Belair National Park Wedding – Ellie & Nick

Ellie & Nick
Belair National Park Wedding

It was a wonderful day that was laid out in front of us for Ellie and Nick’s Belair National Park wedding! The sun was out and everyone involved had a wonderful day celebrating the coming together of these two wonderful people! They turned out to be very lucky with the timing of their wedding being only a week before the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in South Australia.

Preparation

My day started by shooting photos of Nick and his groomsmen who were being prepared at a house in Ingle Farm. Nick and his groomsmen were having a bunch of trouble tieing their ties before Nick’s best man and father stepped in to help! It was important for Ellie and Nick to get some shots of their dog in some of the shots too, so we had their fur baby model for us occasionally 🙂

Nick was a little distracted while getting ready partly due to nerves, but also because one of this groomsmen had a shirt that was a little too small for him – so they had to rush off and get a new shirt quickly before the ceremony.

Groom putting on jacket

Father of the groom

Groom getting ready

Groomsman helping out

Groom looking in mirror

Groom putting on tie

Groom and groomsmen on road

Ellie and her bridesmaids were being prepared at a lovely bed and breakfast along Waterfall Gully road. We were so close to the waterfalls it pains me to know we diddnt use them for any photos! The girls were all in high spirits all morning, singling songs and making Elllie smile while doing silly things, the atmosphere was quite laid back and fun!

Bride looking pretty in wedding dress

Bridal party helping bride get ready

smiling bridesmaid as she helps

Smiling bride as she gets ready

bride getting her hair done

wow a ring!

Bride holding bouquet as she gets ready

engagement ring in bouquet

laughing birdesmaids

Rear of wedding dress

bridal jewellery

Bridal party in kimonos under tree

bridal party in mirror

hanging wedding dress

bride getting ready smiling

Belair National Park Wedding Ceremony

Ellie and Nick’s Belair National Park Wedding Ceremony took place in the ‘Joseph Fisher‘ picnic grounds which boasts some very tall pine trees surrounding a lovely grassy area, perfectly suited to a wedding ceremony. Theres also a covered area and toilets on site. The only issue I had was that as it was a very sunny day, the sun was very harsh coming in one direction – thankfully the ceremony itself too place under the shade of one of the pine trees.

Part of Ellie and Nick’s wedding ceremony included a creation of a time capsule where they will open it again if they ever find the need to remind themselves why they married one another and read love letters they write each other while drinking the wine inside. It’s a nice addition to a wedding ceremony to do this, or something similar as it breaks up the usual talking and reciting of vows. Another way to incorporate a time capsule is allowig youselves to open it each anniversary.

Bridal motorcade arriving

Bride meeting flower girl

Groom waiting

Bride arriving

Grooms first look of bride

Smiling bride looking at groom

Groom looking at his bride

Belair National park wedding ceremony

holding hands during the ceremony

Wedding ceremony in Belair National Park

Belair National Park wedding in shade

belair National park wedding under tree

Smiles all round

wedding ceremony

Nailing the time capsule

Bride and groom exit

Glamour Photos

For Ellie and Nick’s glamour photos we began on site within the Joseph Fisher picnic area and made use of a love heart someone had engraved into one of the trees. Ellie was quite keen on getting that shot here! We then moved on throughout the national park to the Old Parliament House and then on to behind the Belair Train Station for more Belair National Park wedding photos.

The photos at the Old Parliament House were rushed a bit due to a small mix up of times which the area was booked – turned out the attendant on site expected us a good hour before we turned up for our photos – but she turned out to be a good sport and stuck around for us anyway 🙂

Belair National Park wedding photography

bride and groom standing in the Belair National park

Belair National Park wedding photo 3

Standing together under a tree

Bride and groom dancing

Walking together in the garden

Bride and groom standing in the sun

Close up portrait

Bride and groom standing together in forest

Bridal party photo at old government house

Leaning against a lamp post

Bride and groom in an embrace

Belair National Park wedding photo

Wedding photo in the Old Government House garden

Bride and groom walking together

Belair National Park wedding photo 2

The Summit Cafe and Function Center Wedding Reception

Ellie and Nick’s wedding reception took place at the Summit Cafe and Function Center at the Summit of Mt Lofty. It’s a nifty little spot, perfect for photographing the sunset from the top of the tallest mountain in South Australia and also the city lights during the night – although it was fairly cold and windy!

Wedding cake

Mt Lofty Summit cafe and function center

Mingling

Bride and groom cutting the wedding cake

Bride and groom at sunset

Bride and groom silhouette

guests having fun

Bride and groom on Mt Lofty Summit

Head table

Maid of honour speech

First dance

Smiling bride and groom

Nutbush at wedding

Bouquet toss

I’d like to thank Ellie and Nick for having me as their wedding photographer at their Belair National Park Wedding!

May 19, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding – Andrea & Gerry

Brides having fun at their Adelaide Sailing Club wedding

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding – Andrea & Gerry

The sun was hot and bright for Andrea and Gerry’s beautifully intimate Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding at the end of February! Gerry had scouted me out as she was an AUSLAN interpreter at another wedding I had done a few months earlier, and thought I did a good job there so asked me to be her photographer too! It’s always nice to know that people are impressed by what you love doing!

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony

I was Andrea and Gerry’s wedding photographer for a short while on their day, seeing me cover their ceremony on the Adelaide Sailing Club’s lawn with the beach in the background through to the speeches at their reception. The Sailing club is set off to the side of the West Beach Boat ramp and looks out over a small ‘private’ beach made by the boat ramp’s water break. I was a little worried about a surf life saving event happening right nearby with a hovercraft making a bunch of noise – but diddn’t make much of a noise during the ceremony thankfully.

It was a marvellous coincidence that both Andrea and Gerry arrived wearing almost identical clothing, neither opting for a white gown as brides; but rather white formal attire. It was lovely to see their reactions as they both arrived together and remarked at what each other was wearing.

Andrea and Gerry’s approach to the arbour was preceeded by a group of young children acting as flower girls and ring bearers, while also being flanked by family members before the two brides approached together.

The ceremony itself was quite moving with their celebrant talking about Andrea and Gerry’s family while also their story of coming together as a couple. The sounds of the waves crashing on the nearby beach added perfectly to the ambiance as the ceremony unfolded, coupled with the loving gestures made by both Andrea, Gerry and their guests.

Andrea and Gerry’s wedding sign

Andrea and Gerry approaching the ceremony

Holding hands

Approaching the wedding ceremony together

Approaching thre wedding ceremony

ready to start the ceremony

Kids out the front

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony

Smiling bride during the ceremony

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding

Holding hands under the arbour

Smiling brides

All hugs during the vows

Ring bearer

Exchanging the wedding rings

Just married

First kiss under the arbour

Smiles at their beach wedding

The crowd swamping the couple

Glamour Photos

Often I would bust out the drone to have the group shots done, but the Adelaide Sailing Club is right in the flight path of the Adelaide Airport which means it would be quite illegal to fly there. So the group shots were done by having me run up to the top floor and shooting down at the group from the conveneint balcony. It was fun shouting down instructions while the AUSLAN interpreter was also trying to direct everyone down stairs 🙂

Andrea and Gerry weren’t overly keen on spending too much time having glamour shots done and were more concerned with spending their time with family and friends at the reception. As a result we went for a short walk down to a nearby beach and walked back again.

beach wedding photo

Bridal couple on the beach

Closeup of bridal bouquets

Brides having fun at their Adelaide Sailing Club wedding

Fun beach wedding photography

Walking along the beach together

Casual beach wedding photo

The two brides together on the beach

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Reception

I really like the reception area available at the Adelaide Sailing Club – it’s a nice big, closed off area with a huge bar and giant balcony perfectly suited to watch the always amazing Adelaide Sunset as it drops below the horizon. Andrea and Gerry had decorated the area with lanterns and lighting which made the whole space come alive with a bit of festivity.

There were also no less than 3 wedding cakes on display, one usual cake and two cheese cakes (as I understood) – that is two rolls of cheese that are made up to look like cakes – not ‘cheesecakes’. It’s something that has become quite a common sight at weddings as it caters to those who arent too keen on cakes, or have allergies, etc

Lit Candle

Fun times

Listening to her wife’s speech

Close up of cheese

Having a good time

Having a chat with one another

Group shot

Brides sharing a laugh

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Reception

Cheers

Chatting with guests

Guest group shot

Wedding cakes

Thanks so much to Andrea and Gerry for having me as your wedding phtoographer! I enjoyed myself immensely and I hope you enjoy your photos! 🙂

April 20, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding – Kirsty & Andrew

It was a stunningly sunny day for Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding. The small town of Sedan, near Renmark in the South Australian Riverland was the setting for this fun wedding where everyone just seemed to want to have a good time! I was asked to be their wedding photographer for their preparation through to the beginning of their reception, so lets jump straight into it shall we?

Preparation

I began the day at Kirsty and Andrew’s new house nearby the town of Sedan. I was quite excited to see some awesome gum trees on the horizon and rolling golden hills that I was hoping to use later in the day for their wedding photos.

Kirsty and her bridal party were being prepared here, and the atmosphere was quite laid back, with Kirsty more worried about where her boots were than any nerves she might have been feeling due to her being married a bit later.

As they had just moved into their new home, it was quite a neat thing to have the entire front room quite free in order to use while putting on the wedding dress – made taking photos that much easier! 🙂

Bride hanging her dress

Engagement ring in bouquet

Hanging wedding dress

Putting on makeup

Girls together in kimonos

Laughing bridesmaids on couch

Wedding boots

OMG it’s an engagement ring

bridal hanger

Helping put on the wedding dress

bride holding her hands

bridalparty lacing up wedding dress

Smiling bride while she gets ready

Bride looking pretty in black and white

bride playing with bouquet

Bride holding bouquet

bride on her own under a tree

Bride standing with bridal party

Andrew and his groomsmen were getting ready in another farm house nearby, but this spot had some very nifty old ruins, which of course I made use of in the short amount of time I had with the boys. One thing I found very co-incidental is that Andrew and his boys were enjoying some clay shooting prior to me arriving for their photos, which I had only ever seen for the first time at the wedding I covered just the week prior! Is this a new trend? 😀

Wedding rings on top of one another

Grooms wedding shoes

Helping put on tie

groomsman putting on tie

groomsman standing in front of car

Groomsmen messing about together

Groom and family in ruin

Groom standing with gun

Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding

You simply cannot miss the Sedan Lutheran Church as it towers over the rest of the small town with it’s huge steeple and traditional small town church styling. It’s also located right on the intersection of 4 roads that lead into the center of town. The church itself is a bit on the small side, with only a single aisle leading through the middle of the church. As it was a reasonably hot day, it was a struggle for some guests to stay cool – but it wasn’t overly stifling. One neat feature of the inside of the church is the ability for some guests to venture to the upper level – I got some neat shots from up there.

Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding was presided over a priest who was friend of the couple and began with the tolling of the church’s bells, which I dont see very often! It was a reasonably simple ceremony with a number of readings from guests and blessings from their priest.

One great thing about church weddings like this is when the bride and groom exits out the front, and if the guests are keen to help – I can tee up a fun shot of everyone throwing the rose petals over the couple – which of course I did!

Sedan Lutheran Church 2

Bride arriving in front of church

Smiling priest

Grooms first glimpse of bride

Standing together at the altar

Sedan Lutheran Church wedding from above

Bridal party at the front of church

Inside the Sedan Lutheran Church

Exchanging wedding bands

First kiss at the Sedan Lutheran Church

Preist blessing

After the ceremony

Bride and groom leaving the Sedan Lutheran Church

Bride and groom celebrating in front of the Sedan Lutheran Church

Glamour Photos

After the required group photos out the front of the church, we head back inside of the church in order to take a few glamour photos using the pews and interior a little before heading out to the Renmark foreshore to make use of the greenery there. My favourite glamour photos from Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding though were taken on a portion of Kirsty and Andrew’s family land.

We drove to a spot where there was a ruin of an old cottage and barn which we made use of for some great shots, before moving to the nearby hills which I had a lot of fun flying over with my drone! We finished off in amongst the lovely gum trees growing out of a dry creek bed nearby.

Bride walking towards groom in church

Standing together in front of altar

Holding hands on pews

Hugs under the rotunda

Dipping under the Renmark rotunda

Walking along the Renmark foreshore

Groom looking at bride in ruin

Bride and groom hugging in ruin

Hugging bride and groom

Groom picking up bride through window

Groom picking up bride

Bride and groom walking along hilltop

Bridal party on hilltop

Bride and groom amongst gum trees

Bride and groom under the sun

Walking together along the creek bed

Bride and groom under tree in the sun

Close up of bridal bouquets

Walking together

Holding hands Walking together

Fun together in front of bridal party

Bride and groom out the front of the Sedan Lutheran Church

I was with Kirsty and Andrew for the very beginning of their reception at a hall in Sedan before heading off! I’d like to thank Kirsty and Andrew for having me take their riverland wedding photography and I hope they enjoy their photos! 😀

April 15, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Lot 100 Wedding – Alice & Dion

Bride and groom under a fallen tree

Lot 100 Wedding – Alice & Dion

As an Adelaide Hills wedding photographer, capturing Alice and Dion’s Lot 100 Wedding in Hay Valley was an absolute blast! The day was filled with so much fun and excitement that it seemed to fly by in a flash. Even though I started early in the morning in Myponga and didn’t finish until late at Lot 100, every moment was filled with joy and celebration.

From the exhilarating clay pigeon shooting to the lively German folk dancing, the entire day was a thrill to be a part of. As a wedding photographer, I was able to capture some amazing scenes that truly showcased the love and happiness of the couple. Overall, Alice and Dion’s wedding was an unforgettable experience that I was honored to be a part of as their photographer.

Preparation

Dion and a group of his friends all congregated in the early morning at Myponga to go Clay Pidgeon shooting together on a nearby farm. I had never even been present when this sport was going on, so I was quite excited for it – certainly made for a different change in pace to what I’d usually be taking photos of while the boys were getting ready! Dion even gave me a turn at trying my hand at shooting, and it turned out I was pretty good at it! Gave a new meaning to the phrase ‘out shooting a wedding’. 🙂

Shooting in Myponga

Clay pidgeon shooting

Safety watcher looking on

Groom shooting before his wedding

Chatting amongst the guys

Groom taking it easy

Groom with headphones on

Out shooting before the wedding

Alice and her bridal party were being prepared at a bed and breakfast in Stirling. It was a delightful little cottage with an intimate green garden full of little nooks to have details shots done of the rings, shoes, etc. The inside of the house was also well set up to take photos as there was some like windows around on plainly painted walls that just work very well for this kind of thing. Along with Alice’s bridal party there was also Alice’s brother there making sure everything ran well, but also there to provide some friendly, brotherly fun. 🙂

Helping put on wedding dress

Mum helping out

Engagement ring in between wedding shoes

Bridesmaids dresses

Bridesmaids helping put on dress

Bride standing in room

wedding dress hanging in tree

Bride looking in mirror

Having fun with the champaigne

Wedding rings in boxes

Bride about to leave for wedding ceremony

group having a chat in the garden

Wedding dress hanging in window

Bride looking out window

Smiling bride with bouquet

Engagement ring in roses

Lot 100 Wedding Ceremony

The location where Alice and Dion chose to set up their Lot 100 Wedding ceremony was on the sloped grass behind the main restaurant on site. It has a bit of a slope to it, but not so much that people could not stand straight. It was also great as there was a wonderful backdrop of tall gumtrees in each shot. The only unfortunate thing was that because it was set up that way, the sun was directly in Alice, Dion’s and the celebrant’s face – but the guests were more comfortable!

The ceremony itself was nice and simple, with a reading from a friend and a bit of laughter all round as the celebrant retold small bits of Alice and Dion’s relationship up to now.

Groom waiting patiently

Alice and Dion’s wedding sign

Bridal approach at Lot 100

Groom’s first lok of bride

Laughing groom

Set up for a Lot 100 wedding ceremony

Behind the celebrant

Celebrant

Lot 100 Hay Valley Wedding Ceremony

Speaker

Celebrant running things

Smiling bride during ceremony

Lot 100 Wedding

Groom looking at his bride

Exchanging wedding rings

Wedding at Lot 100 Hay Valley

First Kiss under the gum trees

Just married couple

Glamour Photos

A rather unique part of Alice and Dion’s day was the after effects of the large bushfires that were raging on the nearby Kangaroo Island, causing smoke to waft up through the valley and cause the backdrop of most of their photos to be quite hazy. It made it very easy for me to create a beautiful set of wedding photos that really isolate Alice and Dion, but also incorporate the stunning surrounds of their Lot 100 wedding day.

We began their glamour photos using the trees nearby where they had the wedding ceremony set up. I wanted to use the valley as a bit of a backdrop with the bridal party and also use the sun shining through the trees a bit to create an ethreal feel to the shots. We then moved up the hill a bit with the bridal party and took a few more shots on a giant felled tree trunk, which was pretty enat to arrange a group shot like that.

Finally we hopped into their 4 wheel drive and drove around the huge paddock on site, towards a magnificently huge gum treeright in the middle of it all. While doing this I also had the drone flying about as the scenery was absolutely epic from the sky. We finished off by using the small forrest of gum trees situated at the top of a nearby hill, where I was looking forward to again taking shots looking through the trees.

Silly bridal party photo

Groom carrying bride

Bride and groom standing in front of bridal party

Bride and groom between the trees

Bride and Groom together on their Lot 100 Wedding day

Bride and groom kissing on hill

Bride and Groom under the Lot 100 Gum Tree

Laughing bride as she’s carried

Giving each other hugs

Bride and groom walking through paddock

Bride and groom sillouette

Bride and groom with the bridal party

Standing together under a tree

Bridal Party

Bride and groom under a fallen tree

Under a fallen tree

Bride and groom against a gum tree

The whole bridal party

Walking together at their Lot 100 wedding

Kisses amongst the gum trees

Bridal couple in front of bridal party

Walking together on the grass

Lot 100 Wedding Reception

The Lot 100 wedding reception area is a beautifully set out restaurant enclosed within a modernly built structure lined with windows all around. The center of the restaurant is the bar where they serve a huge amount of different craft beers and wines. Alice and Dion had their dance floor set up at one end of the area.

A huge standout of their night was the German dancers Alice and Dion had organised to come in and perform for their guests. The dancers made a bit of a mockery of Dion in good spirits while they also demonstrated their skill with some highly complicated dancing and music! Was a sight to see!

Another stand out for me was the fact that their night happened to be on a night with a super full moon, so we made sure to get out and make use of the moon while it wasnt hiding behind clouds. The smoke from the fires also made it a rusty orange colour! Really quite pretty!

First dance at Lot 100 wedding

Groom doing some German dancing

Table setting

Wedding Favours

Table number

Bride and Groom under full moon

Groom lifting the German dancer

Wedding invite

Bride and groom entrance

Bride listening to grooms speech

Guests joining in on the German dancing

Dancing guests

Cutting the wedding cake together

First dance closeup

That’s a knife

Full Moon at Lot 100 wedding

German dancers

Bride’s speech

Beers

First dance twirl

Wedding Cake on top of barrel

Holding one another on the dance floor

Groom speech

I’d like to thank Alice and Dion for having me do their Adelaide wedding photography! Was a great day and I hope you enjoy your photos! 😀

March 29, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Sarah & Ricardo

Sarah & Ricardo
Ekhidna Wines Wedding

Ekhidna Wines, or Ekhidna Winery in Mclaren Vale was the stunning backdrop to Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding amongst a wonderful bunch of people who had travelled from far and wide to attend their big day. A big difference between their wedding and many others however was the fact that they opted to do their glamour shoot a few days prior to their wedding day. They instead got dressed up 2 days before their wedding day in mid Januray and had a bit of a ‘first look’ and glamour shoot using optimal light later in the day.

Pre Wedding Shoot

The great thing about what Sarah and Ricardo decided to do was that they were able to dedicate their whole wedding day soley to their friends and family, without leaving everyone at their Ekhidna wines reception while they went off to have their glamour photos taken. As their glamour photos had already been done a few day prior they were able to just party all day! It was also great to me as we were able to make use of the best light during the day, without worrying about getting back inside for speeches or cake cutting. It was a wonderful idea and I can’t believe more pople don’t opt to do this!

Our glamour shoot began as a simple little ‘first look’ between Sarah adn Ricardo in the garden of the bed and breakfast they were staying at that night. It was a very small little garden, but it worked out beautifully as the sun was in a great spot for it to shine in through the leaves of the trees lining the road. Then we head out to the main street of Mclaren Vale where there is a stunning little grove of Olive Trees that are free to walk through as a tribute to the regions large Olive business.

I like using this spot later in the day as the sun shines through the canopy of this little grove quite nicely. The next spot we head to was the ‘story bench’ in Willunga which I learnt about back when I was a teacher at the nearby Willunga Primary School. Its a simple little park with large gum trees, a big open grassy area and some nifty, whispy trees I’m not sure what their names are. 😀 We then finished the day back at Ekhidna Wines where Saraha and Ricardo’s dog came to visit for a bit of a shoot throughout the vineyards.

First Look Photo

First look with the sun in the background

Bride looking pretty in Mclaren Vale

Kisses in the MClaren vale Olive Grove

Walking through the Mclaren Vale Olive Grove

Standing together amongst the trees

Holding one another

Close up of Engagement ring

Passion amongst the trees

Walking through the trees

Sitting on the Willunga Story bench

Looking through the tree at his bride

Having fun together

Amongst the wispy trees in WIllunga

Holding each other under the winspy trees

Fun in the sun

Kisses in the sun

Together in the Ekhidna Wines Vineyard

Dog running in the Ekhidna WInes vineyards

Bride and Groom together in the vineyard

Ekhidna wines wedding

Above the Ekhidna Winery vineyard

Bride and groom throught the vineyards

Kisses under the veil

Wispy veil

Dog portrait

Ekhidna winery wedding

Preparation

On the actual day of the wedding, Sarah and her bridal aprty were being prepared at the Ekhidna Wines on-site bed and breakfast which is always convenient as it’s right next door to the wedding venue. I had a little bit of time with Sarah and everyone there and grab a few shots of them all getting ready!

Flower girl dress

Hanging wedding dress

Looking in mirror

Wedding rings box

Getting flower girl ready

Pinning flower on Dad

bride with kids

Kids

Mum helping bride get ready

bride getting ready on her wedding day

Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony

Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding ceremoyn was full of meaningful readings and heartfelt cameos by friends and family throughout, and was of course backdropped to what I feel to be one of the best backdrops to any wedding venue in Mclaren Vale – that of the Hills behind Ekhidna WInes. When there is a little cloud in the sky, it just makes for a stunning backdrop!

Bride approaching her wedding ceremony

Groom watching his bride walk down aisle

Mum and Dad looking on

Wedding ceremony at Ekhidna wines

little one in the aisle

Priest speech

Family member speech

Ekhidna wines wedding ceremony

Bride looking on

Groom looking on

Ekhidna winery wedding ceremony

Wedding

Wedding ceremony

Holding hands during the Wedding ceremony

Exhcnaging wedding bands

Mclaren Vale wedding ceremony

first kiss at Ekhidna wines

Smiling bride during exit

Bride and groom exit

Ekhidna Wines Wedding Reception

To finish up I was at Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding reception on site at Ekhidna wines for a few hours before my wedding photography coverage was at an end. Can you believe I maaged to grab all these shotswithin 6 hours?! 2 hours on their glamour shoot day, and 4 on their actual wedding day and I managed to pretty much cover it all! It was obvious to me that many of those who made speeches throughout the evening were used to public speaking as the quality of all the speeches were fantastic, and tall the guests got right into each one, making the whole experience that much more intimate and special.