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St Francis Winery Wedding – Jess & Chris

  • Jess & Chris

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    veil flowing amongst the trees

Jess and Chris held their lovely St Francis Winery wedding on a lovely day in early October. While the sun wasn’t out, the temperature was warm and everyone had a wonderful time. I was asked to be Jess and Chris’ wedding photographer after having covered Kate and Callan’s wedding at Peacock Farm a few years prior. Callan happened to be one of the groom’s men for Chris 🙂 It’s always nice to be recommended by previous bridal couples, makes me feel that I’m doing something right! haha

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.

groom almost ready
putting on flower
putting on tie
getting ready
groom ironing

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.

putting on dress
bride getting ready
bride looking in mirror
bride looking at bouquet
pretty bride

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.

st francis winery wedding ceremony
st francis winery wedding ceremony
smiling groom
wedding sign
grooms first look
bride waiting
proud mumma
waiting groom
together
bridal exit at st francis winery
st francis winery wedding ceremony
best man

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!

passion
veil flowing amongst the trees
happy couple
floating veil
bridal party near cart
kisses
flowing veil
bridal party amongst trees

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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first dance at st francis winery
wedding cake
entrance
dancing guests
pretty at night
st francis winery wedding reception
looking at rings
dancing guests
cutting wedding cake
guests having fun
under the st francis winery trees at night
st francis winery decor
hugs
first dance
dancing in front of love sign

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!

,

Mt Lofty House Wedding – Naomi & Neil

  • Jess & Chris

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    veil flowing amongst the trees

Naomi and Neil held their lovely intimate Mt Lofty House wedding on a lovely day in late September. Unfortunately they could not hold their ceremony out on the house’s lawn, overlooking the Mt Lofty botanic gardens, due to it being a little chilly, but the great thing about a  Mt Lofty House wedding is that there’s always a backup spot for a ceremony inside, just in case! I was asked to be their wedding photographer for 3 hours on their big day, and I was so pleased to be a part of their lovely day!

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!

Wedding shoes
Flower
Engagement ring
Wedding dress
Wedding dress
Helping bridesmaids
Using the mirror
Putting on dress
Looking pretty
Dad’s first look

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.

Wedding sign
Groom’s first look
Bridal approach
Bridal approach
Together
Holding hands
Holding hands
Dad looking on
Smiles
Smiles
Mt Lofty House Wedding Ceremony
Mt Lofty House Wedding Ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
inside wedding ceremony
First kiss
Exit

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!

Bridal party
Walking about
Against the wall in the Mt Lofty House gardens
Mt Lofty House steps
In the library
Playing chess
In amongst the trees
Starway
Mt Lofty House steps
Narnia
Mt Lofty House Garden
Wedding rings
Engagement ring
Mt Lofty House cellars
Most interesting man in the world
Starway
On the steps

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!

Wedding bubbles
Speech
Cheers
Food
Guests
Guests
Smiling bride
Wedding cheese cake
Smiling guest
Cutting the wedding cake

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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St Francis Winery Wedding – Chelsea & Nathan

  • Jess & Chris

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    veil flowing amongst the trees

It was a stunning day in amongst some rather ordinary weather for Chelsea and Nathan’s St Francis Winery Wedding at the beginning of September. It’s rather exciting to head to weddings like ths as I knew form the outset that Chelsea and Nathan were excellent dancers so I knew their reception was going to be a blast! I was lucky enough to be asked to be their wedding photographer all day and we managed to make most use of the time without the day seeming too rushed.

Preparation Photos

I was asked to begin the day with Chelsea’s preparation photos at the St Francis Winery room where she was being prepared, but I felt as though Nathan was missing out a bit so I head around to the nearby house he was getting ready at for about 10 minutes also – just to grab a shot of the rings and other small things lying about the place.

Getting ready
Getting ready
Getting ready
Wedding rings
Through the makeup light
Wedding dress
Engagement ring

First Look

The preparation phtos wasn’t a huge deal to Chelsea and Nathan, but what was exciting was they opted to have their main ‘glamour’ photo shoot done before their wedding ceremony in what’s known as a ‘first look’ where the groom and bride meet each other before the ceremony away from prying eyes and the nerves that would otherwise accompany the usual tradtional ‘first look’ as the bride walks down the aisle.

One of the Nathan’s groomsmen was a good sport here as Chelsea had secretly dressed him up in a stunning dress to play a bit of a prank on Nathan before she arrived for the real first look! 🙂

Groom walking about
Groom and groomsmen
The beautiful bride approaches
Surprise
Hugs
The actual bride approaches
The actual bride approaches
Hugs

Glamour Photos

After the first look we had a good amount of time to use the St Francis Winery grounds and surrounds for some glamour photos. This time of year the weeping willows surrounding the pond on the grounds was just starting to turn green again which always makes for a lovely backdrop – particularly on sunny days where the sun flares through the foliage. We also head out for a bit to the nearby bike track which I knew – having lived in the area for quite a while – made for a lovely backdrop wth it’s arching tall trees either side. This made for a little diversity in their photos.

Near the cart
Walking together
inside the St Francis winery wedding reception area
Bridal party
Walking amongst the forest
Wedding rings
Smiles under the trees
Under the trees
Standing together
under the weeping willow
under the weeping willow
Together in front of the flowers
inside the St Francis winery wedding reception area
Walking amongst the forest
On the bike path
Under a tree
inside
On the bike path
In front of the cellar doors
Holding bouquet
walking together
Under a tree
Chilling on the cart

St Francis Winery Wedding Ceremony

Chelsea and Nathan’s actual wedding ceremony was a lovely simple affair which, after the music had been fixed at the begining went off quite well 🙂 Unfortunately their music had been set up with the bridal party walking down together holding flash cards as a bit of an inside joke, but diddnt work out so well 😛 Diddnt put a dampener on anyone’s mood though!

wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bridal approach
Bridal approach
Smiling groom
Smiling father of bride
St Francis winery wedding ceremony
Smiling bride
St Francis winery wedding ceremony
together out the front
Nerves
Vows
Listening
Smiles
Celebrant
Exchanging wedding rings
Exchanging wedding rings
First kiss
Celebrate!
Checking out ring
Congregation

St Francis Winery Wedding Reception

As I mentioned before I knew Chalsea ad Nathan were pretty good dancers as their circle of friends happened to be the same as a wedding I covered several years ago where the bride and groom attended the same dance club. I also knew that many of the same dance club would be there than night, so the dance floor was always in action this night, and not just with people swaying and bopping, actual proper dancing! It was great to witness 🙂

First dance
First dance
First dance
First dance
Daddy daughter dance
under the trees at night
bonbonerie
talking
Main
Speech
reaction
reaction
Dancing
Dancing
Dancing

Thanks so much to Chelsea and Nathan for having me as your wedding photographer on your big day!

,

Glanville Hall Wedding – Ashleigh & Corey

  • Jess & Chris

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    veil flowing amongst the trees

I was lucky enough to be the wedding photographer for Ashleigh and Corey’s Glanville Hall wedding in Sempahore at the end of August. I was asked to provide 3 hours worth of coverage which saw me there from before their ceremony right through to part of their reception, all on site at Glanville House. The weather held out just long enough to keep everyone dry before the rain set in later that night.

Before the ceremony

I arrived as I usually do rather early, so early in fact I was surprised to see Corey and some of his family standing about pretty much ready for Ashleigh to arrive any minute! Thankfully that wasnt for over an hour yet, but it just showed how eagre Corey was to get married! 😀

Lawn games
lawn games
The boys
Lawn games
running about
Closeup of flower
Glanville Hall
Waiting groom
Talking groom
Lawn Games

Glanville Hall Wedding Ceremony

There was a bit of a story behind the reason why Ashleigh and Corey were wed under the backdrop of the lovely Glanville Hall in Semaphore, as unfortunately their booked wedding venue nearby in Glenelg unfortunately went bankrupt only weeks prior to their wedding date, so it was very lucky such a venue was free on the same date! Glanville Hall is a stunning historic venue dating back to the early days of Adelaide settlement, and apparently there were family ties with the house itself amongst Ashleigh and Corey’s family so it all turned out to be a pretty neat spot to be married!

Their ceremony took place on the lawn, out the front of the historic house, with the congregation looking on as Ashleigh walked around the lawn to reach the front of the house. It was a fairly simple ceremony which was highlighted by the cute antics of the newly wed couple’s little boys 🙂

Bride arriving
Bride arriving
Page boys
Bridesmaid
Bridal approach
Groom’s first look
Hugs
Smiling bride
Together at the altar
Under Glanville Hall
Wedding ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
First kiss
Family

Glanville Hall Wedding Glamour Photos

Once the family photos were over, we spent around 30 minutes walking around the house looking for vantage points for some quick glamour photos before the sun began to hide behind the rapidly amassing clouds. The lack of sun in the afternoon made for a much more moody atmosphere and worked well with the famed tree out the back of the house.

Under the tree
Walking together
Together
Group photo
Wedding rings
Together under the trees
Engagement ring
Out the front of Glanville Hall at night
Bouquet
Under the veil
Bridal party
Under the Glanville Hall tree
Laughing bride

Glanville Hall Wedding Reception

Achleigh and Corey’s reception took place in the dining hall within the manor which had just enough room for their congregation, including a nice little dance floor where they had their first dance before I had to leave.

First dance
Guests
First dance
Table
Guests
Cutting the Wedding Cake
Wedding Cake
First dance

Thanks so much for having me Ashleigh and Corey! Hope you enjoy your photos.

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Wharf One Wedding – Darwin – Amanda & Brian

  • Amanda & Brian

    Warf One Wedding

    Out on pride rock

Amanda and Brian’s wedding was held right on the foreshore of Darwin under the verandah of the Wharf One restaurant with the picturesque backdrop of Darwin’s Kitchener Bay. The day’s weather was absolutely magnificent, as can be expected from Darwin at this time of year! I love heading up to the Northern Territory for this exact reason! Amanda and Brian had quite a few of their family and friends travel up to Darwin for their wedding day which included two separate tea ceremonies and a lovely laid back ceremony and reception at Wharf One.

Morning Tea Ceremonies

Amanda and Brian hosted two separate traditional tea ceremonies for their two travelling families. The first in a rather nice, large bed and breakfast propertry overlooking the Darwin shoreline. It’s also where Amanda and her bridal party had their makeup and hair done before greeting Brian who arrived brandishing flowers.

I rather like the idea of giving thanks to family members and seeking approval of the wedding through the exchanging of tea in the morning before wedding ceremonies as it brings together and includes family members who would otherwise not have as much to do on a wedding day. It formalises the idea of the coming together of two separate families in a lovely traditional way.

Makeup
Makeup
Family on couch
Engagement ring
Tea set
Wedding rings
Wedding dress
Wedding dress
Grooms arrival
Smiling bride
Hugs
Tea ceramony
Tea ceramony
Jewellery gift
Little girl
Smiling guests
Entrance
Mobile photos
Drinking tea
Drinking tea
Offering tea
Tea cup
Tea ceremony
Tea ceremony

Preparation Photos

As is often the case after hosting a tea ceremony on a wedding day, it’s not uncommon for the bridal party to change clothing into their wedding ceremony attire. After heading back from the Darwin city center and back to the bed and breakfast for lunch, Amanda changed out of her red dress into her white bridal gown, while Brian suited up. They managed to hide the dress entirely from Brian despite being prepared at the same location by hiding it in an upstairs bedroom which Brian was forbidden to enter. That way the tradition of seeing the bride for the first time on the day was saved for when she walked down the aisle in her white dress, which Brian hadnt seen yet! 🙂

Shoes
Cufflinks
Crossing fingers
Putting on shirt
Sorting out ties
Pose
Putting on jacket
Helping out
Helping out
Closeup of flower
Walking out door
Bridesmaid helping out
Putting on dress
Walking down the stairs
Bridesmaid putting in veil
Looking pretty
Bridesmaids

Wharf One Wedding Ceremony

The decking just outside the Wharf One restaurant was the setting for their wedding ceremony, with the entire congregation shaded from the hot sun, and yet still enjoying the beautiful weather while surrounded by the calm waters found in the Darwin artificial beach precinct. The ceremony itself was a lovely simple affair with a couple of friends and family sharing readings and laughter as their celebrant highlighted some of the funnier parts of their relationship.

Wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bride getting ready to go
Bridal approach
Out the front together
Smiles
Smiles
Wedding ceremony
Smiling bride
Wharf One Wedding ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
Holding hands
First kiss
Bridal exit
Bridal exit

Glamour Photos

After the family photos, the rest of the congregation enjoyed the precinct surrounding the Wharf One restaurant while Amanda, Brian, their bridal party and I went for a little drive to make use of some of the more picturesque spots scattered around Darwin. Our first stop was of course the decking surrounding Wharf One where we took a few bridal party shots. We then head over to the wonderful trees out the front of the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The trees here are wonderful to have photos done at that time of day as the sun peeks through the foliage in such a delightful manner! We then head around to the parklands surrounding Lake Alexander before heading up to Dudley point to make use of the delightful hanging cliffs for the sunset.

Bride and Groom walking together near Wharf One
Pushing the groom into the drink
Bridal Party
Bridal Party under a tree
Bridal Party under the trees
Bride and groom walking together
Bride and groom walking together
Under a tree
Amongst the scrub
Amongst the scrub
Romantic
Hugs
Walking together
Holding one another
Holding one another
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Beautiful light on the rocks
Beautiful light on the rocks
Sunset
Sunset

Wharf One Wedding Reception

Amanda and Brian’s wedding reception was held back at the Wharf One restaurant a little late as we stayed out at Dudley Point for the sunset, but noone seemed to mind much. The atmosphere was jovial and everyone had a delightful meal backdropped by live music and the odd foray into the photobooth – who’s attendant happened to be the very same attendant at my first wedding in Darwin over 2 years ago! Very small world.

Bridal entrance
Speech
Schedule
Best Man speech
Bride
Maids of honour speech
Laughing bride
Hugs
Wedding cake
Speech
Cutting the cake
Inside Wharf One Restaurant
Boys hanging out

Thanks so much for Amand and Brian for having me as your wedding photographer! If anyone is looking for a photographer in Darwin, I’d be super keen to travel back up for your wedding! Check out my darwin website at https://svenstudios.com/darwin-wedding-photography/ for more details!