Glenda & Andrew's Aspendale Golf Club Wedding

Some weddings you walk into and immediately know you’re in for something special. Glenda and Andrew’s celebration at Aspendale Golf Club was one of those days – the kind where two families become one, and you get a front-row seat to watch it all unfold.

The thing about multicultural weddings is they give you layers. You’ve got the familiar bits – the ceremony, the speeches, the cake cutting – but then you get these incredible moments that open your eyes to traditions you might never have seen before. Glenda’s Polynesian heritage brought something absolutely beautiful to this celebration, and I knew from the moment we started planning that this wasn’t going to be your typical golf club wedding.

I brought Miranda along as my second shooter, which is always a smart move when you know there’s going to be a lot happening at once. But here’s where it gets interesting – our 8-year-old Riley came along too, camera in hand. There’s something about having a kid photographer at a wedding that just works. Adults might be a bit camera-shy at first, but kids? They see another kid with a camera and suddenly everyone’s more relaxed.

The ceremony itself was beautiful, but it was during the reception when things really came alive. When Glenda’s family and friends started the traditional Polynesian ceremonies and dances, the whole energy of the room shifted. You could feel the pride, the connection to something bigger than just this one day. These weren’t performances put on for the guests – this was family sharing their culture, their heritage, their joy.

Watching Glenda and Andrew’s two little boys during all of this was incredible. When you’ve got kids under five at a wedding, it can go one of two ways – either they’re overwhelmed and having meltdowns, or they’re completely mesmerized by all the excitement. These two little ones were definitely the latter. You could see them watching wide-eyed as their mum was celebrated in this way, taking in all the colors and movement and music. At that age, they might not understand all the cultural significance, but they absolutely understood that something special was happening and they were part of it.

The Aspendale Golf Club might not be the first place you’d think of for a Polynesian celebration, but somehow it worked perfectly. The venue gave us this beautiful, relaxed backdrop while the family brought all the energy and tradition that made the day unforgettable. Sometimes the best celebrations happen when you blend the unexpected with the authentic.

Having three photographers meant we could capture everything – Miranda focused on the formal moments and family groups, I followed the action and emotion, and Riley? Well, Riley got the shots none of us adults would have thought to take. There’s something about a kid’s perspective that cuts right through to what really matters.

By the end of the night, watching everyone – from both sides of the family – joining in the dancing, you realized this wasn’t just about Glenda and Andrew getting married. This was about cultures coming together, traditions being shared, and two families creating something new while honoring everything that came before. That’s the kind of wedding that reminds you why you picked up a camera in the first place.

One interesting turn was that not only was the reception slideshow presented on the venue’s massive wall-mounted television, but at the bride’s request, it was presented entirely in black and white. Talk about right up my alley! Take a look at the reception slideshow images below: