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The Cedars Wedding – Sara & Zac

Sara and Zac’s The Cedars wedding could not have taken place on any better day for the weather, and the incredible light that seeped it’s way through the trees!

It had been a while since I was last at the Hans Heysen House, or The Cedars as it’s now called for a wedding – and I had very much been looking forward to shooting here again as I knew that for a wedding venue, the gardens here literally inspired one of the defining Australian Artists in Hans Heysen.

Preparation

When hosting a wedding at The Cedars, it’s not unsual to take advantage of the package deals that The Haus group offers. The Haus group now being the custodian of the Cedars wedding venue also runs quite a few spots around the historic town of Hahndorf, including accomodation, and places to hold receptions – like The Haus Restaurant.

Sara and Zac were preparaed at one such hotel, and then held their reception at The Haus – which was all very convenient as everything was very nearby and travel time between locations was minimal for everyone involved. Particularly good in a tourist town like Hahndorf on a Saturday!

Sara’s preparation was a quick affair with me trying top hang her dress in a nearby tree first, then her bridesmaids came and helped her put it on – it was all done within 30 minutes.

Engagement ring in large orange flower
Wedding dress hanging on large tree trunk
Bride’s family out the door
Bridesmaids helping bride in hotel room
Bridesmaids helping smiling bride
Bridesmaids helping smiling bride on deck
Smiling bride on htoel room deck
bride holding bouquet in double doorway
Bride laughing with bridesmaids

The Cedars Wedding Ceremony

The first time I saw Zac was in front of his arbour set up within the bushiest part of The Cedars’ gardens so that all their wedding guests would be shaded from the sun.

Sara and Zac’s dog was a centre piece for their whole day so I made sure to get a few nice photos of their fur baby before he was taken home!

Sara and Zac’s wedding ceremony itslf was a lovely, simple affair with a few readings being read by family and friends, and emotional vows from the two of them, helped along by ample pats of their lovely doggo!

Black dog in bowtie
Arbour set up at The Cedars wedding
Groom waiting by Arbour at his The Cedars wedding
bride arriving at her The Cedars wedding
Grooms first look at the cedars
The Cedars wedding ceremony
bride holding bouquet during wedding ceremony
Groom looking and his bride just before the ceremony starts
The Cedars wedding ceremony Hahndorf
bride and groom holding hands under arbour at The Cedars
Bride and groom during The Cedars wedding ceremony
First kiss at The Cedars wedding
The Cardars wedding ceremony bride and groom
Singing the registry in the sunlight
Bride and groom exiting The Cedars wedding ceremony
Wedding Party in heart shape at The Cadars wedding Hahndorf

Glamour Photos

After the group photos were taken on the large, grassy area just behind where The Cedars wedding ceremony was set up, we used the beautiful natural lighting that was peering through the trees to amplify the Autumnal colours from the trees. Honestly, this spot was a joy to photograph in due to the way the sun was behaving and the colours on the trees – it was all just stunning!

sara had made it clear to me that they had chosen me as their wedding photographer mainly due to how I’m able to incorperate nature and the l;andscape into my work, so this was just perfect for what I do best!

We were planning on heading up the road a little to make use of the Mt Barker rail tunnel, but the sun was fading quite fast, and I figured the best use of the remaining sunlight was really to stay at The Cedars – and maybe use some of the Autumnal colours on display on the Hahndorf Main street before heading in for their reception.

Black Dog Portrait
Bride and groom under autumn colours
The Cedars wedding Photography
Bridal party under the autumnal colours
bride and groom walking their dog through The Cedars
Bride and groom looking back at camera on bench
Bride and groom through foliage in the gardens of The Cedars
Bride and groom standing in amongst the garden
Bride and groom standing in amongst the sunlight
Bride and groom against tree in The Cedarts wedding garden
Bridal party walking along dirt path
Bridal aprty next to old stone wall
Bride and groom walking throguh long grass together
Bride and groom in the grass
Bridal party in the long grass
Bride and groom with old building in background
Wedding rings in sunlight
Bride and groom looking at one another under lights
bride and groom surrounded by Autumn colours
Bride and groom looking out onto main road in Hanhdorf
Bride and groom with smoke and Autumn colours

The Haus Wedding Reception

After taking ample The Cedars wedding photos, we head back to the main street of Hahndorf for Sara and Zac’s reception at the Haus restaurant where I had already set up my photobooth prior to their day starting.

Their night was full of fun filled people, happy to be there, celebrating Sara and Zac’s special day, and the photobooth got a good workout during the rest fo the night!

Bridal kiss through cheers
Place name for guests
Cupcake wedding cake
Thumbs up wedding guests
Guests enjoying the photo booth
First dance at the Haus
First dance at the Haus bride
Dancing
Cutting their wedding cake
Feeding each other wedding cake

Thanks so much to Sara and Zac for having me shoot at your Hans Heysen – The Cedars wedding! Was a great day and I hope you enjoy the resulting photos!

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Personalise Your Wedding Day With Engagement Photos

Are you gearing up to get married in the near future? If so, congratulations! Along with all of the other big decisions that need to be made, like finding a wedding venue and registering for gifts, you’ll also want to consider how to incorporate engagement photos into your wedding day. Engagement photos, also known as fiancé or fiancée photos or couple photos, are meant to preserve and commemorate the love you have for each other before the formalities of a wedding are in place.

As I’m about to outline, you can personalise your wedding day with engagement photos in a number of different ways! They aren’t just to sit there on your USB collecting dust!

6 Awesome Ways to Personalise Your Wedding Day With Engagement Photos

1) Place Photo Collages On Each Table

If your wedding venue has glass tops on their tables, make sure to incorporate them into your engagement photos. Nothing sets a stage like a few scenic props under each table. Randomly place pictures of you and your fiancé’s favorite things or of trips you took together so that guests can see how much you both love each other and all that you have in common! To further incorporate the idea of a collage, play around with shapes and sizes of pictures to specifically fit your wedding venue glass tops. This gives the impression that each table is its own mini, personal version of your collage and helps establish a theme that can easily be carried throughout your entire wedding!

Maybe incorperate your engagement photos into the table numbers – or maybe make a coaster with a photo on it? All these little things really make people smile on a wedding day!

Intercontinental Hotel wedding table

2) Create a Photo Wall with Your Engagement Photos

Not only do engagement photos serve as a great way to share your story with family and friends, but they also serve as an excellent piece of decor for your wedding venue. If you are worried about how your engagement photos will look displayed at your wedding, don’t be afraid to use them in a less-than-traditional manner. Another great way to display these photos is to create a photo wall full of your favorite images. This is a fun way to personalize the space while giving guests yet another space to celebrate you and your fiance’s relationship. You will be surprised by how much attention this display garners and how many compliments you receive on it!

Wedding Photos

3) Use Engagement Photos as a Wedding Guest Book

Wedding guest books are a great way to remember who was able to attend your special day, but they can also be a bit boring. If you have engagement photos, why not use them as a unique and personalized guest book? You can display your favorite photo at the entrance of your venue or get creative and ask your photographer to create a collage of photos for you to use instead. Allow guests to sign around the photos with their favorite wishes for the future. This can be framed and used as another piece of decor in your home after the wedding is over.

4) Use Engagement Photos for Wedding Ceremony Programs

Another fun way that you can personalize your wedding day with engagement photos is by using them in various ways throughout the day. If you choose to create printed programs for the ceremony, consider including an engagement photo on the program’s cover or back page.

This is a great opportunity to share one of your favorite photos from the shoot and give guests something interesting to look at as they wait for the ceremony to begin. You can also use social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram to share engagement photos and give guests a sneak peek into the romance that led up to this special occasion.

Belair Train Station engagement shoot with train

5) Use Your Engagement Photos as Save The Dates

Your wedding day will be all the more memorable and fun if you incorporate your engagement photos into save the dates. If you are planning a destination wedding, consider using one of your engagement photos as part of the save the date card. This will give guests an idea of what to expect from your wedding day before they board flights or make other travel arrangements!

Alternatively, you can create a collage for each guest to include in their own set of save the date cards. This is another great way that you can use engagement photos throughout your wedding experience!

Invite

6) Use Engagement Photos as Wedding Invitations

If creating invitations is something that you want to do yourself, why not use some of your favorite engagement photos? Your photographer may have taken many different shots over time, so it won’t be hard at all to find some that are just right for this purpose. You could even take multiple sets from different angles and combine them together to create a unique invitation set with several variations on one theme.

Remember that even though these invitations will only be opened during the ceremony and reception, everyone who attends will still see them – so choose carefully based on how important certain images are to you!

Bridesmaids going crazy over engagement ring

There are infinite ways to personalise your wedding day with engagement photos, but hopefully this little list sparks some sort of idea in your mind on how best to use yours! Love to get in touch to shoot some engagement photos for you!

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Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Kait & Brayden

I was once again out at one of my favourite Mclaren vale wedding venues, and what an amazing day it was! Kait and Brayden’s Mclaren vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding was blessed with some amazing weather, fun filled people and of course the beautiful surrounds that is the Ekhidna Winery.

Kait and Brayden’s big day was lovely and laid back, with their entire day taking place on site and not wasting any time by going off site, allowing them to spend as much time as possible with their family and friends.

Preparation

I arrived at Brayden’s place of preparation and was quite surprised to see all the boys fully dressed and ready to roll! Quite a rarity when it comes to the groom and his groomsmen in the morning! It’s more often I have to poke and prod everyone to start getting dressed!

As a result we used their bed and breakfast for a few portrait style shots and used the magnetic button hole flowers as a bit of a prop for some ‘getting ready’ photos.

Shiny groom shoes
Wedding rings in box next to shoes
Wedding recovery kit
Groom fiddling with jacket
Groom playing with flower on jacket
Smiling groom playuing with flower
Dad stepping in to straighten tie
Groomsmen stubbie holders
Groom being pushed around
Groom standing out front of groomsmen
Groom and entourage walking down road

Kait and her bridal party were getting ready at another bed and breakfast in Mclaren Vale with the most lovely backyard I was keen on using by hanging up her dress and later having photos doen of their little flower girl and Dad’s first look on the lawn!

Kait’s preparation was full of fun, with the girls all laughing all the time and keen on just having a great time.

Wedding shoes next to bouquet
Photos on bouquet
Engagement ring in large rose bouquet
Bridesmaids laughing it up
Wedding dress hanging in yellow tree
Bridesmaids in denim jackets
Little flower girl sitting in grass
Flower girl jacket hanging in tree
Laughing bride as she gets ready
bridesmaids buzzing about helping
Laughing bridesmaid during prep
bride standing alone in front room
Bridesmaids reactions to bride
Dad’s first look of bride reaction
Bride standing looking through foliage

Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony

Brayden had a little time to wait before Kait showed up, but once she did, he was full of emotion and seemed to have the best time during the ceremony. Kait arrived via Bently motorcade which made for quite the entrance!

The wind was reasonably strong, but that diddnt stop the joy emanating from both Kait and Brayden, and also their guests of honour who read some poignant messages.

Mclaren Vale Enkhidna Wines Wedding ceremony
groom waiting at Ekhidna Wines
Wedding cars lined up
bride and Father walking toward ceremony
Grooms first look reaction
Bride arriving at Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding ceremony
Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding ceremony in progress
Page boy and rings
bride and groom exiting their Wedding ceremony
Love heart photo of Ekhidna Winery
Happy bubs

Glamour Photos

As I mentioned earlier, Kait and Brayden spent as much time as possible with their family and friends, so after their Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony they made the most of the surrounding grounds to take their glamour photos.

We began with their stunning wedding cars, which which we took a few group photos. We then walked a short distance away inbetween the vineyards for more group photos before heading down the road a bit where I knew there are some amazing gum trees which made for a great framing device for the sunset.

Kait and Brayden’s sunset turned out amazingly!

Bride and groom amongst their wedding cars
bride and groom share a kiss with cars
bride and groom with celebrating bridal party
Bridal party laughing together
Bride and groom front the air inbetween vineyards
Bride and groom front the air inbetween vineyards offcenter
Groom hugging bride walking
Bridal party together in front of Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines wedding
bridal couple walking together on road
Bride and groom walking towards sunset and vines
Groom dragging bride along in sunset
groom sneaking up on bride
Bride snad groom inbetween gumtrees at sunset
Bride and groom looking at camera between trees
Bride and groom looking at camera between trees landscape
Bride and groom dance at sunset
bride and groom in Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding vineyard
Kiss in the Ekhidna Wines vineyard
Bride and groom looking at one another in vines
Night time photo in vineyard

Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines Wedding Reception

Kait and Brayden’s reception took place in the patio area of the Ekhidna Wines cellar door with several lines of tables set up to enjoy a sit down sidder, while their head table was in frotn of the wooden paneling at one end of the area.

I had my photobooth set up and running all night, so their guests had a blast with that, while also enjoying the amazing culinary fare afforded to them by Ekhidna wines – including their stellar ginger beer! Love that stuff!

3 tier white wedding cake on barrel
Bridal entrance at Ekhidna Wines
Bride and groom kiss under neon wedding signs
Excited guests
Shaka speech giver
Kisses for bubbles
Ermergerd a ring!
After cutting the cake
Groom hugging bridesmaid
bride and groom shots
Daddy daughter dance hugs
First dance fun
Sparkler exit

Thanks a bunch Kait and Brayden for having me as your wedding phtographer! Your Mclaren vale Ekhidna Wines wedding was a blast to be a pKait and Brayden’s Mclaren Vale Ekhidna Wines wedding was full of fun filled people who all wanted to celebrate as much as they could!art of and I hope you enjoy your photos!

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Whyalla Golf Club Wedding – Tayla & Stuart

It’s always a bit of fun heading out for a road trip to shoot a wedding in a corner of the world I had barely explored in the past – and Tayla and Stuart’s Whyalla Golf Club wedding was one such occasion!

Tayla and Stuart were wed surrounded by their delightful family and friends while also hosting both my wife and myself as their photographer and videographer for their big day. And what a day it was!

Preparation

We began the day actually going to visit Tayla and her bridesmaids as they were being prepared in the Whyalla Foreshore discovery park, which was where we were also staying – so we figured we’d pop in to say hello before moving on to Stuart’s place of preparation just up the road.

Stuart and his two groomsmen where being prepared in a house alongside quite a few of his family. We primarily stayed at the front of the house with the large, open window and doorway that allowed for some natural light to stream through, while we also made use of the road and front of the house itself.

Stuart and his groomsmen were avid gamers so, we made sure to have a bit of fun with some controllers, despite not actually being in front of a TV!

Groomsmen shoes lined up
Groom jacket hanging on door
Wedding rings on lilac tie
Groom standing alone in window
Groom fiddling with tie
Helping the groom with tie
Helping the groom be prepared
Groom helping with flower
Groomsmen together on road
Groom adjusting tie in light
Groom adjusting flower in window light
Closeup of groom’s watch

Tayla and her bridal party were being prepared in one of the caravan park’s cabins, so there wasn’t a huge amount of space to use – but after a little bit of reorganising of furniture and some creative use of angles we got some lovely shots of the girls getting ready.

The highlight of the morning was the emotion from two ‘first looks’ from both Tayla’s Mother and Father, which is always nice to witness!

Engagement ring in purple flower
Wedding dress hanging high in tree
bride and bridesmaids laughing
Bridesmaids helping put on gown
Bridesmaids helping out with preparation
Shoes sliding into wedding shoes
Closeup of engagement ring on finger
Bride admiring her bouquet in window light
Bride smiling at camera in light
Mum’s first look of bride
Dad’s first look of bride

Whyalla Golf Club Wedding Ceremony

Tayla and Stuart’s Whyalla Golf Club Wedding ceremony took place alongside the club house, on a bit of grass a short walk away from the car park. Thankfully there was a nice tree there to shade their ceremony as otherwise the sun would have been quite harsh!

Their wedding ceremony was lovely and simple, with Tayla and Stuart opting to have their vows read by their celebrant, then they repeat to each other – that way they need not have to actually remember what to say!

Bride beaming from the back of her car
Bride and Dad aproaching ceremony
grooms first look at Whyalla Golf Club wedding
Smiling bride during her ceremony in Whyalla
Whyalla Golf Club wedding ceremony
Bridal exit from Whyalla Golf club wedding
Whyalla Golf Club wedding group

Glamour Photos

After the group photos – which there were many – we made use of the remaining time to first walk around the Whyalla Golf & Bowling Club and capture the dying light throughout the fairways, and then we head to the famed Ada Ryan Gardens – where I was told it was a right of passage for all people in Whyalla to climb the beautiful trees on display here.

It was such a lovely park with it’s huge Moreton Bay fig trees that I had an absolute ball using the sunlight shining through and creating some lovely scenes!

Bride and groom under tree with sun behind
bride and groom with bridal party and cars
Bride and groom nearby tall tree
Bridal party together in Whyalla
Ada Ryans Gardens wedding photo
Bride and groom in the Ada Ryan’s Gardens
bridal party under a nice tree in Whyalla
bride and groom udner a spectacular tree
Bride and groom looking at camera at sunset
Bride and groom in Whyalla’s Ada Ryan Gardens
Bride and groom in Whyalla’s Ada Ryan Gardens amongst the greenery

Westlands United Wedding Reception

Tayla and Stuarts wonderful day came to a close after their wedding reception which they held at the Westlands United Soccer Club – which just happened to be right next door to the Foreshore Discovery Park. Tayle and Stuart put quite a bit of effort into decorating the clubrooms, as otherwise the walls would be plastered with the red and black colours of the club – but instead the space was transformed into an elegant, white wedding space that made for a lovely atmosphere!

 

Westlands United Soccer Club Wedding Reception
bride and groom entering their wedding reception
Bride and groom kiss through cheers
Dancing kids
Wedding cake topped with pink flowers
Bride and groom under full moon
bride and groom in smoke
Speech giver at Westlands United
Bride and groom sharing a cheers
Bride and groom cutting their wedding cake at Westlands united
Bridal party first dance
Groomsmen smoking cigars

I’d like to thank Tayla and Stuart for giving us the opportunity to travel to Whyalla and Ccover your delightful Whyalla Golf Club wedding! We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and we hope you enjoy your photos!

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Adelaide Botanic Gardens Cycad Collection Wedding – Joanne & Blake

Joanne and Blake held their wedding ceremony at the Cycad Collection area, which is one of the many wedding ceremony locations available within the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

The weather was fantastic and the smiles on everyone’s face made for the most wonderful atmosphere for this lovely couple’s simple wedding celebration!

 

Cycad Collection Wedding Ceremony

After a little bit of a wait due to the unfortunate parking situation causing Joanne to be a little late – Joanne and Blake’s wedding ceremony took place under the shade provided by the large gum tree at the foot of their Cycad collection wedding location. It’s not often that shade is there due to the orientation of the spot, but as their ceremony was quite early in the day, this space was perfect!

Music was provided by a nifty two man strings band which played music before and after their ceremony. Joanne and Blake really seemed to enjoy their presence and they were good enough sports to join in for a bit of a fun photo at the end of their group photos.

Joanne and Blake’s Cycad collection wedding ceremony was presided over by a family member – who happend to also be a celebrant, which was lovely as it made for the while ceremony to be that much more intimate, it was lovely to see the celebrant herself tear up!

Their ceremony also included a number of different people who stepped up to recite a bit of a reading, and their little page boy kept stealing the show by shyly joining in at random moments – including a blended family sand ceremony, which is nice to see.

Blake waiting for his bride
Groom at his Cycad Collection wedding
Groom watching the page boy approach
Bride arriving at Cycad collection wedding
Groom watching his bride arrive at Cycad collection wedding
Bride and groom under the tree
Groom listening to ceremony
Cycad collection wedding ceremony
Standing parents
Celebrant raising hand
Page boy wearing heart
Sand ceremony
One of the speech givers
Wedding under the tree
Bride and groom holding hands
Bride and groom holding hands smiling
Bride grinning looking at her groom
Groom grinning as talking into microphone
Page boy handing over rings
Newly married couple at Cycad collection wedding
Newly married family
String band with bride and groom

Adelaide Botanic Gardens Glamour Photos

After the group family photos, and saying goodbye to the string band, we went on a little bit of a whirlwind tour of the Botanic Gardens before returning to the National Wine Center for a lunch time reception.

We began right near the Cycad collection area, and snaked our way north, through the heritage listed green house, the famed elm walk way right up through the friendship gates to make use of the trees in Botanic park – and back again.

We moved quick in order to make use of all the spots in the Botanic Gardens I knew would work in this light, and also to get back to the wine center on time.

Bride and groom in rainforest
Bride and groom looking at camera in foliage
Bride and groom leaning against large tree
Bride and groom leaning against large tree with sunlight
Bride and groom in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
Cycad collection wedding photo
Bride and groom looking at camera under a funky tree
Bride and groom bathed in sunlight
Adelaide Botanic Gardens wedding photo
Bride and groom leaning against the friendship gates
Bride and groom in Adelaide Botanic Park
bride and groom under bamboo
Bride and groom in the Adelaide Wine center cellar
Bride and groom in the Adelaide Wine center cellar smiling
Cheers under raised glasses

Joanne and Blake’s wedding was a joy to be a part of and I’m so glad they chose me as their Adelaide wedding photographer! Hopefully you guys love your photos!