I head out to the delightful Veale Gardens on south terrace recently to meet this loving mother and her two sons who had asked me to conduct a simple little Adelaide parklands family phtoshoot with them!
We began in the small carpark behind the Pavillion Restaurant, which alowed us to start with the gum trees and have a more Australiana backdrop to their first photos. As the weather hadn’t been fantastic lately, there was plenty of puddles to use, while the greens were lovely and lush throughout.
We then head over the hill, walking along the man-made river that courses throughout the Veale Gardens and using some of the vantage points I know have worked throguhout my many years of using this same area for portraits while covering weddings.
The aim of this Adelaide Parklands family photoshoot was to simply capture some nice family photos for Mum to put up on the wall, in particular some individual portraits of her boys, while also having a bit of fun together, and I think our little walk about the park ceratinly achieved that!
Family photo on driveway of veale Gardens
Family photo between gum trees in Veale Gardens
Family photo leaning next to tree
Individual portrait of young man near tree
Portrait of lady leaning on tree
Fun family photo of Mum leaning on tree with sons hiding behind
Full length portrait of man near tree
Portrait of two men standing in Veale Gardens
Adelaide Parklands slice of life portrait
Mum with sons family portrait in front of puddle
Family portrait in the Adelaide Parklands
Brothers leaning on a tree together
Mum sitting with brothers during their Adelaide Parklands photoshoot
I was very much looking forward to covering Jesse and Luke’s Pilgrim Uniting Church Wedding from the moment they asked me to be their wedding photographer, and my excitement was well founded – what a celebration it was!
So much so that I know it’s hard to show while reading this blog but I’ve been sitting here staring at my screen thinking about what next to write. Jesse and Luke were surrounded their entire day with loving family and friends who just made their day that much better – let alone the incredible celebration they had planned that night!
Preparation
Jesse and Luke were prepared in separate rooms at the Hilton Hotel, in sight of the Pilgrim Uniting church across Victoria Square in the center of the Adelaide CBD. This was great as I was able to flit inbetween their rooms while they were being prepared – if things weren’t progressing in one room, then I’d head over to the other, and visa versa until it was time to leave for the ceremony.
Both Jesse and Luke were prepared with their parents and their entourage which made the whole time kind of hectic, but also quite a bit of fun trying to get everything ready to go.
Wedding rings perched on men’s shoes
Bowtie Cologne and watch
Wedding Bands on shiny bench top
Wedding ring perched in between champaigne glasses
Lady helping man with tie
Groom adjusting tie in window
Bridesmaid helping groom get ready
Mother of groom helping get ready
Groom adjusting tie looking out window between curtains
Groomsman looking at camera during preparation
Smiling groomsman helping groom get ready
Bridesmaids kissing groom on cheek
Bridal party sitting together on couch
Groom adjusting sleeve on jacket
Groom looking at camera during preparation
Groom putting on shoes with window backlight
Groomsman looking close at grooms tie
groom flanked by bridesmaids
Groom sitting on shae lounge surounded by bridal party
Groom sitting looking out window
Pilgrim Uniting Church Wedding Ceremony
Jesse and Luke’s Adelaide Pilgrim Uniting Church wedding ceremony was quite an impressive sight with it’s albiet dark, but impressive architecture inside. Jesse and Luke also had a chior singing below the church’s impressive organ which made for a beautiful atmosphere!
Both Jesse and Luke were walked down the aisle separately with their mothers after their fathers had lit ornamental candles on the church’s altar which I thought really helped bring both families togetheras part of their ceremony involved Jesse and Luke sharing the flames into one candle.
readings were read, vows were shared and Jesse and Luke were married!
Inside Pilgrim Uniting church Adelaide
Groom arriving at Church
groom standing behind car
Page boy walking down aisle
Groom walking down aisle
Groom walking down aisle with Mother
groom walching his groom walk up aisle
Groom and groom holding hands during ceremony
Adelaide Pilgrim Uniting Church wedding ceremony
Two grooms holding hands
Grooms holding hands together at altar
Goom looking at his groom during ceremony
Goom smiling at his groom during ceremony
First kiss at Pilgrim Uniting church
Celebrating newly married couple at Pilgrim Uniting Church
Newly married grooms exiting Pilgrim Uniting Church
Glamour Photos
The weather wasn’t the best all day, so we were quite lucky to be able to have the entire congragation out on the church’s steps for a group photo before heading back inside for smaller group photos.
Once they were done, we used the stunning interior of the church for a few shots with their entourage, while also waling around the church a bit to use it’s wonderful architecture. As the weather wasn’t great I was delighted to see that the church had turned on it’s outside lighting earlier than usual, so we got an awesome glow coming out of the archways at the front – was fun to use.
We then sped over to the Adelaide Railway station for a few photos, while dodging all the Crows fans who were walking through to get to Adelaide Oval at the same time.
Finally during the reception, and in the rain we head out to Victoria square to use the pretty lighting thats set up!
Wedding party in front of Pilgrim Uniting Church
Grooms together in front of Pilgrim Uniting Church
Grooms together in front of Pilgrim Uniting Church Adelaide
Two grooms cuddling
Newly wed couple smiling at one another
Together Singing in the rain
Protecting one another from the rain
Grooms together in front of church door
Groom and groom having fun in front of church
Lifting groom off church steps
Groom lift on church steps
Two grooms in front of church altar
Adelaide Pilgrim Uniting church wedding photo with organ
Wedded couple walking across wet road
Grooms together in Adelaide Railway Station
bridal party sitting together int eh Adelaide Railway Station
Newly wed grooms on bench in railway station
Bridal party in front of funky lit wall
Grooms standing together in black and white
Grooms headbut under city lights
Water bending groom
Two grooms in embrace under lights
Adelaide city lights wedding photo
Adelaide Hilton Wedding Reception
Jesse and Luke’s wedding reception at the Hilton was certainly one to remember! Huge chandeliers framed the gigantic cake they had set up in front of the head table, fireworks flamed into life during Jesse and Luke’s entrance and first dance, and to top it all off a 19 piece band was playing all night as entertainment! In their own words their wedding theme was ‘gaudy’!
What made me crack up was a quip from Jesse that even the cake wasn’t straight – and indeed it wasnt, as it was leaning offto one side due to it’s enormous size!
Their whole night was full of plenty of drinking, fun and dancing, culminating in the throwing of bears that held a likeness to Jesse and Luke in liew of any bouquet toss.
Wedding favour lollies
Wedding cake on display at Hilton Adelaide
Tall wedding cake
Grooms entrance kiss at the Hilton Adelaide
Grooms welcome drink
Grooms both giving speech
Groom giving speech in front of reception
MC doing his thing on dancefloor
Grooms hug
Groom excited to enter
Groom pointing at camera
Mother cheers
Grooms cutting cake together
Guests acting like paparazzi
grooms sharing drink in front of cake
First dance with fireworks at Adelaide Hilton Hotel
Grooms dancing on dancefloor
Dancing guest at Hilton
Dancing guest at Hilton Adelaide
Dancing guests at reception
grooms holding teddy bears
Bear toss
It had been a little while since covering a same sex wedding, so covering Jesse and Luke’s Pilgrim Uniting Church wedding was awesome to be a part of, particularly at the beginning of pride month! Thankyou for having me and I hope you enjoy your photos!
I was recently asked to head out for a quick little Somerton Park Family Photoshoot to commemorate the 90th birthday of a family member. It seemed that everyone present had all grown up in the area, but had all moved on with their lives interstaate, so it was lovely to see and hear that most had travelled back to Adelaide for this momentous occasion!
The original plan was to head out to the beach from the bed and breakfast that the family had organised on the Somerton park foreshore, but it was soon realised that getting down there and back up again might be a bit tricky for the older members of the group, so we head to John Miller Reserve to make use of the grassy area there.
I was told that what the family wanted was some very simple shots of each of the gathered groups of the family, nothing too fancy – just wanted some family photos to mark the occasion.
So after spending a little time in the park, I realised that there wasnt much in the way of nice backdrops there other than a few spindley little trees, a chainlink fence and the surrounding roads and houses, so we went for a short walk to a road that was lined with some pretty beach trees that provided some shade and a nicer backdrop. It was here that we had a few other members of the group literally jump off their plane and meet us here.
After using both the middle of the road for big group shots, and then nearby a tree on the footpath for couples and individual portraits, we left the birthday girl at the top of the Somerton Park beach cliff and head down to the beach to finish up.
The beach’s tide was very high so there was some neat sand bars made within the water which we made use of by climbing over one of the sand bag brides that were put there to fight erosion. On the sand bar we took a few more couple photos and small groups, with a little more fun thrown in – at one point I asked the couple to push each ver – and boy did she lean into the push! 🙂
It was a delightful little family celebration that I was glad to be a part of! Happy birthday to the young birthday girl, and I hope you enjoy the family photos from your Somerton Park Family Photoshoot!
Somerton Park Family Photoshoot
Hugging couple in Somerton Park
Smiling couple on the grass at a park
Smiling couple on the grass at a park in Somerton Park
Almost every weekend I’m out photographing a wedding as an Adelaide wedding photographer and I’m always meeting new lovely people that officiate the ceremony, but there are a couple out there that I either run into so often, or that I know by how they conducted themselves that they are worth recommendation.
Of course there are quite a few Adelaide wedding celebrants, so I simply cannot list all the great ones here – but these are the ones that come to mind immediately whenever people ask me for recommendations. I will be adding more to this list as more come to mind, as I know there are more that are just on the tip of my tounge and I can’t put a name to their face.
Maria and Richard Rowland are a husband and wife team in Adelaide that conduct wedding ceremonies together. They offer a unique service where they can create seamless ceremonies with all the boxes ticked. Richard is bantering with the groom and queuing your music while Maria is off greeting the bride, fluffing her dress, and settling any last-minute nerves. They each bring their own personality and style to your ceremony. With their combined wealth of life experience, and their philosophy that life should be full of fun, along with their passion for meeting new people, they will take you by the hand and guide you along your wedding journey to create your dream ceremony.
Richard’s expert DJ/MC services are also included in the package, meaning your party can start at the ceremony and go through to midnight. They are proud supporters of marriage equality and welcome all couples with open arms. They are creative writers who will listen to your love story and retell it so that you and your guests will laugh and cry, making it a memorable experience. Maria and Richard believe in creating something unique and special for their clients, and they only charge a single celebrant fee.
Vicky is one of those names that is synonymous with weddings in Adelaide, always keen to have a bit of fun at weddings, and likes things to be light hearted – her personality suits being a wedding celebrant perfectly.
She has a nice loud, crisp voice and very rarely makes any diction mistakes – very easy to understand! I also love her car’s number plate – which you’ll just have to chat with her to find out what it is 😉
Peter is a delightful chap, always keen to have a bit of a joke throughout his ceremonies, but also carries with him an air of prestige and formaility simply by his physical appearance as a tall, well dressed bloke.
I think I’ve photographed around a dozen weddings with Peter at the helm, and each one has gone off without a hitch – a true professional at what he does!
When it comes to Adelaide wedding celebrants, Jacqui is a super popular choice, often being booked out years in advance, she brings an air of adventure and fun to her ceremonies. In fact as of writitng this, shes currently on a several month tour of Australia, adventuring about witrh her family!
Always with a smile on her face, Jacqui is one of those celebrants who you know just loves her job!
Jen is one of those Adelaide wedding celebrants who always has an idea on how to make your ceremony more special in ways you might not have thought of. Very approachable and easy to talk to, she knows what makes a ceremony work and makes planning a wedding super easy, regardless on what type of personality she is presented with.
Deborah is one of those celebrants in Adelaide that just doesnt say no to any request you might have. I’ve seen her dress up in medieval garb, put on voices, manage music playlists and even stay all day as an MC on a wedding day. Whenever I arrive at a wedding and see Deborah at the helm, I know that this ceremony is going to be memoriable!
Bob is always nioce to have around, keen to chat and have a bit of fun with his wedding ceremonies. As of writing this, last time I was photographing him he was quoting lines from the Princess Bride with full voice acting and all!
A very experienced Adelaide marriage celebrant, he is able to facilitate all kinds of wedding ceremonies from the simple, to complex and everything inbetween!
As with all wedding celebrants on my list, Penelope is another very experienced wedding celebrant, officiating at over 500 weddings in the last 10 years, alse even being rated in the top 5 marriage celebrants in all of Australia according to the 2022 National ABIA awards.
Always with a bubbly personality, Penelope is keen to make everyone at ease throughout their ceremonies and loves a bit of humour throughout!
Celebrant
I’m sure I’ve missed some Adelaide Wedding Celebrants that should be on this list!
Hopefully this little list of wedding celebrants Adelaide helps you find the perfect celebrant for your big day – again I hate to miss out on any of the other hundreds of celebrants I’ve worked with other the years!
The best way to make your wedding reception stand out is to personalise every aspect of the night event with thrilling moments that keep your guests entertained and wanting more – think of it like a concert, or any other entertainment event – it’s not justb a trip to a restaurant!
For a start, you can take out some of your time to ponder (with your spouse) what both of you represent. Shared interests, travel experiences, and childhood memories are also great sources of inspiration when planning out fun-filled wedding reception.
As much as your wedding is all about celebrating your union with your spouse, it’s also vital that you put your guest’s enjoyment to heart. Here are a few top secrets that will create that spark of excitement during your wedding reception.
NB: If you’re short on time and still want to cop some amazing reception ideas, below are a few areas to put into consideration.
Where you both met
Your first dinner
Mutual interest
Your favorite sport
Your first travel or holiday trip
Ivybrook Farm wedding first dance
Top 8 Secrets To a Fun Wedding Reception
This list of fun wedding reception secrets is in no defined order as every suggestion is unique in its way to bring some spark of fun to your event.
1.Strategic Seating Arrangement
As obvious as this idea may sound for a wedding reception, do not make the mistake of discounting the Importance of having a rock-solid seating arrangement. Ensure you strategically place your guests right beside people that you’re sure will easily get along with. This might appear like a matchmaking idea, but you intend to create a more engaging night for your guests.
To make it a little more interesting, you should make your college mates seat beside each other or force your guests to seat with strangers. This will lead to sharing interesting discussions and ultimately an amazing dance party.
Guests cheers
2.Hire a DJ to Spruce Up The Place
Alright, this appears to be the norm at every wedding reception but there’s the need to make mention of it. This is primarily because music happens to be a crucial part of any enjoyable event. Talk to your DJ about songs that should be played as you don’t want to witness an empty dance floor when an obscure song is being played.
Serafino wines wedding dancefloor
3.Request For a Song
Do you want your guests to enjoy every moment of your wedding reception? Then proceed to get a request for their favorite song. You can ask all of your invitees to write down what song they would like you to perform on their RSVP card. Another way to go about this is to allow your guests to send their song requests to your email.
If you have a wonderful voice, you can surprise them by performing alongside a live band or take it up a notch by making a duo performance with your spouse. If on the other hand, your voice is not that great, compile the list of song requests and hand it over to your DJ for an entertaining jam all through the event.
Guests having fun on the dance floor
4.A Short and Sweet Toast Will Do
What other way can you lighten up the atmosphere of a wedding reception other than to make an exciting toast with your guests? When you’re in to give everyone a treat, never undermine the power of a timely toast. Take note of the time when the party enjoyment is building up and pause to make a quick toast that climaxes the reception fun. You can toast to memorable moments shared with friends and family, to carry everyone along with the event
Groom Speech under awning
5.Step onto The Dance Floor
The perfect opportunity you get to wow your guests is to show them what great dance moves you’ve got. Hit the dance floor with your spouse and start with a slow dance before carefully transitioning into something more energetic like a Latin not break dance song from Bruno Mars.
To leave an indelible mark on the heart of your guests, you can have a few of them join you on the dance floor or challenge a random invitee to a dance battle.
Dancing guest jumping
6.Prepare The Kid’s Quarter
Remember to keep the kids entertained while their parents have fun on the dance floor. Prepare a designated area for the kids, in a different room and make proper arrangements for a babysitter that will oversee their affairs like organizing crafts, games, and kid-centric parties. A fun wedding reception should be fun for everyone – especially the kids as it keeps them out of the way!
children dancing
7.Go Neon
There’s no doubt about the charming look of an elegant mirror or wooden sign at your wedding reception. The problem however with these is that everyone makes use of them at their reception. To host your guests in an outstanding way that sends shivers down their spine, opt for a creative sign that communicates your theme. Having a love-centric neon sign as the backdrop of your photo booth will turn the event around for the best.
Bride and groom kiss under neon wedding signs
8.Map Out a Food Station
Nothing else makes for an exciting celebration other than good food. However, offering great dishes that each guest can customize to their taste makes it even better. Here’s where having an interactive food station comes into play. By considering a sushi rolling setup as well as a mac-and-cheese bar where guests can have suitable bites, you will leave an impression on their hearts that makes them anticipate more fun.
Food platter on display
Here you have it! The 8 top-secrets that promise to crack open the shell of excitement at any fun wedding reception. Although there are a dozen ways to achieve the goal of entertaining your guests, our list has been carefully curated to meet the basic needs of any reception theme.
Have Some Fun!
Enjoy every aspect of your wedding reception to the fullest. Dance with the love of your life and save yourself from worries. Make sure that you keep yourself in a good mood throughout the day. Once you’ve assigned the various aspects to the planners, your job is to show up looking great. Ditch the formalities and make the most of the time to have a fun wedding reception!
