Tag Archive for: Adelaide Hills wedding

Idyll and Co Wedding – Monique & Anthony

Monique and Anthony’s Idyll and Co Wedding was simply devine! Nestled in amongst thick bushland, the Idyll & Co Bed and Breakfast turned out to be the most brilliant of venues to host Monique and Anhtony’s wedding! The combination of the thick foliage in every direction, with the cloudy weather and beautiful people made me thankful that they chose me as their wedding photographer as I had an absolute blast all day, and I had a smile on my face the entire time I was editing their photos!

Idyll and Co Wedding Ceremony

The spot that Monique and Anthony had chosen to host their Idyll and Co Wedding Ceremony was hidden down the hill a little from the main bed and breakfast house which meant that their whole ceremony was shaded in all directions by the most magnificent Ausralian bush land I had experienced when compared with any other wedding venue I have visited.

The fun part about hosting a Idyll and Co wedding is the mode of transport the bride and her entourage gets to make use of to arrive at the ceremony! The owners of the venue actually makes the use of a little ride-on tractor available for anyone who wishes to make use of this unique feature which put a smile on everyones face as soon as they laid eyes on it!

Monique and Anthony’s ceremony itself was full of smiles and heartfelt vows, intermingled with personal anecdotes of funny times when they were dating and readings from close friends. You know you’re doing something right when emotion shows all everyone’s face!

Smiling groom 4

Bride arriving at Idyll & Co bed and breakfast

Idyll & Co bridal transport

bride about to walk down the aisle

groom looking on at bride

Bridal approach 5

Idyll & Co Wedding Ceremony 3

smiling bride 7

Wedding ceremony 8

Groom smiling at his bride

Idyll & Co Wedding Ceremony 2

Holding hands during wedding ceremony 2

Reading reader

Idyll & Co Wedding Ceremony

Bridesmaid emotions

Best man pulling rings out

Exchanging wedding bands at Idyll & Co wedding

Wedding ceremony at Idyll & Co

First kiss at Idyll & Co Wedding

Bridal exit at Wedding ceremony at Idyll & Co Wedding

Glamour Photos

I could have spent all day roaming the grounds taking Idyll and Co Wedding photos with Monique and Anthony! The grounds simply suit my style of wedding photography perfectly and in fact was a big reason apparently what Monique and Anthony had chosen me in the first place which is lovely to hear as I really try to bring in the surrounding details of the venue itself within my photography.

I like to point out to all my bridal couples that while I’m super passionate about wedding photography, I’ve also had past successes being an Australian reknowned landscape photographer, taking out numerous state and national awards for my work in other genres and I like to bring in that knowledge to create some unique wedding photography.

It was that uniqueness that drew Monique and Anthony to me, and they specifially stated on the day to make them as small as possible within the more ‘landscapey’ shots I was going to create for them, so hopefully they enjoy the shots I took! The Idyll and Co grounds was a perfect space to do this in too, with rolling hills, thick forests and even a pond to make use of; I had a blast!

Sitting on a fallen tree together

Sitting on a fallen tree together at Idyll & Co

In amongst the Idyll & Co forest

In amongst the Idyll & Co forest together

Bride and groom with bridal party amongst the trees

Bride and groom with bridal party amongst the trees 2

groomsmen flasks

Bridal party going for a ride

Bridal party at Idyll & Co

Bride and groom surrounded by pond

Groom surprising his bride 2

Amongst the tall trees at Idyll & Co

Amongst the tall trees at Idyll & Co 2

On the water’s edge together

Walking around the Idyll & Co grounds

Idyll & Co wedding photo

Cuddles in amongst the leaves

Bridal party with Idyll & Co bed and breakfast

Bride and groom at Idyll & Co bed and breakfast

Kisses between thebig trees

Walking about Idyll & Co’s forests

Walking about Idyll & Co’s forests 2

Sunset through the trees at Idyll & Co

Idyll & Co Wedding Reception

Monique and Anthony has set up a temporary gazebo to expand on the space of the nearby the small shed the venue has set up to host small parties, and up the hill, they had enlisted the help of Daisy Burger to cater their reception with their lovely burgers. My photobooth was also set up spitting out photos all night, and it was awesome to be a part of 🙂

The light faded fairly quickly during the night due to the overcast weather, meaning that some amazing light started to filter throughout the surrounding bushland. This made for a good opportunity to take a few more photos of the bridal party before everyone got too jovial, and I even coerced Monique and Anthony to traipse about in the darkness to take some spectacular shots nearby a gnarly old tree 🙂

bride and groom arriving at reception

bride and groom arriving in gazebo

Guests hanging out at Idyll & Co

Wedding cake under the tree

Cutting the wedding cake under a tree

Cutting the wedding cake under a tree 2

Groom cutting cake enthusiastically

Bride and bridal party together

Girls having a laugh

Groom and groomsmen together

Dip kiss

Speech Giver

Speech Giver 2

First dance near gazebo

First dance hugs on dance floor

Idyll & Co Wedding Photography

Wedding at Idyll & Co

Thanks so much to Monique and Anthony for having me be your phtoographer on your big day! Your was an amazing wedding to shoot and I hope you enjoy your photographs! 😀

November 8, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

The Manor Basket Range Wedding – Kate & John

It was such a joy to head back out for a big wedding after having South Australian COVID restrictions ease for weddings! I saw myself at The Manor Basket Range, a majestic wedding venue for Kate and Josh’s wedding on a stunningly sunny day; despite it still being winter!

it was a super fun day to be a part of, and I even met some long lost relatives as it turned out I was actually related to half of the guests somehow! Adelaide is such a small city, and it’s so much fun to meet people and head to weddings because of it!

Preparation

The day turned out to be a fairly long one for me, with Kate and her girls requesting I first meet them in Hahndorf while they were having their hair and makeup done early in the morning! Which was fine, it just emant I had to get up ealier 😛

I then head on over tot he bed and breakfast that John and his groomsmen were getting ready. I Unfortuately put my foot in it in the mornign and called John ‘Josh’ so much in the mornign that the boys just ran with it for the rest of the day as they found it pretty funny 😛 Sorry John!

The boys were all pretty laid back, having had a bit of a board game night the night before, and leasurely got ready – until it was time to put on their ties that is. Only one of them knew how to properly tie a tie so that took up most of the time I was there 🙂

The bed and breakfast boardered a farm with some llamas and featured a cubby house which we very much took advantage of.

Grooms watch on ties

Wedding rings on table

Grooms suit jacket

Belt and ties

Groom smiling while putting on cufflinks

Helping out with the ties

Smiling groomsman 3

Groom looking happy

Groom adjusting tie in window 2

Groomsmen joking about 2

Groom putting finishing touches on

Groom and groomsmen in cubby house 2

Once the girls had had their hair and makeup done in Hahndorf, they made their way to the Manor to put on their dresses and take a few shots helping Kate get into her wedding dress.

I made sure to make use of the amazing huge chandelier in the entrance lobby to the Manor to really put a bit of medieval flair to their preparation photos, as after all they were getting ready in a castle! Fun tidbit, the last time I was at a The Manor Basket range wedding was back when it was called Camelot castle.

The girsl got ready without much fuss, and made a point of having Kate’s Dad come in for a bit of a father daughter ‘first look’ as he had not seen his daugher in her wedding dress prior to the day. It’s always a lovely moment to share!

Wedding dress hanging illuminated by window

bride through doorway 2

Lacing up the wedding dress

Laughing bride in mirror

Medieval bride getting ready

bride overlooking chandelier

Bride standing in dark room

Close up of bride under veil 2

Bride being silly on shae lounge

Bride at The Manor Basket Range

Dad’s first look 3

Dad’s first look 4

The Manor Basket Range Wedding Ceremony

As a mentioned earlier, The Manor was once called ‘Camelot Castle’ due to the fact that it’s built in the image of a medieval castle, complete with a small stone chaple, snuggled amongst a garden and tall battlements along the top of the manor. In front of the chapel is usually where wedding ceremonies are held, and Kate and John’s was no exception.

One exceptional thing about Kate and John’s The Manor Basket Range wedding ceremony though was Kate’s surprise entrance flanked by 5 medieval knights in full battle armour! Apparently there were supposed to be 6, but one could not make it. They took up position behind the bridal party during the ceremony and formed a guard of hnour as it ended.

Another highlight of Kate and John’s ceremony was their hand fasting, which culminated quite cleverly in a ceremonial ‘tying of the knot‘ to mark their union.

bridal approach at The Manor Basket Range

Father and Bride walking together

bride during wedding ceremony 2

The Manor Basket range wedding Ceremony

Groom looking at his bride during the wedding ceremony

Hand Fasting ceremony 2

Best man with the rings

Exchanging wedding rings 5

The Manor Basket Range wedding ceremony in front of the chapel

Tieing the knot 2

The Manor Basket Range wedding ceremony 2

First kiss 5

Wedding ceremony in front of the chapel

bridal exit at The Manor Basket range

Medieval Tournament

Directly after the ceremony, the knights that formed an honour guard around Kate and John headed towards the grassy area in front of the Manor Basket range’s accomodation area to conduct a short tournament.

Kate was asked to select her ‘champion’ knight and attach her colours in the form of a handkerchief around the arm of her selected knight as what would have happened back in medieval times had a noble woman been watching. In this case it was the bride – the most important lady on the day!

It was a really neat spectical to witness, with the knights from Ironclad Academy really going at it and hitting each other wish some force! They were also really neat sporta about having photos with the bridal party and guests, and I even managed to get in for a shot!

As Kate and John had a bit of a Harry Potter theme going on in their reception, I also phtooshopped a bit of a cheesy Harry Potter photo where they were fending off the knights with magic. Bit silly 😛

Fighting Knights

Knight Fight

Knight tournament

Knight ready for a fight

Knight in front of bridal party

Fighting knights at The Manor Basket Range

Medieval Tournament at a wedding

Groomsmen with swords

Good looking guest

Grandma with sword

Grandma victorious

Bride and Groom standing over dead bodies

Harry Potter Wedding Photo

Glamour Photos

We then had some time to meander around the grounds and used the grounds to take some wonderful glamour phtoos of Kate, John and their bridal party.

The best time to take The Manor Bastket range wedding photos I found was certainly towards the end of the day, particularly as it was such a sunny day! The sun hides behind the nearby hills nicely to create quite a magical aura around the grounds to make some beautiful photos!

I also coerced Kate and John outside during their reception to make use fo the unique architecture the Manor offers!

Bridal party in the gardens

Kiss in front of the Manor Basket Range

In amongst the trees 2

Bridal party together in the trees

Having a bit of fun on their wedding day

Bride and groom in the castle gardens

Bride and groom in the castle gardens 2

Bride and groom in front of the manor basket range’s chapel

The Manor Basket range Wedding Photo

Birdal party acting out Charlies Angels

bride and groom in amongst the lights

Kiss under the lights

Bridal party on the foot bridge

Traditional wedding photo

Close up of engagement ring 2

The Manor Basket Range doorway photo

bride and Groom under the castle doorway

The Manor Basket Range Wedding Photo at night

The Manor Basket Range Wedding Reception

As the the COVID restirctions had eased before Kate and John’s wedding in South Australia, there were still plenty of rules to follow so that we minimised the risk of potentially spreading an infection. This included the banning of dancing on the dance floor, and drinking while standing throughout the night.

That being said though, I felt as though all of the guests respected these restrictions and really had a blast of a time anyway! The night really was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed my first large wedding back immensely!

Table setup

Nametag 2

Harry Potter wedding cake

Stein

Look its a camera!

Mobile phone video misconceptions about wedding videorgaphy

Mobile phone photo 2

Kiss through the crowd

Cutting the Harry Potter wedding cake

Crossing arms

Having fun 3

Kiss during first dance 2

Hugs from relative

First dance at The Manor Basket Range wedding

Shoe game 2

Thanks so much to Kate and John for having me photograph your The Manor Basket Range wedding! Hope you enjoy your photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

September 29, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Thorngrove Manor Wedding – Darren & Nahal

Darren & Nahal
Thorngrove Manor Wedding

I was super excited to head back to the picturesque Thorngrove Manor for Darren and Nahal’s intimate wedding in mid July as I hadn’t been back this marvellous spot for several years! It’s quite a rare thing to shoot a Thorngrove Manor wedding as the owners tend to like to keep the number of people on their property to a minimum – which is fair enough considering how amazing this place is!

It was a magical time Darren, Nahal and I had walking around this gem of a spot for their small, intimate wedding/elopement!

Preparation

My time with Darren and Nahal began with Nahal in amongst the stone-hewn chambers of the bed and breakfast’s Queen chamber of the Manor where Nahal was completing her makeup. While nerves weren’t showing too much just yet, as time drew nearer to make the walk through the garden towards her fiance, it became a bit more of a thing.

Darren and Nahal certainly made their whole tiny wedding quite an easy wedding to photograph though! With two very good looking people and a stunning location like Thorngrove Manor, it’s certainly one to show off!

Hanging Thorngrove Manor wedding dress

Wedding dress hanging in Thorngrove Manor

Engagement ring in box

Bride looking out window at Thorngrove Manor

Bride playing with bouquet at Thorngrove Manor

Bridal approach at her Thorngrove Manor wedding

Thorngrove Manor Wedding Ceremony

Where else to hold a Thorngrove Manor wedding ceremony but right in front of the majestic view that is the driveway leading to the front door of this marvellous house? Nahal walked swiftly the the waiting arms of her finance and their intimate little wedding ceremony began.

Perhaps I should refer to their wedding as an ‘elopement’ as due to the unfortunate events unfolding in the world at the moment due to COVID-19, Darren and Nahal opted to have in attendance only their suppliers – Nahal’s makeup artist, their celebrant and myself, while having the owners of the Thorngrove Manor bed and breakfast act as their witnesses. It was only due to the fact that they were staying the night that they were allowed to use the grounds for their ceremony.

Darren and Nahal had me also produce a ceremony video for them, alongside my usual 360 degree virtual reality video I produce so that their friends and family can relive their precious moment.

Groom watching his bride approach

Smiling groom during his ceremony

Smiling bride on her wedding day

Exchanging wedding bands

Groom looking at his bride

Thorngrove Manor wedding ceremony

Standing together in the sunlight

First kiss at Thorngrove Manor wedding ceremony

Thorngrove Manor Wedding Photos

As their wedding ceremony took place at 4pm, we had around 1 hour to meander around the Thorngrove Manor grounds and make use of it’s manicured beauty for photos. As I had shot here in the past I knew what would and would not work so I devised a little itinerary of where we should go and when.

Despite having forecast to be overcast and rather dreary, the weather was absoutely delightful for Darren and Nahal’s photoshoot. The sun was shining and made for a lovely golden glow through the trees. We did however wait until the sun was a little lower before we took some ‘money shots’ of the Manor’s main keep in the background as it tends to really shine bright in the sun.

I can certainly spend hours using the manor as a backdrop for wedding photos, but unfortunately all good things have to come to an end!

Before I left, Darren and Nahl were sitting down for a lovely looking home-cooked meal, surrounded by the medieval splendor that only Thorngrove Manor can put on show! It looked to be a supurbly romantic evening!

bride and groom looking on as the registry is signed

Bride and groom looing at each other bathed in light

Engagement ring in red bouquet

Wedding rings on slab

bridal couple in amongst the gardens

Bridal couple just married in the garden

Bridal couple holding one another surrounded by greenery

Thorngrove Manor bed and breakfast wedding couple

having some fun at Thorngrove Manor together

in front of the interesting architecture at Thorngrove Manor

Thorngrove Manor wedding couple

Thorngrove Manor wedding couple in front of front door

Thorngrove Manor Portrait

Leaning in for a kiss at Thorngrove Manor

Stained glass windows at Thorngrove Manor

Through the harp at Thorngrove Manor

Thorngrove Manor

Thorngrove Manor wedding photography

bridal couple under the arch

Bridal couple holding one another

Bridal couple on the balcony together

Thorngrove Manor’s main tower

Bridal couple enjoying Thorngrove Manor

Thorngrove Manor wedding at sunset

Bride and groom in the Thorngrove Manor chambers

Congratulations to Darren and Nahl on their wonderful Thorngrove manor wedding / elopement! I’d like to thank you guys so much for having me as your wedding photographer as I had an absolute blast!

August 3, 2020

Engagement, PhotoShoot

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Engagement Shoot – Olivia & Dimitri

It wasn’t the nicest day to go out and do a photo shoot out and about high in the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens, but I’m so glad Olivia and Dimitiri were keen to head out anyway as the colours you can get here are just incredible! Also the rising mist from early in the morning just made the feeling of their engagement photos that much more surreal!

Olivia and Dimitri were umming and ering over where to go for their photoshoot, thinking maybe a beach, or the Belair National Park but in the end were very keen on heading to the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens, mainly due to it was where Dimitri had originally proposed.

As this engagement shoot was happening only a few weeks after when they were supposed to be married, I thought this was quite appropriate! Olivia and Dimitri had had to postpone their wedding due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Once a location was chosen, I really wanted to make use of the lovely light either in the late afternoon for the golden hour, or early morning.

We ended up getting up early on the freezing morning for the gates to open at 8:30 as the COVID-19 restrictions had just been lifted and we expected the Botanic Gardens to be packed with people trying to get out and about a bit! The early start, coupled with the drizzly weather meant we had the whole Gardens to ourselves.

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Engagement Shoot

We began our photoshoot walk at the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens lower carpark, nearby the dam wall. Our first reaction when arriving was that we were super lucky to still have some colours in the autumn leaves that made these botanic gardens so magical! I was kind of hoping to get a bit of fog into their photos, but it was fast rising.

We quickly hopped up the nearby hill to make use of some trees that were losing their leaves, then head down to the water’s edge as I wanted to use my favourite tree in all of the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens, but unfortunately it had already lost all it’s leaves 🙁

Laughing through the red leaves

Walking along the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens dam

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Autumn colours

Cuddles by the water

Close up of engagement ring

Holding one another at the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

Walking together in the Autumn colours

Olivia and Dimitri certainly made it easy as their carefree attitude was present all throughout the photoshoot and they had plenty of smiles on their faces!

We then head across the dam, which I feel is always an awesome shot to get, making the couple feel as though they are out in the middle of nowhere on ther path way. It’s a very tricky shot to get though as usually the dam walkway is always full of dozens of other people walking across!

Walking along the Mt Lofty Botanic Dam

Couple on the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Dam

The big draw of the Botanic Gardens are the wonderfully vivid autumnal colours you can get at this time of year, and thankfully we were able to capture some before they all fell from the trees. The colours, coupled with the misty morning really made for some wonderful scenes!

I had a blast taking photos with Olivia and Dimitri during this weather, but it’s so rare to get a couple to get up this early and head out in bad weather like this! 🙂

Just have a ook at the types of unique scenes you can get in weather like this! from fog, to muted autumnal colours!@ It’s a great time to take photos! Just not so great if you want to stay snug and warm :/

Couple under the yellow leaves

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Bridge

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens in winter

Couple under the orange trees

Laughing and playing

Hugs under the yellow leaves

Walking together with the mist

Hugs under the maple leaves

Looking at the camera under the maple leaves

Looking at a flower

I’d like to thank Olivia’s sister in law Thalia whose engagement shoot had been given to them by her mother for giving Olivia and Dimitri their engagement shoot! It’s always nice to know that people appreciate their photos so much they have their family and friends also have their photos taken with me! 🙂

May 31, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

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 looking in mirror

Groom and groomsmen on road

Groom putting on tie

Father of the groom

Groom getting ready

Groom putting on jacket

Groomsman helping out

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!

Bridal party helping bride get ready

Bride holding bouquet as she gets ready

laughing birdesmaids

bride getting ready smiling

engagement ring in bouquet

bride getting her hair done

wow a ring!

hanging wedding dress

Bride looking pretty in wedding dress

bridal party in mirror

Rear of wedding dress

Smiling bride as she gets ready

Bridal party in kimonos under tree

bridal jewellery

smiling bridesmaid as she helps

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 🙂

Bride and groom standing together in forest

Belair National Park wedding photo 3

Belair National Park wedding photography

Walking together in the garden

Close up portrait

Belair National Park wedding photo 2

Bride and groom walking together

bride and groom standing in the Belair National park

Bride and groom dancing

Belair National Park wedding photo

Bride and groom standing in the sun

Wedding photo in the Old Government House garden

Bridal party photo at old government house

Leaning against a lamp post

Bride and groom in an embrace

Standing together under a tree

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!