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The Manor Basket Range Wedding – Kate & John

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  • Kate & John

    The Manor Basket Range Wedding

    bride and groom in amongst the lights

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 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!

Thorngrove Manor Wedding – Darren & Nahal

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  • Darren & Nahal

    Thorngrove Manor Wedding

    Bridal couple just married in the garden

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!

Mt Lofty House Couple’s Shoot – Zoe & Shannon

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  • Zoe & Shannon

    In the garden

 

Mt Lofty House Couple’s Shoot

It was a delightfully sunny day for Zoe and Shannon’s Mt Lofty House Couple’s shoot where we wandered about the grounds of Mt Lofty House and a bit of the nearby Botanic Gardens on the anniversary of when they first met 🙂 It was a lovely tradition it looks like they’ve begun for their anniversary and I was delighted to be a part of it!

The unfortunate thing about the day was that a bit of the grounds of Mt Lofty House was under construction so I couldnt use all of the wonderful gardens and sights available, but we made do as much as we could. The sun was quite intense at times, but it made walking about outside all the more comfortable and certainly not as cold as it can be on top of the hill!

We began outside nearby the vine-encrusted coach house to use the lovely textures the vines and brickwork make, but standing out in the sun diddnt make for the most flattering shadows, so we moved inside to use the library and front door of Mt Lofty House. The house is always a great backdrop for some lovely, classy and moody portraits.

The garden was our next stop, wandering around while I was trying to replicate a couple of shots Zoe had given me as inspiration, before heading off to the upper entrance to the Botanic Park where we finished off.

On the couch
Checlers
On the Mt Lofty House Stairway
In the Mt Lofty House Doorway
In the Mt Lofty House Doorway
Narnia
Smiles
Hugs
Looking pretty
Looking suave
Walking about
In the garden
In the garden
Piggyback ride
Piggyback ride
Amongst the trees
Secret flower
Picnic
Hugs

Thanks go out to Zoe and Shannon for having me capture their love!

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Engagement Shoot – Olivia & Dimitri

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  • Olivia & Dimitri

    Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Engagement Shoot

    Hugs under the maple leaves

 

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 🙁

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens Autumn colours
Holding one another at the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
Cuddles by the water
Laughing through the red leaves
Walking along the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens dam
Close up of engagement ring
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! 🙂

Mt Lofty House Wedding – Kate & Matt

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  • Kate & Matt

    Mt Lofty House Wedding

    In front of the coach house

Kate and Matt travelled all the way from Sydney to have their wedding at the lovely Mt Lofty House, while the majority of their guests also travelled from places like Singapore, Egypt and other countries! You could tell by the guest list that the coming together of such a far flung family was a very special occurrence so I was so excited to be Kate and Matt’s wedding photographer!

Te only drawback to the day was the unfortunate weather which caused the location of their ceremony to be moved indoors, along with the family photos, and also forced the glamour shots around the gardens to be a little rushed. But this little set back couldn’t wipe the smiles off of Kate and Matt’s faces!

Preparation

The day started for me at Matt’s place of preparation at a delightful bed and breakfast nearby. The stunningly decorated house was surrounded by autumnal leaves hanging from some wonderful trees which we made sure to make use of in the photos! One of Matt’s groomsmen was running a bit late, but we managed to grab a shot together before I had to head off to Kate’s place of preparation.

Laughing
Wedding shoes
Walking
Hugs
Grooms party minus one
Putting on tie
Getting ready
Waiting
Wedding rings
Grooms party minus one
Putting on tie
Dancing
Getting ready
Walking about
Looking out window

Kate was being prepared in the Gatekeeper’s cottage at Mt Lofty House. It’s a nice little house suited for little romantic getaways, but with 15 odd people walking about here, the place was a little cramped 🙂 It does make for some nice shots around corners and through doorways though. While Kate was getting ready, it started to rain unfortunately so the ceremony was moved indoors.

Laughing
Engagement ring
Wedding dress
Bridesmaids helping
Bridesmaids helping
Looking in mirror
Buttoning up dress
Putting on veil
Getting ready
Putting on flower
Looking pretty
Dad looking on
Looking in mirror
Helping out
Bridesmaids helping
Putting on flower
Looking in mirror
Makeup chair
Looking pretty

Mt Lofty House Wedding Ceremony

Kate and Matt’s guestlist was around 100 people, so moving the ceremony indoors was not too much of an issue in regards to space as Mt Lofty House has a large enough area to hold both their reception and a ceremony. It did cause both the videographer and I to be a little stuck sometimes, but it wall worked out 🙂

Groom’s chest
Wedding sign
Bridal approach
Tearing up groom
Priest
Speech
Listening
Listening
Holding hands
Laughing
Laughing
Vows
Vows
Exchanging wedding rings
First kiss
First kiss
Married!
Holding hands
Kisses
Kisses
Exit

Glamour Photos

After the (seemingly) several hundred family photos we took in the grand library that takes center place within the house, we made as much use of the Mt Lofty House gardens as we could before feeling the weather and having enough time for Kate to touch up her makeup before entering their reception party.

Under the trees
Under the trees
Leaning on the old wall
In front of the coach house
In front of the coach house
Under the trees
In front of the coach house
The doorway of Mt Lofty House
In front of the coach house
Kisses
Walking around the coach house
Looking dapper
On the staircase
The doorway of Mt Lofty House

Mt Lofty House Wedding Reception

Kate and Matt’s reception party was delightful mixture of customs and traditions from all over the world. We held a Chinese toast or ‘Yum Sing’, while also enjoying Egyption dancing and then of course the first dance and bouquet tossing. The night was awesome to be a part of and I had a great time while photographing and also manning the photo booth.

Dancing Guest
Bouquet Toss
Dancing Groom
Table setting
Dancing guests
Dancing guests
Dancing guests
Wedding Cake
Entrance
First Dance
Entrance
Bouquet Toss
Daddy Daughter Dance
Speech
Cutting the cake
Photobooth Props
Yum SIng
Daddy Daughter Dance
Speeches

Night Time Shots

During the night we went for a bit of a walk to make use of the unique fog opportunities we had that night in some night time shots 🙂

Mt Lofty House Doorway at night
Kiss in the fog
Lamp Post
Kiss in the fog

Thanks so much to Kate and Matt for having me on your day and I hope your other ceremonies around the world are as much fun as the one you held at the Mt Lofty House! 😀 #kateisgettingknighted