post are sometimes funny, sometimes touching, sometimes just pure joy-filled moments from weddings around the world. They showcase some of the best in wedding photojournalism and we’re honored that they have chosen to feature our photo, which happens to be one of our favourite moments from Marianna and Hernan’s wedding ceremony. Head on over to their site and leave us a comment or a facebook like!

Marianna and Hernan hired the string trio Jasmine Strings to play for the ceremony and cocktail hour. They did an outstanding job!

This was such a beautiful wedding ceremony. Their celebrant, Behroze Bilimoria, began with a funny story of how Marianna and Hernan met. I’ll let the rest of the photos speak for themselves. Marianna and Hernan wrote their own vows to each other which they had not shared with each other until this day. Everyone in attendance was so moved by their words, including me. At least I had a giant camera with which to hide my face and my red eyes welling up with tears. Your love and your words are beautiful, Marianna and Hernan!

The guests made their way to the front patio for canapes and drinks while Jeff and I captured the beautiful reception area, all set up for dinner! Of course, with all the pastry chefs and restauranteurs in the family, the cake was one of the priorities! This beauty was made by Bill Penrose, owner of Sweet Connoisseur. Marianna and Hernan said it was by far the most delicious cake they tasted when sampling different bakeries, and the price was right as well!  The wedding favours were, of course, amazing swiss chocolate truffles by the family-owned Neuchatel Chocolates that were specially brought over from the USA for the wedding!

Out on the patio, the sun was turning the sky into an amazing pastel watercolour palette. Jasmine Strings continued to wow us with their beautiful renditions of popular songs. I was very impressed.

Is this view crazy beautiful or what? And we were sure blessed with a pretty epic sunset…

Click on this panorama to view it larger!

Inside, everyone settled in. Marianna told us last year that her two main priorities for the wedding were the photography (thanks Marianna!) and the food. They certainly chose well when they selected the Tea Room as their venue. The Tea Room is, of course, known for its delicious High Tea of finger sandwiches, sweets and scones, but the dinner they served was truly outstanding. Jeff and I felt super lucky to have been given a plate of this food! Bravo, chefs!

The Tea Room has such great ambiance both before and after dark!

We had to grab another fun shot of Marianna and Hernan’s beautiful wedding rings.  Their dear friend Zoe Chicco (whom Marianna calls “designer extraordinaire”) designed the wedding bands for them. Gorgeous! Then, before we knew it, it was time to cut into that delicious cake.

There was no end to the gourmet-ness. More dessert and a delicious cheese platter were brought out!

I love this shot of father and daughter dancing.  Then, it was time for everyone to boogie!

Hernan and his sister had some fantastic dance moves together. Haha, I love this girl!

I love that they brought out their fun giant heart-shaped glasses from their engagement session again too. Great idea!

Marianna and Hernan, we enjoyed being a part of your day tremendously. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of it! Wishing you many, many happy years together.

Friends and family of Marianna and Hernan, leave a comment below (with your email address in the email field) to be notified when the full gallery of images is available for viewing online.

I have to say, after meeting Marianna and Hernan’s families, I can really see where they get their sense of humour and jovial personalities that you may have caught a glimpse of in their engagement session. The whole wedding party was in the BEST happy spirits all day. There was so much laughter, I just loved it. It was partly the laughter, partly the heartfelt emotion at their ceremony, partly the intimate nature of their wedding that had us at the end of the day wishing that somehow we were a part of these two families too. Marianna’s mum has to be the most fun and happy mother-of-the-bride I’ve ever met!

The amazing (and rather famous) celebrity stylist Helen Dowsley did the hair and makeup for the girls, and as you can surely see she did an outstanding job!

Marianna was looking absolutely stunning. Her hairdo was so perfect for her look!

WOW. So gorgeous. Va-va-va-voom!

Marianna was looking like a goddess in her “Athena” gown. Then, suddenly, Marianna’s father opened the door and caught a glimpse of his beautiful daughter. There were tears all around.

My goodness woman, you are drop-dead gorgeous!!

Meanwhile, Hernan was getting ready in his sister’s company over in Mosman. These two were an absolute riot together! You could tell from the get-go that they have a really special bond. It will become even more apparent as you see the day unfold.

While the ladies put the finishing touches on their makeup, Hernan took a chance to take in the beautiful view at Cremorne Point before getting his first look of his bride.

Marianna and Hernan decided to see each other before their ceremony at the Tea Room Gunners Barracks. We absolutely love it when our couples want to do this. Their family members hid away for a short while to give Marianna and Hernan a chance to have a moment alone. A “first look” can be a great way for you and your partner to have an intimate moment away from all your guests. We had Hernan wait with his back turned until Marianna appeared.

Next, we headed to Balmoral Beach to do some bridal party portraits. It was a beautiful breezy day on the bay!

What a good looking group!  We knew how much Hernan and Marianna like jumping photos, so of course we had to do one. Everyone was game! Awesome!

Next, it was time for Bradleys Head, the beautiful hilltop just outside the Tea Room Gunners Barracks.  The view extends from the mouth of Sydney Harbour all the way to the city skyline. It is a stunning spot!

The families arrived early for some photos with the bride and groom before their ceremony. Normally we don’t post many family formals on the blog, but we just love this spot!

I absolutely love Marianna’s mum’s expression in the photo above. She was so happy and so proud! Next up in Part 2 is Marianna and Hernan’s emotional ceremony and their stunning reception. Stay tuned, you’re not going to want to miss this one!

Marianna and Hernan met in the most glamourous and romantic of locations: Zurich, Switzerland! They both lived there for a time and met each other at a group for newcomers to the city, but they didn’t really get to talk to one another until a chance encounter at a bus stop turned into an hour-long conversation. Hernan decided to ask Marianna to hang out again sometime, but something important needed to be a part of that date: a pastry appreciation test. Three of his family members are all trained pastry chefs, so of course, a lack of pastry appreciation could really be a deal-breaker for the relationship! ;) We couldn’t resist having some coffee and Swiss pastries to start off their engagement photo shoot.

Marianna and Hernan have an inside joke about touching foreheads, ever since they once saw a baby staring people down and bonking his forehead on things in an awkward and hilarious exercise in discovering the world. When they remembered this encounter with the baby during the photoshoot, several minutes of laughing ensued. You guys crack me up!

Goofy faces are a must!  I just love Hernan’s red shoes, they are perfectly suited to his personality.

Hernan mentioned early on in the shoot that he would be keen to run, jump, or climb on things. So he hopped right up into this tree!

After The Rocks, we hopped on a ferry over to Kirribilli. It was such a beautiful day out!

All of us loved the view from this street and thought it was the perfect place for Hernan to try out those jumps he wanted to do.

If you want to know the story behind these great glasses, Hernan proposed to Marianna while wearing them. They thought they were so funny they went out and bought a second pair. Perfect photo session prop!

We had to capture some of the colour of Luna Park!

Great levitating skills, Hernan! Nice choice on the ring, too. ;)

When Marianna and Hernan first met, they were amazed at how much they had in common. After meeting Hernan and seeing them together, we couldn’t agree more—it’s clear these two were made for each other. Congratulations, Marianna and Hernan! We wish you many years of love and happiness (and much continued laughter). Leave your wishes of love and happiness for Marianna and Hernan below!