Dale & Sophie - Terrara House Wedding

It’s easy to suffer ‘visual overload’ at a place like Terrara House. Set on 17 acres of never ending secret garden style hidey-holes, this place is beyond spectacular. It’s a little fairytale unto itself, smack bang in the heart of the stunning Shoalhaven area of New South Wales. Featuring perfectly manicured gardens, lush green paddocks, historic stables, sprawling grounds and of course the historic filagree mansion, it takes a little while to digest the scale of the place.

I meet Dale and Sophie and their massive extended families the day before the wedding after the rehearsal. After an extended walk around, we start going through the run-sheet and talking all things related to how the next day will go. All the grandeur of the place quickly fades into the background when Sophie says the magic words “We trust you to do your thing”. And I am off and running. I smile as I ponder the ingredients in front of me. A couple madly in love and a big amazing canvas to play with makes me think… “This is going to be a great one.”

And I was right. It was a great one. From the surprise “We’re already married!” spectacle to the way they handled the rain, Dale and Soph just nailed it. I’ll never forget the way her Dad looked at her when he read her letter. Nothing was too much trouble. Nothing freaked them out. They really are such kind, loving & fun people who care about others much more than themselves. A rare set of values these days indeed.

Everything I do well will always be a result of those words and the freedom to tell the story the way I see it. “We trust you to do your thing”. That’s all I need to hear. This might be close to the best work I’ve ever done.