It was quite an exciting time when Rya contacted me from Indonesia asking me to shoot her engagement shoot as she was coming out to Adelaide specifically to use the Autumn colours around the Thorngrove Manor for her engagement shoot. I had never shot there before, but I had seen it’s beauty in the past through other wedding photographer colleagues in the AIPP. Rya was quite keen on having a castle-style photo shoot and chose the Thorngrove Manor as her ideal location. She also originally planned to go on a whirlwind tour of Adelaide, shooting at the Manor, Mt Lofty Botanic Park, then head up to Cleland nature preserve to hug a kangaroo, and also head into the city to use Veal Gardens and North Terrace, all within 3 hours. We ended up only going to two of these locations, but I think they turned out great!
Thorngrove Manor Shoot
The Thorngrove Manor is a small luxury hotel located amongst the side streets of Crafers. Despite it’s medieval looks, the hotel was actually built relatively recently, only around 32 years ago. The hotel is billed as one of the most romantic and intimate places to hold a wedding, or photoshoot as the surrounds are something out of a fairytale. It really is quite an incredible place to shoot at.
On the balcony
Playing the harp
Thorngrove Manor engagement shoot
Holding hands
Engagement ring
Castle awning
Castle awning
Couple next to the fire
Kisses
Hugs on the balcony
Playing the harp
Wedding dress
Bride framed in the castle fixtures
Couple next to the fire
Smiling bride
Smiles
Engaged couple at the door of Thorngrove Manor
Looking at each other
Thorngrove Manor
Bride and groom standing in front of their hotel door
At the gate of Thorngrove Manor
Mt Lofty Botanic Park Shoot
After the shoot around the Thorngrove Manor, we head down the road to the Mt Lofty Botanic Park to make use of the waning autumnal colours still present around the gardens. With the sun popping over the hills, the colours came to life quite quickly however and created some lovely bright scenes – much to the delight of Rya. 🙂
Autumn colours at the Mt Lofty Botanic Park
Bride and Groom at Mt Lofty Botanic Park
Bride and Groom in autumn
Bride and Groom holding one another
Autumn colours
Autumn colours at the Mt Lofty Botanic Park
Bride and Groom on bench
Bride and Groom walking
Bride and Groom walking
Bride and Groom on bridge
It was a lot of fun shooting at the Thorngrove Manor and I hope Rya and Evan enjoy their photos! 🙂
The wedding of Anika and Phil took place on the sunny day in April, amongst the wonderful surrounds of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron. I was asked to be their wedding photographer for the entire day so I was shooting from both locations of preparation, through to the end of their reception. The entire day from the Ceremony took place on the grounds of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron and we were lucky enough to be able to utilise a yacht that was moored within the marina – which is a very rare occurrence! Was fun.
Preparation
I arrived at the house where Phil and his groomsmen were getting ready, only to find that no one was there! Apparently the guys were chasing some choice sushi in the city before heading back to get ready. Once there, we had less time than usual to shoot some choice photos, so the morning was a bit rushed, but still pretty organised regardless!
Groomsmen getting ready
Groom getting ready
Wedding rings
Cufflink
Groomsmen getting ready
Putting on the flowers
The girls on the other hand were nice and organised, sitting about waiting for the makeup artist to finish, and having set up all the items I needed to take photos of before I arrived. The atmosphere was laid back and they were keen on having a good time and some fun leading up until they left. They ended up leaving a little late,m but that’s just to be expected. 🙂
Putting up the hair
Engagement ring
Talking ladies
Bride leaving the house
Putting on wedding dress
Smiling bride
Looking in the mirror
Flying veil
Putting on wedding dress
Wedding dresses
Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place on the decking area located next to the bar behind the boat shed. This was a major difference to the other times I had covered wedding ceremonies here, with others opting for having their ceremony on the large, open grassy area located nearby the boat house. The location Anika and Phil opted for however was wonderful for such a sunny day however, as the sun provided for a wonderful backdrop to the ceremony, and it helped keep their guests cool under the umbrellas.
The Sailing club has been on this location since 1924 after having been founded at Birkenhead in 1881. The Royal SA Yacht Squadron has recently been renovated into what has become quite a popular wedding venue, with myself heading there quite a few times a year!
Holding each other
Wedding ring exchange
Wedding ceremony
Walking back down the aisle
Exchanging wedding rings
Smiling bride
Groom’s first look
Drone shot of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron
Wedding ceremony at the Royal SA Yacht Squadron
Wedding ceremony
Married!
Bride and father
Glamour Photos
After the group photos and family shots on the grassy area, we used the inside of the historic boatshed for a few shots, then walked about the marina taking some shots with the magnificent sunset as a backdrop. We were lucky enough to be able to use a family member’s yacht for some photos, in which case I was super keen to bust out my drone to get some unique angles of the bridal party on the yacht from the water.
Sitting on the yacht together
Sunset at the Royal SA Yacht Squadron
Bridal Party
Catching a bride
Walking into the sunset
Dancing in the boat house
Sitting on the yacht together
On the stern of the yacht
Royal SA Yacht Club Boat House
Kissing in the marina
Royal SA Yacht Club Boat House
Bride and her bridesmaids
Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Reception
Anika and Phil had set up the Royal SA Yacht Squadron’s function hall with a slightly nautical theme, making sure that their personalities and heritage was on show. With Phil’s affinity for fishing, and a beautifully cultural wedding cake the night was topped off with a live band which kept the dance floor full the entire night! Anika’s bouquet throw was quite a bit different as she held a ‘reverse’ bouquet through were only married women were allowed to be in contention. The MC then had them all dance and having them leave the dance floor the longer their wedding has gone on, with the winner being the longest married women receiving the bouquet. I thought it was sweet and a great way to hold a bouquet throw when there arent many single ladies in attendance!
First Dance
Bride and groom entry
Listening to speech
Speech
Wooo!
Guys at the bar
First Dance
Wedding Cakes
Night shot on the dock
Bride dancing with brother
Anika and Phil’s wedding was a blast to be part of, and I very much hope they enjoy their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!
One of the most prevalent and interactive games that’s bound to put a smile on your wedding guest’s faces at your wedding reception is the Wedding Shoe Game. As a wedding photographer, I’ve come across quite a few different little fun games the bride and groom can play with their guests, or for their guest’s amusement, and the Wedding Shoe Game is one of my favourites!
Bridal shoe gBridal shoe gameame
How to play the Wedding Shoe Game
Basically, the idea of this fun game is to make your guests laugh at your antics as you answer wedding shoe game questions about your relationship together, and to see if you both have the same answer to questions that you ‘should’ have the same answers to 🙂 For example, a common wedding shoe game question might be “Who of you said ‘I love you’ first?”. Now if both the bride and the groom were paying attention to their relationship, one would assume both would answer the same – but this is where the fun comes in as sometimes answers differ.
The reason why it’s called the ‘Wedding Shoe Game’ is because in order to play, both the bride and groom sit on two chairs back to back from each other – usually in the middle of the dance floor – and take off their shoes. They then trade one of their shoes for their partner’s shoes so that each has one of the groom’s shoes and each has one of the bride’s.
The MC, or whomever, then reads out a list of questions about the couple’s relationship. In order to answer, the bride and groom holds up one of the shoes – if the answer in their mind is the groom, then they hold up the groom’s shoe, if the answer is the bride, then the bride’s shoe. Hilarity ensues when they both hold up different shoes as neither of them know what the other’s answer is.
Shoe game from groom POV
Wedding shoe game at Chateau Yaldara reception
Shoe game
Sample Wedding Shoe Game Questions
The great thing about the Wedding Shoe Game is that you are able to customise the questions that are asked based on the bride and groom’s personality and interests. There are the usual overarching questions such as the ones below, but say for example the bride and groom used to play against each other in Table Tennis; perhaps one of the questions might be ‘who is better at table tennis?’
The idea is to keep the questions not too serious, but light and fun, also it might be an idea to narrow the list down to around 20 questions, just so the game doesn’t take all night.Whose idea was it to play this game?
Who said “I love you” first?
Who is more romantic?
Who is a better dancer?
Who is the most organized?
Who has the most clothes?
Who has the most shoes?
Who spends more time on Facebook?
Who spends more time on Instagram?
Who eats the most junk food?
Who will fall asleep first tonight?
Who is the better driver?
Who calls their parents the most?
Who will pay the bills?
Who will wake up first?
Who works out more?
Whose friends will be over more?
Who buys the best gifts?
Who is more likely to be running late?
Who is in better shape?
Who is a better dresser?
Who has more shoes?
Who spends more money?
Who will be doing the grocery shopping?
Who has the best taste in (anything)?
Who is more likely to get a traffic ticket?
Who will be doing the laundry?
Who has the crazier family?
Who is the biggest baby?
Who is the loudest?
Who has the smelliest feet?
Who did more of the wedding planning?
Who planned the honeymoon?
Who is the better shower singer?
Who has the better shower singing voice?
Who has a better fashion sense?
Who eats healthier?
Who has a better taste in music?
Who wears the pants in the relationship?
Who is the better kisser?
Who is the bigger party animal?
Who will be making dinner every night?
Who always replaces the toilet paper roll?
Who chooses where you eat for dinner?
Who is the better cook?
Who got better grades in school?
Who has a bigger butt?
Who usually falls asleep first?
Who plans the best date nights?
Who tells the best jokes?
Who has the better hair?
Who made the first move?
Who is better at keeping secrets?
Who is the messiest?
Who would drive on a road trip?
Who remembers family and friends’ birthdays?
Who will squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube?
Who will make the bed?
Who loses things the most?
Who will make the coffee in the morning?
Who has had more car accidents?
Who is better at sports?
Who is more creative?
Who watches the most tv?
Who is more likely to kill a spider?
Who mows the lawn?
Who wants a baby first?
Who will pick your next vacation spot?
Who will clean the house?
Who will use up all the hot water?
Who always knows what time it is?
Who will determine the next car you buy?
Who has the craziest family?
And of course the last wedding shoe game question that should be asked is
Who loves the other more?
Alsways gets a bit of an ‘awwww’ from the guests!
Shoe game
Shoe game
Shoe game under the lights
Shoe game fun
Shoe game 2
It’s a great game to play to break up the evening, and there are tonnes more silly little games that people have thought up over the years, but if you’re looking for a sure winner that will make people laugh, try the Wedding Shoe Game!
Sinclairs Gully winery is the type of venue you just have to jump at the opportunity to shoot a wedding at, which is exactly what happened when Jessica and Adam asked me to be their Adelaide Hills wedding photographer. In order to cater to their short wedding plans, they asked to use my engagement shoot rate to cover their wedding for only 90 minutes which was enough time to photograph their ceremony and a few glamour shots after.
They held their wedding a little later in the day so by the time their ceremony was scheduled, the sun was already fading, and the overcast skies weren’t helping either. However this kind of light is pretty much perfect for photography so I was having a blast 🙂
Before the wedding
As usual I was on site at Sinclairs Gully early, in fact only Adam and his groomsmen were there putting the finishing touches on the venue. So I wandered about taking photos of all their personal touches and the boys helping calm the nerves of Adam. Once the girls arrived I was able to take a few shots of them together with their adorable VW van.
Blushing bride
Line of groomsmen
Groom looking nervous
Wedding sign
Groom’s flower
Girls arriving
Groom walking about
Girls looking pretty
Sinclairs Gully wedding ceremony
Sinclairs Gully is a winery hidden away in Norton Summit, and when you’re there it feels as though you’d only even know about the place if you already knew it was there. The incredible privacy the venue provides due to the lush Australian bushland is perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony such as Jessica and Adam’s. The bushland provides for beautiful bokeh when used as a backdrop to wedding photos and it really is just beautiful. There’s even a Australian animal reserve on site too!
Jessica and Adam’s wedding ceremony took place in a small clearing situated at the foot of the Sinclairs Gully winery carpark, so the setting was completely surrounded by gum trees and scrubland. During their ceremony they held a time capsule ceremony where they placed a bottle of Sinclairs Gully wine into a home-made timecapsule, along with love letters to one another only to be opened on their 10th anniversary. It’s a lovely gesture and a fun thing to put on display in their home.
Wedding Ceremony
Smiling groom
Wedding ceremony
First kiss
Bride and Father
Sinclairs Gully wedding ceremony
Grooms first look
Married!
Smiling bride
Time capsule
Saying their vows
Sinclairs Gully Wedding Glamour Photos
After the ceremony and family photos, we had around 30 minutes for some glamour photos around the winery grounds. It was quite an easy task to create something epic and eye catching as the surrounds just simply lends itself well to the task. I was really looking forward to getting around to editing this wedding as I knew some of the shots I took were absolutely stunning!
Private kiss in undergrowth
Embracing within the trees
Tree hugs
Bride and groom in front of the combi van
Hugs
Looking through foliage
Walking along the driveway
Sinclairs Gully winery wedding
I had an amazing time capturing Jessica and Adam’s Sinclairs Gully wedding, despite the short coverage. The wedding was filled with love, happiness, and unforgettable moments that I was honored to witness and photograph. It was a pleasure to be a part of their special day and to create images that will serve as treasured memories for years to come.
I hope that when Jessica and Adam look back at the photos, they will be transported back to the joyous atmosphere of their wedding day and relive the love and happiness they shared. It was a privilege to document their love story and to provide them with visual keepsakes that will last a lifetime.
Once again, thank you to Jessica and Adam for choosing me to capture their special day. I am grateful for the opportunity and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness together.