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Doc Adams Winery Wedding – Lisa & Daniel

Doc Adams Winery Wedding – Lisa & Daniel

It was a stunningly sunny day for Lisa and Daniel’s wedding at the newly built Doc Adams Winery cellar door in Mclaren Vale. The weather was really lovely throughout the entire day, but just in case, Lisa and Daniel opted to erect a large Marquee just outside the cellar door to protect their guests from any weather. I was asked to be their wedding photographer for 3 hours seeing me on location for the duration of their ceremony, through to the very beginning of their reception.

Before the ceremony

As I usually do, I arrived a little early to find Daniel and his groomsmen on site running about sorting out odds and ends. Their celebrant and I actually persuaded them to move their ceremony to under the nearby trees allowing for a bit of shade to fall over the coming congregation, only to find that it was too windy for the arch which kept falling over. As a result the boys had to move all the seats back to the wind-protected grassy area next to the cellar door. Sorry about that! As the day was rather sunny we thought it would be beneficial for all involved to be under the shade a bit.

Groom
Celebrant organising things
Chatting with guests
Approaching bridal car
Guests congregating
Doc Adams Winery cellar door
Wedding setup
Groom getting ready

Doc Adams Winery Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony took place in a small grassy area surrounded by hedges so as to shield the guests (and the arch) from the wind. This unfortunately meant that the bridal party was subject to the harsh sun, but other than that the wedding ceremony was wonderfully sweet, complete with a young man reading a poem and a beaming bride and groom.

Grinning bride
Bride approaching
Wedding ceremony
Placing ring on finger
Bouquet
Young man reading
At the altar
Grinning groom
Holding hands

Glamour Photos

After the ceremony we primarily stayed on the grounds of the Doc Adams Winery for photos, utilising the wonderful Australian bush lining the property. As Lisa and Daniel had picked out the venue for it’s vineyards they were looking forward to having some photos done within them, however unfortunately the winery had placed white bird netting over their vineyards so we had to travel down the road a little to get some shots.

Bridal party
Bride and groom looking over McLaren Vale
Bride and groom in the sunlight
Bride and groom walking amongst the bush
Bride and groom amongst the bush
New family together
Wedding rings
Kiss amongst the vineyards
Walking along the Doc Adams winery shed
Walking along the Doc Adams winery shed
Walking amongst the vineyards
Bridal party
Bride and groom amongst the bush
Bride and groom in the long grass

Doc Adams Winery Wedding Reception

As I said before, there had been a large Marquee set up in front of the cellar door to house the reception party. Within the marquee a dance area along with tables and chairs for the whole congregation to sit and be protected from the elements. Just before I left I flew my drone over the area to capture the entire sight from the air.

Cutting the cake
Smiling bride adn groom
Wedding Cake
Doc Adams Winery from the air

I’d like to thank Lisa and Daniel for having me as their wedding photographer and I hope they enjoy their wedding photos as much as I enjoyed creating them! 🙂

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Engagement ring etiquette – How do you wear your rings?

Mum placing heirloom ring on bride finger

Engagement ring etiquette – How do you wear your rings?

As with many things at a wedding there are some things that people just don’t think about until they have to make a decision on the matter, in this case it’s engagement ring etiquette. When are you supposed to take it off, how are you supposed to wear it and do you switch hands it’s worn on once you’re married? Whether you have a lab created or natural diamond ring, there are actually engagement ring etiquette rules you should keep in mind.

There are a few different traditions people follow regarding how you place your engagement rings and wedding bands on your hands before the wedding, the day of the wedding and after the wedding. As a wedding photographer I’m often asked what is supposed to happen, so I thought I’d write a blog about it!

Engagement ring etiquette

Engagement ring – One of my favourite shots to get during wedding preparation

During your wedding ceremony

On the day of your wedding, you should be wearing it on the third finger on your right hand (your right hand ring finger) – which is probably the opposite to what you’ve been wearing it on 😛 During the ceremony your husband to be should place your wedding ring on the left ring finger. At the end of your wedding ceremony you should have a ring on both hands – your engagement ring and your new wedding ring.

The history of the left hand’s ring finger being used dates back to ancient Egypt where people believed it contained a vein that linked directly to the heart – thereby linking your heart to the wedding band.

After your wedding ceremony

Once you’re married, you are supposed to move your engagement band back to the left land. In doing so your wedding band should be placed closer to your heart, or the closest to the base of your finger. This is where your husband placed your wedding ring on our wedding day. Dependant on the hand you wear your engagement ring on you’re supposed to tell if someone is merely engaged or already married if they choose not to wear their wedding band, and only their engagement ring for whatever reason.

Wedding rings

You could also ignore tradition

As with many traditions, due to it becoming more obscure due to not many people knowing about it, people often not worry about them anymore. Much in the same way the traditional wedding dress colour was actually blue up until a few hundred years ago. But it’s always nice to know these traditions exist and revive them if you’re that was inclined 🙂

Some ideas of what some ladies do with their engagement rings include continuing to wear their engagement rings on their right hand or not even wearing it at all. Some people go for far as to combine the two rings together permanently by welding or adding molten gold. The most important thing is just so that you’re comfortable wearing whatever you want to wear with your own personal preference!

Engagement ring etiquette
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Lyndoch Hill Wedding – Georgie & Tom

  • GEORGIE & TOM

    Lyndoch Hill Wedding

    Bride and Groom laughing

Georgie and Tom’s beautiful wedding took place in the intimate settings of Lyndoch Hill, located just out of gawler. The weather turned out to be absolutely perfect with stunning sun and cloudless skies – it all turned out to be a stunning day full of love and joy! Georgie and Tom took advantage of my hourly rate having me cover Georgie’s preparation and their ceremony at Lyndoch Hill.

Preparation

Georgie and her bridal party were being prepared in a house in Gawler, just 15 minutes away from Lyndoch Hill. The atmosphere was calm and collected with little to no nerves visible from Georgie – despite the fact they were running a little late and her father was constantly reminding them of this 🙂

Bridal party helping out
Bride with pupper
Putting on wedding dress
Perfume
Engagement ring
Bride helping out
Putting on veil
Wedding dress
Dad’s first glance
Bride looking pretty

Lyndoch Hill wedding ceremony

Lyndoch Hill boasts an incredible botanic garden surrounding a uniquely shaped boutique restaurant at it’s center. Georgie and Tom’s wedding took place on a small intimate grassy area at the foot of a grand garden staircase lined with roses. The entire cermeony was bathed in the shade of nearby towering gum trees with a dappled light effect caused by the incredible sun we enjoyed throughout the day.

Tom was glad to have his entourage of groomsmen there to calm him down before seeing Georgie for the first time walking down the aisle, but his nerves quickly left him as soon as she was with him at the altar. 🙂

Bride and Groom laughing
Walking down the aisle
Wedding Ceremony
Signing registry
First kiss
Hidden kiss
Bride and groom holding hands
Groom looking nervous
Bridal motorcade
Wedding Ceremony
Wedding ceremony
Lyndoch Hill Wedding Ceremony
Bride and groom being cute
Bride and groom
Groom seeing bride
Lyndoch Hill Wedding Ceremony
Lyndoch Hill Wedding Ceremony
Bride and Father in car
Bis transport
Bride and Groom

Glamour photos

Straight after their wedding ceremony and family photos we went for a little walk around the Lyndoch Hill botanic gardens for a few glamour photos. We also made good use of the charming bus used by the groomsmen to arrive 🙂

Lyndoch Hill botanic garden wedding
Bridal party and wedding cars
Bridal party
Bride and groom looking happy
Bus wedding photo
Bride and groom walking up stairs
Wedding rings
Groomsmen in front of Bus
Lyndoch Hill botanic garden wedding
Bride and groom in roses
Groomsmen looking fabulous
Bride and groom in foliage

I’d very much like to thank Georgie and Tom for having me as their wedding photographer and I hope they enjoy their wedding photos as much as I enjoyed being a part of their wedding!

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Oliver’s White Hill Wedding – Lauren & Nic

  • LAUREN & NIC

    Oliver’s White Hill Wedding

    Bride and groom holding one another

Lauren and Nic held their wedding at the historic bed and breakfast known as Oliver’s White Hill, with their reception taking place in the nearby chaff shed that connects up to the nearby Oliver’s Taranga winery. The weather was absolutely stunning throughout and the location always provides for some wonderful photo opportunities. I was chosen to be their wedding photographer for 4 hours of their day which saw me taking photos from just before their wedding ceremony through to around an hour of their reception.

Prior to the ceremony

As usual I arrived a little early so I had a bit of time to walk about, setting up my virtual reality video camera and take a few shots of Lauren and Nic getting ready, although they didn’t expect me to be on site for another 30 minutes or so. They were both being prepared in different rooms of the Oliver’s White Hill bed and breakfast so it was fairly easy to flit back and forth between the two.

Bride with her bridesmaids
Wedding rings
Bride getting ready
Wedding sign
Groom getting ready
groomsmen looking on

Oliver’s White Hill wedding ceremony

The original Oliver family was part of the pioneering history of wine making in South Australia, having established the White Hill property in the 1840’s the Oliver family still to this day maintains the property and cultivates the nearby winefields. Today the rustic old house has been the backdrop of a wide variety of different celebrations, with the first wedding taking place there over 100 years ago. The setting Lauren and Nic chose as the backdrop to their own wedding ceremony was the lovely little lake down at the foot of a large grassy area – looking away from the house itself. It provides a wonderfully Australian backdrop complete with gumtrees and causes the sun to cast it’s light over the wedding ceremony in such a wonderful way.

Bride and groom holding hands
First kiss
Bridal party throwing petals
Bride and groom holding hands
Oliver’s White Hill wedding
Happy couple
Wedding grathering
Signing registry
Happy couple
Groom looking at bride

Glamour Photos

Directly after the wedding ceremony and family photos, we had a short walk around the grounds to take a few glamour photos before heading up to the Chaff Shed for the reception.

Engagement ring
Bridal party on side of lake
Bridal party
Bride and groom walking
Oliver’s Chaff Shed wedding
Bride and groom holding one another
Bride and groom on tree
Bride and groom holding one another
Bride and groom under the sun
Bride and groom holding one another

Oliver’s Chaff Shed reception

On the same grounds as the Oliver’s White Hill homestead is the Oliver’s Chaff Shed where the owners has transformed an old chaff shed into a cosy little function room, complete with separate bar and modern toilet and kitchen facilities. It would be tricky to host a large gathering here but for small intimate weddings such as Lauren and Nic’s, it’s a wonderfully rustic setting.

Ring toss
First dance
Baby games
Speech
First dance
Doughnuts
Speech
Carona

Thanks to Lauren and Nic for having me be a part of their lovely wedding at the Oliver’s White Hill homestead! It was a wonderful day, and I hope they like their photos! 🙂

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Belair National Park Wedding – Lexi & Matt

  • LEXI & MATT

    Belair National Park Wedding

    Bride and Groom under trees

Alexis and Matt were married nearby the Belair National Park at the (now closed) Belair Park Country Club with the original aim to use a grassy area to the front of the complex for their ceremony. This wasnt to be due to the weather, so instead they used the interior of one of the reception halls available on site. I was lucky enough to be chosen as their wedding photographer for the entire day, and despite the early weather, the day turned out brilliantly!

Preparation

I started the day with Matt and his grooms men who were being prepared at their parent’s place in Semaphore Park. One of the first things that Matt said to me was that we wasn’t a smiler 🙂 Nothing wrong with that though as his grooms men were more than keen on playing about, hanging on his nerves 🙂

Groom getting ready
Groomsmen getting ready
Playing pool
Groom walking out the door
Playing pool
Groom’s shoes
Socks
Wedding rings

Lexi was being prepared down the road in a room in the Lakes Hotel. The girls were waiting for me as they were sitting about casually having a bit to eat and joking about. More than happy to help me set up my photos 🙂 The only thing that was dampening the mood was the potential for rain, but if all turned out great in the end!

OMG it’s a ring!
Putting on bracelet
Bride getting ready
Hanging dresses
Buttoning up dress
Engagement ring
Bride getting ready
Bride in her wedding dress
Bride walking down corridor
Bride and bridesmaids

Belair Country Club Wedding Ceremony

The Belair National Park is one of the oldest National Parks in Australia and it boasts quite a bit of natural flora and fauna. The country Club built nearby in the 90s takes advantage of this incredible setting being surrounded by 835 hectares of the most beautiful scenery you could imagine.

It was a very warm period of the year when Alexis and Matt were wed amongst the Belair National Park, however the weather turned for the worse overnight and the original plan of using the grassy area in front of the Belair Country Club was cancelled due to fear of the ground being muddy. So the Ceremony was moved indoors which turned out to be a wonderful turn of events as it was stunning.

Holding hands
Bride arriving
Hugs from granny
Wedding ceremony
Bridal Motorcade
Wedding ceremony
Saying vows
Wedding ceremony at the Belair National Park
Signing registry
Groom looking nervous
Hugs
Saying vows
Bride and Groom at the Belair Country Club

Belair National Park Glamour Photos

Directly after the ceremony and family photos, the bridal party first head out to where the ceremony was originally going to be held to mimic a shot I took at a wedding last time I was here – only to find the ground was fine. We then used the entry driveway of the country club to take photos of the cars before travelling to the Belair train station. We then went for a bit of a trek through the Belair National Park after having realised the ladies had left their flats at the Country Club – so it was pretty difficult going for them walking around in their heels, but we managed! 🙂 It was well worth it too, as we took some stunners!

Belair National Park wedding
Walking through the Belair National Park
Bride and Groom under trees
Belair National Park wedding
Bridesmaids doing the Charlies Angels pose
Belair National Park wedding
Bridal party walking through scrub
Bride and Groom under trees
Bridal bouquet
Groomsmen jumping
Viel outside of car
Belair train station wedding
Gender bender
Belair National Park wedding

Belair Country Club Wedding Reception

We head back to the Country Club for the reception, which took place in the upper reception room on site. The room is a lovely setting, complete with a private bar just outside, and room for a large number of guests. The area was decorated with long pieces of beautiful cloth which really completed the entire look of the room.

First dance
Cutting the Wedding Cake
Head table
Selfie
Photobooth strips
Kangaroos fighting on the fairway
Wedding Cake
Outside the Belair Country Club at night
Speech
Hugs
Talking out on the balcony
First dance

I;d very much like to thank Lexi and Matt for having me capture the wedding photography at their Belair National Park wedding, and I wish them all the best in the future!