On New Year's Eve, I found myself on the other side of the world in 104-degree heat, preparing to photograph this, my 100th wedding. After 10 days in New Zealand, landing in the huge, cosmopolitan city of Melbourne, Australia, was such a stark and exciting contrast.

At the airport, the father of the bride, Mike, greeted Anne and me with hugs and smiles and jokes, and we headed off to visit the venues and meet the bride and groom. I've known Mike over the internet for years since we both love landscape photography, but we'd never met in person.

The next day, Kate & John were married at the Melbourne Town Hall, in a beautiful spot called the Portico Balcony. Columns, natural light, and the sound of the city below made for the perfect ceremony. We went out for portraits at the Victoria Barracks and the park surrounding the Shrine of Remembrance. After that, we went down to the Melbourne Yacht Club, where the reception had just started.

Kate leapt into John's arms during their superbly-choreographed dance to "I've Had the Time of My Life" from "Dirty Dancing", starting an evening of laughing, partying, dancing and sparklers out on the dock. Everyone counted down for the ball to drop at midnight, and watched as fireworks danced over the skyscrapers of downtown Melbourne. Afterwards, Kate and John ran down a tunnel of sparklers and hopped into their car, followed by cheers.

On New Year's Day (much cooler), Kate, John and I went out to the coast for portraits. Check them out here.

Congratulations to Kate & John, and a warm thanks to them for sharing their wedding and families with us. It was an unforgettable adventure, and I can't wait to see my "Aussie family" again!

I had the pleasure of being joined by my talented and beautiful friend, Anne Simone, who is both an excellent travel buddy and shooting partner. You'll see some of her work below. I'm so grateful she came along with me to New Zealand, then stuck around to help me with the wedding. Love you, Anne!