James and Joanne

James and I met when we began to start playing tennis together. James organised a tennis group from church that would get together and play every week. Being a lover of tennis, I decided to join them. Thus began our courtship… on the tennis court!

We both love the outdoors, and playing sports! Often, we would spend our courtship playing tennis, swimming, cycling, kayaking, watching the footy… you name it! We also love music. James would play his acoustic guitar while I would do my thing on the piano… we even wrote a christian song together!

After knowing each other for 5 months, James asked me to be his girlfriend, over a lovely warm sunset at Cottesloe beach. We courted for about a year, and in September the following year, he popped the question!

We decided to have a tennis themed engagement shoot, in the beautiful town of Guildford, WA, as it signified how we began our relationship.

We had so much fun taking this shoot with our photographer, Ryan Ahern, chasing after the sunlight and changing into our outfits!

Just a bit about James: He is truly everything a girl could ever dream of in a guy. He is the perfect match made in heaven for me! I could tell you all day long about what a good lad he is. Firstly, James has such a BIG heart for God, his family, friends and of course me.

Passionate about many things, James loves good food and does not settle for second best. He also loves nature, dogs, being outdoors and having a go at new things. Not only is he an avid sportsman, his favourite R&R is to be a coach potato, watching a cricket match or a game of footy.

He is constantly a joy and encouragement in my life. He never fails to make me smile or laugh amid my ups and downs. A leader in his own right, he is my advisor and confidante in all decisions. James is and always will be a blessing in my life.

James says: “I am so blessed to be able to share the rest of my life with such a beautiful, fun, loving, and gentle spirited, woman of God! Joanne is ever so dear to me, just a smile and a giggle from her makes my day. It has the power to strengthen me and send those dark wintry clouds away! Joanne is always listening and willing; she never wants to disappoint me but always thinks of me. She laughs at all my jokes (even the not so funny ones!) and is such a fun person to talk to, to hang out with, to try new sports and visit new places with and this is sure to continue forever! Her devotion to our families and friends and dedication to her work and studies are second to none. Her relationship with our heavenly Father is something that will be a pillar of strength in our marriage.”





We had our wedding in the spring of September 2011, with our dear family and friends, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves to bits!

Ms Gingham says: Love these tennis shots by Ryan Ahern. Gorgeous crisp colours and great tennis outfit Joanne!! Can’t wait to see the wedding styling!

Joanne says: “Hi, I’m a newly wed, only about 5 months, to be exact 🙂 And three things that would probably best describe myself would be: tennis, jazz and vintage! 🙂 And that’s how our wedding was shaped towards too! I met my husband, James, while playing tennis and at church, and truly, our ”courtship” began on the tennis court. I had loads of fun planning the engagement and wedding, and we would like to share it on Polka Dot Weddings.”