Nikita & Paul | A Snowy Mountains Wedding in Thredbo
Snow, Sunshine Coast Style
I'll be honest with you — as a Sunshine Coast wedding photographer, snow weddings are not exactly my bread and butter. We've got beaches. We've got humidity that ruins a blowout in about four minutes flat. What we do not have is snow. So when Nikita and Paul enquired about their Snowy Mountains wedding, I said yes before I'd even finished reading the email.
From our very first chat right through to the final goodbye hug, these two were an absolute dream to work with. The kind of couple where you just know — you can feel it in every text message and every planning call — that they're going to spend the rest of their lives making each other laugh.
This one is already sitting in my top weddings of my career. No contest.
Getting Ready in Jindabyne
The day kicked off in Jindabyne, where Nikita and Paul got ready on different levels of the same house — which, if you've never wrangled a wedding day timeline before, is honestly the dream setup.
Downstairs, Paul had the job of getting three kids dressed before he could even think about himself. His final look was finished off with UGG boots, which might be the single most correct sartorial choice I've ever witnessed on a groom. Getting married in the snow does have its perks — a short, sweet, no-fuss prep that was exactly what these two wanted.
Upstairs, the girls had it together well before we arrived, kids dressed and ready, which meant we went straight into Nikita's dress moment. And can we talk about this dress for a second? Absolutely breathtaking. The second she stepped into it, she took everyone's breath clean away — hands down the most perfect winter princess bride I've photographed.
Nikita's mum surprised her with fresh florals for her bouquet that morning, tying the whole look together beautifully. But the moment that really got me was Nikita's first look with her dad. There is something so wholesome about a father-daughter first look — it's one of my favourite parts of any wedding day, and this one did not disappoint.
The Ceremony at Thredbo
Next stop: Thredbo, for the ceremony. And what's a wedding day without at least one small hiccup?
We'd landed in the middle of the busiest day of the New South Wales winter school holidays — the last big weekend before school went back. As we drove up the hill, cars were being turned away left and right due to an overflowing car park. Hot tip for anyone getting married up there: tell them you're there for a wedding, and they will wave you straight through. Nobody wants to be the reason a bride is late to her own ceremony.
The ceremony itself was held on the Thredbo golf course, with Mt Kosciuszko rising up behind them — genuinely one of the most iconic backdrops I've shot for a destination wedding on Australian soil. Nikita and Paul's celebrant led a ceremony that was moving, warm, and completely them. The second they were announced husband and wife, the whole crowd erupted — cheers, tears, the lot.
Couple Photos on Top of Australia
Then came the part of the day I will genuinely never forget: couple portraits from the chairlift, at the peak of Mt Kosciuszko.
I'll admit it — I discovered a previously unknown fear of heights somewhere around the halfway point of that chairlift ride up the tallest mountain in the country. Worth every second of nerves. Surrounded by snow, sweeping views, and two people completely in love, it doesn't get much better than that. All Nikita wanted from her wedding day was a winter wonderland, and we delivered exactly that — in spades.
Fireworks, Feasting and a Very Cute Cake
Back down the hill for the reception, and because their wedding fell on a Saturday, Thredbo's regular Saturday night fireworks lit up the sky right on cue — visible straight from their reception space. Talk about a finale nobody had to plan.
Guests were ushered downstairs into the restaurant for a five-course meal, heartfelt speeches from loved ones, a first dance, and the cutest little cake to close out the night. Nikita and Paul wanted one thing above all else — to be surrounded by their closest friends and family — and keeping the day intimate meant every single moment felt personal.
Being trusted to document a day like that is never something I take for granted.
To Nikita and Paul
Thank you for having me up in the snow with you. This was one of the best days of my career, and I will be endlessly grateful I got to be there when you said "I do." Congratulations, you two.
Ange x
Thinking of a Destination Wedding?
If your wedding day is calling you somewhere far from home — the snow, the outback, the coast, wherever — I'd love to be there with you. Angela Brushe Photography now offers Australia-wide destination packages starting from $9,200 for weddings more than 300km from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. [Get in touch to check availability →]
Vendor Credits:
Photography: Angela Brushe Photography
Venue & Ceremony Location: Thredbo
Celebrant: The Snowy Celebrant
