Burbrook Kuitpo Forest Wedding – Chelsea & James
I had been looking forward to Chelsea and James’ Kuitpo Forest wedding at the famed Burbrook ‘wedding tree’ as I feel as though this may well be my favourite wedding venue in all of South Australia.
My love for the forest and the wonderful lines the tree make was put on top of the perfect wedding for me as a wedding photographer as the weather was overcast (perfect for a forest setting) The people involved were amazing and everyone was super keen on any idea I had! Not to mention that Chelsea and James had some great ideas for themselves!
Preparation
Chelsea and James’ day was certainly a tour around the world! James and his groomsmen were all being prepared in a hotel room in the city, while also getting over what sounded like a big night on the Casino.
There were casino chips on the bench, and stories galore on what the boys got up to the night previously!
Chelsea and her bridesmaids were getting ready in a much more subdued manner in a delightful little cottage all the way out at Mt Barker. I arrvied as the last of the makeup and hair was being finalised and everyone was cooing over the cute little man as he was dressed up in a little sailor outfit.
The atmosphere was lovely and laid back right up until Chelsea really had to get going, as the drive from Mt Barker to her Kuitpo forest wedding was going to take a little longer than expected.
Burbrook Kuitpo Forest Wedding
Having a look around the city during and after Chelsea and James’ big day, I noticed that quite a few other wedding suppliers were posting about what a terrible downpour they had/were experiencing around Adelaide. However the Burbrook wedding tree for Chelsea and Jame’s Kuitpo forest wedding stayed dry and beautiful! At least long enough for their ceremony and glamour photos after.
The draw of having a Burbrook forest wedding is making use of the gnarley old tree that has found itself in a small clearing, surrounded by ruler-straight pine trees which makes for quite an impressve backdrop. The tree itself would not look out of place in a Harry Potter movie, and the landscape photographer in me just loves it.
Might be part of the reason why I chose this venue as my own wedding location!
Chelsea and James’ ceremony was a nice simple affair, with heartfelt vows full of personal jokes and anecdotes which ceratinly made the two of them giggle throughout. One nice touch I felt was as they exchanged their wedding bands, the celebrant had them whisper something funny into each other’s ears – which was quite entertaining!
Of course I would be remiss not to mention their spotted fur baby who also made an appearance, running down the aisle!
Glamour Photos
As I mentioned earlier the weather and the setting of the straight pine trees with forest undergrowth is really what i feel is the perfect wedding venue for wedding photography! I love the epic nature of photos that one can achieve when walking through a place like this, and drawing attention to the bride and groom using the lines available can be amazing at a Kuitpo forest wedding.
I busted out a bit of a smoke bomb for a bit of atmosphere, and made sure to make use of Chelsea’s stunningly long veil!
After the glamour photos in and around the Burbrook forest, the bridal party hopped into their limo and drove all the way down to Port Adelaide to make use of the SA Aviation Museum – which is a short drive away from their reception venue – the Kyrstal Function Centre.
Heading to the SA Aviation Museum for photos was certainly a first for me, and what a unique photographic experience it was! James is an avid aviator and knew people who worked at the museum, so was able to have the museum open up after hours for them – even though we were running quite a bit later than expected by this time.
Krystal Function Centre Wedding Reception
So to end the tour of SA, from Adelaide, to Mt Barker, their Kuitpo forest wedding ceremony to Port Adelaide, we ended up at the Krystal Function center for Chelsea and James’ reception. It’s a function venue I had not had the pleasure of visiting before, and I was quite impressed!
They have situational lighting, tailor-made to get into their photographer’s good books and an opulent surrounds, spearheaded by the head table surrounded by floor to ceiling white curtains.
Chelsea and James’ first dance was acentuated by dry ice and fireworks, while guests were certainly entertained by the MC’s games including the shoe game and a scavenger hunt – with a prize well worth winning! That prize really made for a bit of a contest.
My thanks go out to Chelsea and James for having me as their wedding photographer! And I commend them for their taste in venues! Certainly made my job that much easier!
