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Mclaren Vale wineries – 8 of my favourite

  • Above the Ekhidna Winery vineyard

 

A list of Mclaren Vale wineries

Being a local to the area, having grown up and still living nearby to Mclaren Vale and also being a wedding photographer that is often asked to cover weddings in Mclaren Vale, I’ve come to really enjoy heading to Mclaren Vale and thought I’d list some of my favourite Mclaren Vale wineries. This list is based on my own personal preferences and is not ranked from most favourite to least favourite – it’s just how lists go, they need to be numbered! 😀 Also most of the photos I’ve featured in the list were photos I’ve taken at weddings I’ve covered at that winery.

Mclaren Vale boasts some of the most world-reknown best vineyards and wineries that create some of the best wine in the world. The scenery available in the region is also sometimes absolutely incredible. The entire town of Mclaren Vale is under strict government ordnance no not develop too much so as to preserve the unique charm the area has developed over it’s long history. I love heading down to Mclaren Vale as it feels like a beautiful retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life – and you can enjoy some great wine and food too! I’ll be writing up a short personal description of each winery and also giving my choice of my favourite drink produced at each!

1. Ekhidna Winery

Ekhidna Winery is a small little winery located off a short dirt track, but still pretty much right in the middle of the Mclaren vale wine district. The winery is backdropped by the stunning southern hills and the cellar door itself is surrounded by vineyards that light up spectacularly during sunset. Although it’s a winery my favourite drop from here are the alcoholic ginger beers on offer here – they are just great!

Ekhidna Winery Wedding Ceremony
Ekhidna Wines
Walking amongst the Ekhidna Winery vines

2. Coriole Winery

Coriole was always my own personal choice of winery to host my own wedding at, as the whole set up is nothing short of spectacular. The grassy area where a wedding or event would usually take place overlooks the whole valley of Mclaren Vale, while there is a small intimate courtyard in amongst the garden and heritage building that makes up the establishment. My favourite wine would have to be the 2016 Cabernet Merlot.

Coriole Winery Wedding
Coriole Winery Wedding
Kisses in the Coriole Vineyard

3. Woodstock Winery

Woodstock Winery has one of th enicest settings for an upper class restaurant in the region in my opinion. I always enjoy heading out here for a nice lunch with the family – although it can be a little pricey. As for an event venue, it boasts a large grassy area surrounded by gum trees and vineyards which makes for a beautifully intimate setting. The Woodstock winery ‘Ruby Velvet’ Sparkling red is my choice of wine from here!

Woodstock winery at dusk
Woodstock winery wedding ceremony
Woodstock winery wine bottles

4. SC Pannell Winery

SC Pannell is one of the few Mclaren Vale wineries in this list that faces East to West, rather than North South – this is important when you’re thinking of sunset photos. I’m not entirely sure if they still offer wedding ceremonies or receptions as last time I was here they were changing hands and werent sure on the furtue of weddings at their venue. The winery has a very nifty motif for their logo and their bottles stand out amongst the rest because of it. My favourite wine from here would have to be their 2016 Tanino.

Walking down the SC Pannell driveway
SC Pannell wall
SC Pannell Wedding Reception Hall

5. Maxwell Wines

I feel as though Maxwell wines was never really set up to host large events, but as a venue it can handle smaller gatherings and weddings rather nicely. It’s restaurant isnt huge, nor is there much flat grass to stand on, but there is an awesome maze to venture through and a wonderful aged cellar that is great to take moody photos in. Maxwell may also be a name better attributed to it’s Mead production too as the winery produces one of the most well known brands of Mead around!

Maxwell winery wedding ceremony
Maxwell winery Cellar wedding photo
Winery wedding

6. Paxton Winery

Paxton Winery is a delightful little spot hidden on one of the backstreets leading into Mclaren Vale. I say it’s hidden as it’s located on a little dirt road and can be a little tricky to get to if you’re already in Mclaren Vale itself. Whats great about this little winery is it’s stunning vistas available form it’s cellar door, coupled with the wonderful heritage listed buildings around the place that adds to the charm of this wonderful spot. I’m going to have to go for the Pinot Gris from here.

Paxton Winery Roof
Bride and Groom in Pepper Tree

7. Serafino Winery

Serafino Winery is perhaps one of the most popular spots in Mclaren Vale to host a wedding as it can cater to both high and low budget weddings, while also being able to be set up to reflect the budget. The main event hall is stunning with a domed glass roof, and it’s wide open grassy areas make for some wonderful spots to walk about or host an event. Talking of events, Serafino wines usually hosts some of the bigger music festivals in Mclaren Vale like Hot Dub Wine Machine. My favourite drop from here would be any of their award winning Terremoto Syrahs.

Serafino winery’s reception hall
Serafinos Wedding First Dance
Serafino wedding

8. Olivers White Hill Estate

Olivers is an interesting one to add to this list as the winery itself is not the same as the bed and breakfast I usually visit for weddings – so sorry to say thT i cannot recommed a wine from this particular winery 🙂 The appeal of this spot is the fact that it’s one of the oldest houses in Mclaren vale and the gardens overlook a beautiful little pond surrounded by native gum trees.

Cake in Olivers Chaff Shed reception hall
Olivers Chaff Shed grounds
Olivers Chaff Shed reception area

There are so many more Mclaren Vale wineries so this is by far not a complete list – I will however be adding more to this list as I sample more Mclaren Vale wineries!

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The bread and salt wedding tradition

I’ve been to a number of weddings now as a wedding photographer and I’ve seen quite a few different wedding traditions and one I quite like is the bread and salt wedding tradition. If you consider the fact that marriage is the supreme bond of love and affection, and wedding is the ceremony of this holy union. Weddings give you an ultimate chance to proclaim your love to the entire world, perhaps most importantly, to the people that matter to you.

From the day you first met, shared your first kiss or proposed may forever be imprinted in your mind, not a single memory will come close to your wedding day. It is a day to enjoy endless luxury, happiness, enthusiasm, good food, champagne, and never-ending opulence, just to celebrate the one you love.

The epitome of any wedding day is of course the declaration of wedding vows. A proclamation that declares unflattering commitment, admiration, promises, and legally claims one another. This day is truly the day of days for all love birds, and for this reason, should be made meaningful and personal, and people like to do this by incorporating traditional wedding customs such as the bread and salt wedding traditon.

The Bread and Salt Wedding Tradition

The bread and salt wedding tradition is an European tradition usually accredited to Poland, but many countries in Europe follow something similar from Russia through to the UK. It’s basically a welcome greeting ceremony in several Slavic and other European cultures and in Middle Eastern cultures. As a welcome ceremony its a nice way to celebrate the coming together of two families and welcome the bride and groom’s guests to the ceremony.

Ukrainian Bride and Groom sharing the bread and salt wedding tradtion

What Is Meant by The Bread and Salt at A Wedding Reception?

For the bread and salt wedding tradition, the bride and groom meet both sets of parents at the wedding reception. The parents will have a loaf of bread, which will be sprinkled with salt and will also have a goblet of wine. The parents say a toast to the couple so that they have good luck during their marriage. It also symbolizes that the parents hope that their children will never go without and that they have an abundance of what they need. In more detail, this is what is meant by the bread, salt, and wine during the wedding reception:

1. The Bread

In the bread and salt wedding tradition, bread is a symbol that is sweet, and it is given by the parents to the bridal couple. They hope that the couple never has to want for much. It is their hope that they never go hungry and always have enough.

bread-delicious-eat

2. The Salt

Salt usage during the wedding reception is so that the couple understands that life will not always be easy. This part of the tradition conveys that the parents want their children to know that life will have its difficulties at times, but the two must learn how to deal with and handle their struggles. It will make them grow stronger as a couple when they learn how to get through the harder times together.

salt

 

3. The Wine

The wine is there to show that the parents hope that the couple never goes thirsty. It also symbolizes the wish for the couple’s life to be filled with joy and happiness for many years to come. The parents want the best for their children in all ways, and they are showing this through this tradition.

 

Woodstock winery wine bottles

Breaking of The Plate and The Glass

This occurs when the bride and groom each take a piece of the bread and sip of the wine and then throw the plate and the glass to the floor so that they are broken. The parents give each of them a kiss, and then the wedding reception carries on. It is to show the beginning of their life as a couple.

The singing of The Song Sta Lot

In order for the bread and salt wedding tradition to be final, the song Sta Lot is played. It means that the wishes for good luck to the couple last for 100 years. This a huge celebration and people really enjoy it as they watch the bride and groom begin their life together with all of their loved ones close at hand. Having all of their closest friends and family there to witness their vows and traditions for their wedding means so much to the couple.

Where Did This Wedding Tradition Originate?

The roots of the wedding tradition are part of Slavic, European, and Middle Eastern cultures. People love to see this tradition at weddings because they referred to it as sweet and they know that the parents of the bride and groom really want their children to be happy. That is why the symbolization of the bread and salt tradition is so important, and it occurs before the rest of the wedding reception begins.

The Type of Bread, Salt, And Wine to Be Used

In the past, it was a loaf of bread. In modern wedding ceremonies, it can just be a couple of pieces of bread, regular salt, and any kind of wine or champagne that is used for their tradition. They are merely symbols of the meanings behind the tradition, so there are no strict rules when it comes to what is used by the couple for the reception.

Making It A Point to Have This Tradition at The Wedding Reception

A wedding symbolizes the union of two souls and often the continuation of tradition. Although in modern times, this tradition may seem a little odd, having the bread and salt wedding tradition in a modern marriage can mark that day with a time to reflect on old ways that were handed down from generation to generation. They will never forget how much it means for their parents to wish them good luck during those moments of sweetness and tenderness at the wedding reception.

This is to many couples the most important moment of the entire wedding experience. Traditions create a bond that is truly unique and beautiful. And many couples cherishing traditions that stem from their cultural roots can put special imporntance on different things. Embracing the tradition of bread and salt in their weddings is one such way to celebrate the delights associated to their cultural heritage.

 

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Ultimate Wedding Photography Timeline Guide

  • The Ultimate Wedding Photography Timeline Guide

    Holding each other under the winspy trees

A wedding photography timeline is a vital part of wedding planning. You spend a fortune to make sure your wedding is something that turely represents who you are as a couple, so it’s best to make sure you get every important part of your wedding documented by your wedding photographer. Having a well-planned schedule helps to do this immensely. That being said though, a wedding photogrpahy timeline does not have to be complex – you only need to make sure it’s clear as to where your photogrpaher needs to be and when throughout the day.

Although wedding photographers should be quick and ready to capture important moments at all times, they also need some time and proper flow to produce quality photos for the couples. I’m not saying you need to say that your photographer should be ‘along the right wall of the barn while Jakod does his speech’ – it’s more about what time your makeup will be finished by in the morning, or when you pan to do your first dance in the evening.

Here’s everything you need to know before putting togtehr a wedding photography timeline.

Wedding Photography Timeline Guide

  1. The Preparation

Prep time is the best time to capture candid moments between the bride or groom and their family and friends in modern wedding photography, it’s become some of the most important photos to take to tell a story.. It is nice to capture moments that show how the whole wedding began. Little snippets of the couple getting dressed or made up will surely be a good reminder of how the preparations went. That will also remind you of your wedding vendors and how you feel at the moment.

Grooms wedding shoes
Helping put on wedding dress
Taking the wedding dress for a spin

What photos are taken: Portraits of the bride and groom. Take photos of the wedding preparations, the wedding details, and conduct group photos for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Recommended shoot time: I usually budget around 1 hour with the groom and his groomsmen, and between 1.5-2 hours with the bride and her bridal party. Adjust accordingly considering travel time between locations and you may also wish to take into account the possiblity that you may wish to have a ‘first look’ before the ceremony.

 

  1. The Ceremony

It is the most awaited part of your wedding—where the exchanges of vows and the witnessing of the union happen. Make sure to take photos of important moments.

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony
Burbrook forest wedding ceremony
Mt Lofty House Wedding Ceremony

What to take: Photographers should capture as much as they can during the ceremony. Take photos of the crucial moments, such as the bride and groom’s reactions, the kiss, the confetti, and the congratulations and hugs afterwards. It is a nice touch if the photographers have candid shots of the guests’ reactions too.

Recommended shoot time: Allocate around one hour for the whole ceremony – even if the ceremony isnt planned to go that long. Things happen at weddings that cause timelines to change, and the ceremony is not a part of the day you should skimp on. Some religious ceremonies can also go much longer than an hour.

 

  1. The Family and Important Groups

It is the part of the wedding ceremony that should be done as fast as possible – however it hardly ever pans out that way, and if it doesnt, although you’d want to remember your day with the special people in your life, remember that you can always take more pictures later – probably at the reception.

group wedding shot at st francis winery
Guest group shot
Bridal group

What to take: Take photos of the bride and groom with their immediate family and close friends.

Recommended shoot time: Allot around 30 minutes to do this. Since it can take longer, try and make a list of photos you’d want taken before the day and give it to someone who has a loud voice and can organise people. This will help this process become much less painful for all those involved.. It can also serve as the photographer’s guide to capture photos of everyone important to the groom and bride. Sometimes family politics make photos of certain people together something to avoid – so this can also help avoid sticky situations.

 

  1. The Couple’s glamour photos

This is the period of time during a wedding day where you’re able to get the bride and groom alone to capture the ‘pretty shots’ that are usually printed and put on the wall.

Ekhidna wines wedding vineyards
Bride and groom under a fallen tree
Inglewood Inn Wedding Photo

What to take: Take romantic shots of the newlywed and photos showing off the new wedding ring.

Recommended shoot time: I usually allocate about 1 hour per locations you’d like to travel to for this. One hour is probably too long for it, but it makes for a much more cruisey experience. It is best to schedule this session at least before the sunset. This way, you’ll get the best light in your photos.

 

  1. The Reception and Party

This is when the party starts and scheduled formalities like speeches and the first dance happen.

First dance
first dance in blue smoke
best man speech

What to take: Some of the event highlights to capture here are the cutting of the wedding cake, the first dance, and the dance of the bride and groom with their parents. You should also include here the venue shot, the food shot, the bride and groom’s photos with their guests, and other candid shots of guests.

Recommended shoot time: When making a wedding photography timeline, I usually just ask for when the reception starts, as if I’m asked to cover the whole day I’ll be staying until all the formalities have completed. If I was asked to cover a reception in an hourly package, an hour is usually enough to cover the cake cutting, first dance and possibly a speech or two. Consider the travel time to the wedding reception if your location is separated from your ceremony venue.

 

A successful wedding depends on successful teamwork and a well laid out wedding photography timeline helps with this so much!. Beautiful wedding photos come from a well-planned schedule and great quality photographers. To ensure less headache on your special day, make sure to prepare well, and work with professional photographers. Professional wedding photographers usually have a proposed schedule and shoot plans that they relay to the groom and bride. That should help ease the load for you.

If you want a fun and relaxing way of capturing your precious wedding memories, we are at your service! We are Adelaide-based wedding photographers in South Australia, ready to capture beautiful photos that will transport yourself back to the happiest day of your life. Get in touch with us today!

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Star Wars Wedding Photography

Over the years I’ve been asked to photoshop in different Star Wars themed additions to create some Star Wars wedding photography. I’ve been asked to add different things to my photos in the past, including dinosaurs, zombies and even giant gummy bears, but scenes from Star Wars tends to be one of the most popular ‘additions’ to wedding photography. Star Wars wedding photography isnt just about the photoshop skill of the photographer, it also needs a bit of ‘action’ played out by the couple in their photographs 🙂

As it’s May the 4th today – a play on words pun from the famed ‘May the Force be with you’ line from the series, I figured it’d be a little bit of fun to go back over some of the Star Wars wedding photography I’ve put together over the years.

Star wars wedding at Auchendarroch House

The first being what is still my absolute favourite Star Wars wedding photo Ive ever put together. Rebecca and Simon’s Auchendarroch house wedding took place way back in 2016 but people still ask to have me as their wedding photographer based soley on this single image I put together for them. It just works so well witht he towering AT-AT walkers moving away from the carnage they presumably laid down in their wake before coming to crush the house and the wedding party. Classic 🙂

Star Wars Wedding Photography

The next is Chloe and Alex’s Edwardstown Baptist Church wedding where I was asked to photoshop in lightsabers for each of the bridal party as if they were attacking the bride and groom. Just a little bit of fun here, lightsabers are super easy to photoshop into a photograph but it’s the making the whole aesthetic darker than usual thats the tricky bit 🙂

Star Wars Wedding Photo

You might recgnise the AT-AT walkers in this shot I put together for Michelle and Ryan’s Woodstock winery wedding. They are the same models I used in Rebecca and Simon’s. Maninly because they are a high resolution version of the walkers and easy to gain a stock license to use! As far as the pose go, if you ever do a search fro Star Wars wedding photography, you’ll notice that this is a popular pose in many of the results that come up. Michelle and Ryan had seen something like it in the past and asked for it to be replicated on their wedding day 🙂

Wedding couple dodging lasers in forest battle scene

Angela and Josh’s Star wars wedding photography shot at their wedding at St Francis winery was a bit of a silly one to do as Josh’s pride and joy car was on the grass there and I figured I’d have it blown up by the AT-AT walker in the background 🙂

Have some Star Wars Wedding Photography done at your wedding!

I’m pretty sure I’ve done more Star Wars wedding photogrpahy in the past, but it may have been older than this site! Putting together these shots in phtooshop is quite a bit of fun, so if you want something as cheesy as these photos from your wedding day, feel free to ask for something like it. Doesnt have to be a Star Wars themed shot, it could also be giant dinosaurs, or maybe a Kraken leaping out fo the water? I don’t know :). These sorts of photos, as cheesy as they are really make a smile creep onto your face years down the track when you’re looking over your wedding photography.

Happy May the 4th everyone, and stay safe out there!

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8 Unique Stay At Home Date Ideas to Spice up Your Relationship

  • One Tree Hill Engagement shoot

 

Stay At Home Date Ideas You Can Use to Spice up Your Relationship

 

All over the world, going out for a date night is increasingly becoming a challenge for many. This is not about having kids who may insist on going everywhere you go. It’s about staying safe inside your home. More so, if you live in a suburb, driving to the city for a date night can be tricky. Staying at home doesn’t mean you have to forfeit your relationship or allow it to suffer. There are a lot of things you can do to spice it up even during a pandemic like COVID-19, but also for when all this is over and you just feel like having a date night at home 🙂

Whatever your reasons for staying at home; we have researched lots of options for cute stay at home date ideas. All these date ideas are budget-friendly and don’t involve much technology! So you don’t have to run down your credit card to give your date a treat during this time. So below are 8 easy-to-plan, enjoyable, inexpensive  stay at home date ideas you can try at home with your significant other. Stay indoors and have some fun!

  1. Play a Board Game

Game nights are fantastic ways to have a date while staying indoors. You can start it with a glass of wine, then bring out some cards, or set up a cheese board and begin the challenge. The truth is that you will find yourself engrossed in gimmicks, deep conversations, and funny spanks with your date as you have more time playing such games indoors.

Let’s not forget the series of little arguments that may arise when one person decides to play smart on another as the game progresses. Such can trigger the feeling of togetherness and forgiveness.

board game date night
  1. Pretend The Electricity Is Out

You might have tried this when you were a kid. It’s normal to find some kids switching off all lighting in the home and pretending as if the electricity is out. Then they begin to play hide and seek game or tell ghost stories. You can try this too with your date. Amidst the dark corners of your home, you can tell ghost stories, light candles, and play a guessing game.

  1. Have a Tasting Party

This could turn out to be one of your favorite stay at home date ideas. Just create fun tasting stations. You could organise any kind of tasting. From smoothie to wine tastings, the sky is the limit. Pick any theme of your choice, and it could be cookies, ice cream, whiskey, and even chocolate. Just ensure there are a lot of options available for you and your date.

Food platter
  1. Make Dessert or Dinner Together

Making dinner after a stressful day can be tiring. But not with the stay at home order. Ensure you both have activities cleared up for the day. And fix a time to cook your favorite meal together. It’s an excellent way to reconnect, especially if you haven’t seen each other for quite some time. The meal or dessert should be something you both haven’t tried before. Take pictures as you cook to make it fun and memorable.

  1. Organise a Romantic Quiz Competition

When was the last time you both laughed over a topic or the inability of one person to answer a question correctly? This is one fun way to spice up your date life. There are lots of “questions for couples” articles and books online. If you feel you and your date haven’t sat down and laughed for a long time, or you have trouble discussing anything that doesn’t end in an argument, then this tip could help. Make a list of interesting questions to answer over some glasses of wine or coffee. In the end, you will discover new things about each other.

  1. Turn Your Bedroom Into a Romantic Hotel Room

Staying in a fancy hotel room could make your date night as romantic as it gets. But this is not always within the budget. More so, you can transform your bedroom into a romantic scene for the sexiest date night at home drama.  Here are some ideas to help you:

  • Place a bottle of champagne or other drink in a bucket of ice close to the bed.
  • Turn on soft music and light some sweet-scented candles in different corners of the bedroom.
  • Sprinkle flower petals on the bed and make some chocolate covered strawberries.
  • Make your favorite dish, and serve your date in bed.
  • Watch romantic movies together in bed till when you both doze off.
romantic bed
  1. Paint With each other

When was the last time you both tried your hands-on painting? Perhaps, you can remember how romantic and fun it was for your relationship. But what if you haven’t done so yet, no worries! You can still make it a vital aspect of your staying safe at home date ideas.

Get some watercolor sets and a large paper. Then sit together and paint your favorite masterpieces and make a mess! It can be more fun when you both try to guess what the other party has painted. You don’t have to be an artistic genius to do it correctly. Watch some tutorials on YouTube and practice it together before setting the table for the real game.

As far as stay at home date ideas go, this is the one that will likely stay with you. Even if you’re no good at painting, just the reminder of this activity would be worth framing and putting on your wall forever!

painting
  1. Play The Role of an Interior Designer

This is a perfect date night idea you can organise in a budget-friendly manner. Research some DIY home design ideas together. Take notes of the tips and materials needed. You could redesign the living room, kitchen, or bedroom. Whatever you feel comfortable with, just make sure it suits your style and budget.

Hint: This at-home date idea will make you discover lots of fascinating things about your partner, such as favorite color, taste, and design style.

Stay At Home Date Ideas are fantastic for many reasons. It helps you and your partner to discover things about yourselves that wouldn’t have been possible on a regular date. Staying safe during a pandemic doesn’t mean you should put your relationship on hold. Try these tips and take your love life to greater heights! When we are all aloud outside again I’d love to go out and have a photoshoot together! 😀