Salma & Erikas

Salma Maatouk (Lebanese-Australian) and Erikas Datenis (Lithuanian-Australian) were married 17 October 2015. While the groom's preparation was a fairly low-key affair, Salma's was anything but. Lebanese drums greeted her as she literally danced down the stairs from her bedroom to the awaiting throng of friends and family. The ceremony was at Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Church and the reception was at Café Birkenhead, Drummoyne, where they was even more drums, dancing and also feasting.

A Comment from the Bride

“Stephen was great! He provided us with an engagement shoot during which he did not get tired until the sun was down! The photos were amazing and so luxurious. On the wedding day, Stephen was very professional and as a videographer, very subtle in his approach. He brought the smile out when I was too nervous to crack one! I literally cried when I watched the highlight video, it was genuine and flowed so beautifully. It captured the essence of our wedding and who we are as people. He dealt very well with the music and all people involved considering it was a wedding with at least two nationalities.”

The Bride's Choice of Music

Typically the songs chosen by a bride are slow, romantic pop songs (often protected by copyright) but Salma also chose a couple of songs that reflected the ethnic background of the bride and groom:

1. American Authors - Best Day Of My Life

2. Michael Bublé - Everything

3. Beyoncé - Love On Top

4. Maroon 5 - Sugar

5. Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

6. Nickelback - Never Gonna Be Alone

7. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors

8. Lifehouse - You And Me

9. Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes

10. Andrews Mamontovas (ft. Sadunai) - Hakeriu Polka (Lithuanian)

11. Najwa Karam - El Helm El Abyad (Lebanese)

I used this last song in the bridal party photo shoot video at Barangaroo: