Bec & Chinmoy celebrated their festive, colourful, Indian wedding at Albert Hall in the heart of Canberra. It was a mammoth of a day and one that will go down in history as one of my favourites. Be prepared to feast your eyes (and maybe have a tissue handy too…)

“Chinnerz is genuinely one of the kindest people I have ever met. If he sees someone in need, his default response is to go out of his way to help them; even if that means putting himself in harm’s way. His concern for the wellbeing of both everyone around him and complete strangers inspires me every day to be the best and kindest version of myself.” – Bec

“Bec is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. She has an unwavering sense of justice, and a strong desire to do right by others. She is incapable of turning a blind eye when someone is in need. She will always be the first to open her wallet or donate time or help out any way she can. It’s a quality that would make anyone proud to be her friend and has been the start of many of our adventures.” – Chinmoy

I still vividly remember my first video call with Chin & Bec. They were telling me about their wild plans for a cross-cultural wedding, interspersed with random talk about different board games and audiobooks. I knew very quickly that this was a couple I not only wanted to photograph, but also hang out with.

Our first meeting in-person was on the South Coast. They’d driven 3 hours to meet me for an adventure shoot. Little did I know how affectionate and photogenic they were going to be! It was clear that they were best friends and the real deal. After 45 minutes of braving thunderous waves crashing against the rocks, I hugged them goodbye before rushing home to brag about these two phenomenal humans to anyone who would listen.

A few months passed and the big day had arrived. The wedding itself was a 16-hour marathon of dancing, singing and clapping. A festival of flavour and colour! I witnessed my first Baraat in the heart of Canberra, at Lennox Gardens. It was basically a long and loud party welcoming the groom to his wedding. The Baraat was followed by a series of significant and romantic rituals that recognised the union of two families and the union between Chinmoy & Bec.

The traditional North-Indian ceremony culminated in the Mangal Phera. This stage is the most important and auspicious part of the ceremony. Taking their first steps as a married couple, Bec & Chinmoy circled a sacred fire four times, promising to seek righteousness, prosperity, love, and spiritual enlightenment together.

So here are some photos of Bec & Chin’s wedding. I hope I have done at least a tiiiny bit of justice to their memory of the day.

Albert Hall is an iconic building in Canberra, hosting some of the biggest parties and events in the city. No wonder Chin and Bec chose this place to have their epic wedding.

Chin and Bec arranged a boat to pick them up from the ceremony lunch and take us to the portrait location. My assistant for the day Scott was able to capture these wonderful photos from the shore while I hit in the back of the boat.

Here is the happy couple entering Albert Hall as all of their wedding guests cheer and applaud them. The noise from the guests was so loud I swear I could see the windows shaking!