The mystery of the missing photographs was solved by Maria Smith, who turned detective when she realised negatives she had stored in her house for so many years were not of her own wedding.

Once developed, Mrs Smith and her husband Michael saw in the photographs a bride and groom they did not know.

"I had just paid $150 to have someone else's photos developed," Mrs Smith said.

She said discovering the identity of the mystery couple was difficult.

"How do you find the records of something that happened all those years ago?" she said.

She identified the church in the background of the photographs, and contacted Mayfield Baptist Church archivist Margaret Saunders, who identified the couple immediately.

The photographs are evidence of the day Mr and Mrs Taska committed their lives to one another, and a keepsake of family and friends who have since passed away, including their parents.

Mrs Taska said the turn of events that led to the discovery of her photographs was a miracle.

She said her wedding day photographer had told the couple the photographs of their wedding day had been misplaced.

"We were really disappointed," she said.