Preparation
I started the day at Jess and Chris’ house, south of Adelaide which was where Chris and his groomsmen were getting ready. I arrived just as an incredible breakfast was being served to each of the boys, a full stack of wonderful looking pancakes that make me want to sit down and join them! They looked pretty good… Callan then got onto the ironing, as was tradition, and the boys got dressed. It was nice that Chris’ mother came to join them just before I was to leave to visit Jess and her girls getting ready at St Francis winery.
The girls were getting ready in the usual room that is generally reserved for brides getting ready on wedding days at St Francis winery. The room is usually used as it has some nice natural light and large windows available for some nice shots. The girsl were fairly laid back while they were being prepared, and they even had enough time to wander through the reception area and view the ceremony spot on the St Francis winery lawn before putting on the wedding dress and heading out.
St Francis Winery Wedding Ceremony
St Francis winery has several different spots where a wedding ceremony can be set up. The majority of ceremonies I’ve covered here have overlooked the pond, however Jess was concerned with the possibility of it being a sunny day and the sun shing in their eyes while they stood there, she also diddn’t like the idea of having the nearby supermarket in the background of her photos. So to avoid these issues, Jess set up her ceremony facing the St Francis Winery buildings, which allowed for the lovely foliage from the trees and interesting architecture from the buildings to be in the backdrop. As the day was fairly overcast, the guests were pretty comfortable out on the grassy area and the ceremony worked out quite well.
Glamour photos
After the ceremony, I got out the drone and had a big group photo done on the grassy area in front of the lake, and had smaller group photos done in front of the weeping willows and love sign. Jess, Chris and their bridal party then went for a little walk around the St Francis winery lake to make use of the broken down carts, and wonderful weeping willow trees for photos. We then had a little break to grab a drink before going for a short drive to the nearby bike track which I knew had some awesome arching trees that I could use as a backdrop. The lack of sun really worked to my advantage, limiting the amount of harsh shadows and made for some awesome shots!
St Francis Winery Wedding Reception
Jess and Chris’ reception was a fun little party, punctuated by heading out for some photos under the lit up willow trees at night, and in front of the lit love sign which I believe Jess had won in a competition leading up to her big day. They had the reception hall decked out really nicely with floral arrangements and a beautiful abckdrop behind the bridal table, and their first dance was complete with smoke machine. It was all pretty neat!
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Thanks so much to Jess and Chris for having me as your wedding photographer! I had a great time and I hope you enjoy your photos!
Preparation
My day started with Naomi being prepared on site inside one of the private cottages surrounding Mt Lofty House. Neil was also getting ready there, but left before Naomi had her dress put on, allowing for the traditional ‘first look’ of the dress as Naomi walked down the aisle.
The atmosphere within the house with Naomi and the girls getting ready there was upbeat and quite laid back, punctuated just before leaving for the ceremony with a little emotion as Mum and Dad came in just before she left. It’s always nice to capture the smiles and/or tear of the parents as they witness their little one all ready to be married! 😀 One of the reasons why I love being a wedding photographer, you never know how people will react, and it’s wonderful to share in the emotion of wedding days!
Mt Lofty House Wedding Ceremony
As I mentioned earlier, Naomi and Neil’s Mt Lofty House wedding took place inside the hotel’s restaurant instead of the previously planned lawns overlooking the valley due to being a little cold. The space provided by Mt Lofty House in these cases has ample space for medium to large sized congregations, and it fit all of Neil and Naomi’s guests nicely. The space as they had it set up has huge windows overlooking the valley as if they were outside on the lawns anyway, while having the added confort of being inside. It was the second time in a row I’ve been the wedding photographer at a Mt Lofty House wedding inside.
Glamour Photos
After some family photos which we took outside on the lawns, we used the gardens surrounding Mt Lofty House and the interior spaces of the house itself for some glamour photos. As the sky was rather overcast, walking about the gardens and taking photos there were an absolute dream and made the task of making pretty photos that much easier! The inside of Mt Lofty House was as always a super stately affair, and as Naomi and Neil were keen wine drinkers they were excited to head down to the well stocked wine cellar located below the house itself. Some very expensive wine bottles down there!
Mt Lofty House Wedding Reception
Naomi and Neil’s reception took place in the newly rennovated add-on room nearby the Mt Lofty House restaurant, which is a lovely airy space, adjacent to the gardens. They held a simple lunch time reception which allowed me to capture their cake and it’s cutting, and a photo of pretty much everyone there before I had to leave. I’ve noticed this before, but Naomi and Neil also opted to have a non-traditional wedding cake – which was actually several cheese wheels stacked upon one another. This is feel is a wonderful alternative for those of us who aren’t real cake eaters. Looks great too! I believe they had it cut up and distributed as part of their bonboneire gifts for their guests!
Thanks so much to Naomi and Neil for having me as your wedding photographer, I enjoyed myself immensely, and I hope you love your photos!
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