The Cedars Wedding – Sara & Zac

May 18, 2022/in Wedding preview, Wedding

Sara & Zac
The Cadars Wedding

Sara and Zac’s The Cedars wedding could not have taken place on any better day for the weather, and the incredible light that seeped it’s way through the trees!

It had been a while since I was last at the Hans Heysen House, or The Cedars as it’s now called for a wedding – and I had very much been looking forward to shooting here again as I knew that for a wedding venue, the gardens here literally inspired one of the defining Australian Artists in Hans Heysen.

Preparation

When hosting a wedding at The Cedars, it’s not unsual to take advantage of the package deals that The Haus group offers. The Haus group now being the custodian of the Cedars wedding venue also runs quite a few spots around the historic town of Hahndorf, including accomodation, and places to hold receptions – like The Haus Restaurant.

Sara and Zac were preparaed at one such hotel, and then held their reception at The Haus – which was all very convenient as everything was very nearby and travel time between locations was minimal for everyone involved. Particularly good in a tourist town like Hahndorf on a Saturday!

Sara’s preparation was a quick affair with me trying top hang her dress in a nearby tree first, then her bridesmaids came and helped her put it on – it was all done within 30 minutes.

Engagement ring in large orange flower

Wedding dress hanging on large tree trunk

Bride’s family out the door

Bridesmaids helping bride in hotel room

Bridesmaids helping smiling bride

Bridesmaids helping smiling bride on deck

Smiling bride on htoel room deck

bride holding bouquet in double doorway

Bride laughing with bridesmaids

The Cedars Wedding Ceremony

The first time I saw Zac was in front of his arbour set up within the bushiest part of The Cedars’ gardens so that all their wedding guests would be shaded from the sun.

Sara and Zac’s dog was a centre piece for their whole day so I made sure to get a few nice photos of their fur baby before he was taken home!

Sara and Zac’s wedding ceremony itslf was a lovely, simple affair with a few readings being read by family and friends, and emotional vows from the two of them, helped along by ample pats of their lovely doggo!

Black dog in bowtie

Arbour set up at The Cedars wedding

Groom waiting by Arbour at his The Cedars wedding

bride arriving at her The Cedars wedding

Grooms first look at the cedars

The Cedars wedding ceremony

bride holding bouquet during wedding ceremony

Groom looking and his bride just before the ceremony starts

The Cedars wedding ceremony Hahndorf

bride and groom holding hands under arbour at The Cedars

Bride and groom during The Cedars wedding ceremony

First kiss at The Cedars wedding

The Cardars wedding ceremony bride and groom

Singing the registry in the sunlight

Bride and groom exiting The Cedars wedding ceremony

Wedding Party in heart shape at The Cadars wedding Hahndorf

Glamour Photos

After the group photos were taken on the large, grassy area just behind where The Cedars wedding ceremony was set up, we used the beautiful natural lighting that was peering through the trees to amplify the Autumnal colours from the trees. Honestly, this spot was a joy to photograph in due to the way the sun was behaving and the colours on the trees – it was all just stunning!

sara had made it clear to me that they had chosen me as their wedding photographer mainly due to how I’m able to incorperate nature and the l;andscape into my work, so this was just perfect for what I do best!

We were planning on heading up the road a little to make use of the Mt Barker rail tunnel, but the sun was fading quite fast, and I figured the best use of the remaining sunlight was really to stay at The Cedars – and maybe use some of the Autumnal colours on display on the Hahndorf Main street before heading in for their reception.

Black Dog Portrait

Bride and groom under autumn colours

The Cedars wedding Photography

Bridal party under the autumnal colours

bride and groom walking their dog through The Cedars

Bride and groom looking back at camera on bench

Bride and groom through foliage in the gardens of The Cedars

Bride and groom standing in amongst the garden

Bride and groom standing in amongst the sunlight

Bride and groom against tree in The Cedarts wedding garden

Bridal party walking along dirt path

Bridal aprty next to old stone wall

Bride and groom walking throguh long grass together

Bride and groom in the grass

Bridal party in the long grass

Bride and groom with old building in background

Wedding rings in sunlight

Bride and groom looking at one another under lights

bride and groom surrounded by Autumn colours

Bride and groom looking out onto main road in Hanhdorf

Bride and groom with smoke and Autumn colours

The Haus Wedding Reception

After taking ample The Cedars wedding photos, we head back to the main street of Hahndorf for Sara and Zac’s reception at the Haus restaurant where I had already set up my photobooth prior to their day starting.

Their night was full of fun filled people, happy to be there, celebrating Sara and Zac’s special day, and the photobooth got a good workout during the rest fo the night!

Bridal kiss through cheers

Place name for guests

Cupcake wedding cake

Thumbs up wedding guests

Guests enjoying the photo booth

First dance at the Haus

First dance at the Haus bride

Dancing

Cutting their wedding cake

Feeding each other wedding cake

Thanks so much to Sara and Zac for having me shoot at your Hans Heysen – The Cedars wedding! Was a great day and I hope you enjoy the resulting photos!

Beach Huts Middleton Wedding – Sarah & Tom

February 27, 2021/in Wedding preview, Wedding

Sarah & Tom
Beach Huts Middleton Wedding

Sarah and Tom’s Beach Huts Middleton wedding was a delightfully intimate family affair with the focus being on enjoying themselves with their friends and family without ducking out too much to have photos taken. Due to this Sarah and Tom opted to have their glamour photos done before their ceremony at the nearby Middleton beach which was super busy due to the warm weather!

Middleton Beach First Look

While I’ve called their photoshoot beforehand a ‘first look‘ truth was that Sarah and Tom both arrived together so that whole idea of getting over the nerves with a first look photoshoot had already been done that morning :). All Sarah and Tom were really after were a couple of nice photos together without having to spend too much time away from their family and friends at the Beach Huts Middleton.

So after they arrived about 30 mins late due to usual wedding morning shenanigans, Sarah and Tom only had about half the amount of time originally allocated to have their photos done – but it was plenty of time to walking up the Middleton beach board walk and walk about the beach a bit. A bit of photoshop was required to remove all the other beachgoers though!

Walking the steps at Middleton Beach

Standing above Middleton Beach

Surprising his bride

Walking up the sand dunes

Spinning aorund

Walking along Middleton beach together

Bride and groom under a cloud

A bird flys over the bride and groom

Bride and groom walking along Middleton beach

Close up of Brides hands

Bride and groom standing together above Middleton beach

Beach Huts Middleton Wedding Ceremony

As is usually the case with a Beach Huts Middleton Wedding, Sara and Tom opted to hold their ceremony on the grassy area nearby the tennis courts, surrounded by the delightful little beach huts which the venue gets it’s name from.

While Sarah and Tom had opted to do thir photoshoot beforehand, they still did the traditional bridal entrance where she walked down the aisle with father on one arm and veil covering her face before approaching her soon to be husband.

The ceremony was a lovely, simple affair spearheaded by vows full of in jokes and funny anecdotes of the couple’s lives together.

Wedding sign at Beach Huts Middleton

Groom arriving at ceremony

groom waiting patiently for the bride to show

bride walking out Beach Huts Middleton

bridal arrival at the beach huts middleton

Groom look at his bride as she walks towards him

Beach huts middleton wedding ceremony

Groom smiling at his bride at Middleton

Beach Huts Middleton wedding congregation

Bride and groom under archway

Smiling bride during her wedding ceremony

Middleton beach huts wedding ceremony on the grass

Beach Huts Middleton wedding ceremony on the grass

Bride giving wedding band

First kiss at Beach Huts Middleton

Bridal escape

Reception

After the ceremony and before heading to the Blue’s restaurant on site at the Beach Huts Middleton for the evening reception, Sarah and Tom hosted a laid back afternoon reception for their guests which they were keen to be a part of.

The afternoon was full of lawn games, having fun with friends, and a couple of guests even picked up the tennis racquets and tried to hit my camera 😛 Every now and again I might catch Sarah and Tom and pull them aside for a quick photo, but I was aware they diddnt want to leave their friends and family for too long 🙂

The reception within Blues restaurant consited of a nice sit down dinner, with simple addons like a photobooth in the corner run by ‘In the Booth’, a kareoke machine set up as the DJ and Tom acted as his own MC – even going as far as announcing himself and Sarah as they entered the building!

It was a beautifully fun filled afternoon with plenty of lovely people laughing, playing and having a great time being together to celebrate this lovely couple’s love for one another.

Sunder the sun at Beach Huts Middleton

Having fun with the bride’s veil

Walking along the road at Beach Huts Middleton

Wedding bands on fence post

Talking best man

Engagement ring in the flowers

Guest playing lawn games

Boys being silly

Sarah looking pretty

Bride and groom amongst the roses

Guests playing games

Guest playing tennis

groom talking to guests

Guest playing lawn games

Laughing guests

Wedding reception table flowers

Flowers at wedding reception

Groom MCing own wedding

Bridal couple entrance to reception

Groom celebrating entrance

Bride and groom in the photobooth

Guests having fun

Guests out the front of Blues Restaurant

Little girl dancing to the music

Thanks so much to Sarah and Tom for having me capture their delightful Beach Huts Middleton Wedding for them! I had a blast taking the photos and I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did taking them! Cheers!

Crabtree Farm Wedding – Sarah & Elten

March 8, 2021/in Wedding preview, Wedding

Sarah & Elten
Crabtree Farm Wedding

It’s a bunch of fun heading to wedding venues that you’ve never heard of before – and Sarah and Elten’s Crabtree Farm wedding was one such occasion! I was actually really surprised I had not heard of this place sooner as it’s a delightful little rustic venue, suitable for small, intimate weddings such as Sarah and Elten’s!

Apparently the owner wanted to keep the venue a bit of a secret and not advertise it too much, but here I am to showcase this delightful spot just out of Goolwa for all to see!

Preparation

Sarah and Elten opted to have me cover their wedding for a short wedding package of only 3 hours, so I began the day with a quick trip to the on-site bed and breakfast Crabtree Farm has set up for their bridal couples to cover Sarah getting ready. The bed and breakfast was once a barn of come description, so the rustic walls, and farm decor strewn around the place really made made for a real rustic vibe.

We made good use of the setting by hanging Sarah’s dress from the rafters, and made sure to use the natural light streaming in the windows to accent the charm of the old barn.

Little boy putting on tie

Hanging wedding dress in shed

Helping bride get ready

Engagement ring in Australian flowers

bride looking at her bouquet

bride in the rooms at Crabtree Farm

Bride and page boy

Crabtree Farm Wedding Ceremony

When holding a Crabtree Farm wedding, it looks as though the owners have purposely built a little area, complete with chapel for congregations to muster and share the celebrations in a secluded and private area that isn’t too far away from the reception area.

The fun thing I found was apparently when holind g a Crabtree farm wedding you also get the use the on site rustic car that the owner has to run about in. It’s an old rusted out car that oozes rustic charm in it’s own right!

Sarah and Elten’s ceremony was a lovely, simple affair with their children helping out in parts acting as both the bridal party and page boys before heading back to celebrate with their guests.

Homemade wedding sign

Crabtree farm wedding vehicle

bridal approach at Crabtree Farm wedding

Grooms first look at Crabtree farm

Wedding ceremony in front of little chapel

Bride looking at groom during wedding ceremony

Crabtree farm wedding chapel

Kids watching the wedding ceremony

bride and groom looking at each other during the ceremony

Crabtree Farm wedding ceremony

Crabtree Farm wedding ceremony chapel

Groom looking at his bride at Crabtree Farm wedding

Exchanging wedding bands in front of little chapel

First kiss at Crabtree farm

Crabtree Farm wedding Goolwa

Glamour Photos

For glamour photos we made use of our time walking about the farm, through a nice little walkway lined with green vines, to a horse paddock, and even climbing up a grassy knell to make use of the dead grass in the foreground of the photos.

There are old buildings all over the place, along with delightfully shaped trees and quiet roads to make use of creating a nice variety of photos, with out having too much of the same thing.

family photo in the walkway

Holding one another in the walkway of trees

Bridal couple at Crabtree Farm

bridal couple through the foliage at Crabtree farm

Sneaking up on the bride

brided and groom next to wedding car

Close up of bouquet on ground

bride and groom with the horses

Bride on a grassy hill

bride and groom on the top of a grassy hill

Crabtree farm wedding photo

Holding hands on walk back to reception

Bride and groom in doorway at Crabtree farm

Bride and groom taking it easy

Holding one another in the ivy

Under a large tree on the grounds of Crabtree Farm

Crabtree Farm wedding tree photo

Crabtree Farm Wedding Reception

The Crabtree Farm wedding reception area is a short walk up the road, on the other side fo the private residence – (which we also asked nicely to use as there was an awesome tree within the fence!).

The reception area is as intimate and private as the ceremony area, with the grassy area lined with fencing on one side and old buildings on the other. The setting is small, without feeling closed in – it was a really nice little set up!

Sarah and Elten opted to use this time to have their family photos done here as we had not done them yet, and I was thankful they opted to, as the delightful old buildings made for a nice backdrop.

Bridal family entrance

Fruit on a stick

Wedding pillows

bride and groom reflection

Wedding cake on display

Crabtree farm wedding reception

Groom with guests

Bride with guest

Homemade wedding sign

Thanks so much Sarah and Elten for having me cover your Crabtree Farm wedding as your wedding phtoographer! I had a lovely time and I look forward to creating your wedding album!

Serafino Wines Wedding – Claire & Arron

March 26, 2021/in Wedding preview, Wedding

Claire & Arron
Serafino WInes Wedding

It was a delightfully sunny day in early January for Claire and Arron’s Serafino Wines wedding in Mclaren Vale! It was great to see Claire and Arron again after having shot their incredible engagement shoot on a private farm near Mt Compass.

Their day was laid back, relaxed but still full of fun, joy and a tonne of little surpises that just made their whole day great!

Preparation

I started the day as I usually do with the groom and his groomsmen getting ready at their house in Seaford Heights. The atmosphere was jovial with the boys all having a bit of fun while getting prepared.

Arron’s parents were on hand to help out with tieing ties and putting on cufflinks which is always nice to have for photos!

Wedding rings on table top

Wedding bands on grooms shoes

Grooms cufflinks

Groom putting on tie in front of window

Grooms dad helping out

Mum helping out with groomsmen ties

close up of cufflinks on shirt

best man helping groom get ready

groomsmen huddle on road

Groom looking swish

Groom walking out front door

Claire and her bridemaids were being prepared together in one of the Serafino winery’s rooms as part of their accomodation offering. It’s a super convenient perk to be able to be prepared on site of your wedding venue as it cuts down on travel time and any chance of being late!

The atmosphere with the girls was equally as laid back as the boys, but if I were to choose who was showing more nerves, it would have to have been Arron! He was seento have been pacing a little bit checking his watch at the altar before the ceremony began. 🙂

engagement ring perched amongst the flowers

Wedding dress hanging in werafino wines window

Engagement ring in box

Happy Brides mum

Bridal party in gowns

Reaching for the wedding dress

Pretty bride holding bouquet

Bridesmaids helping put on wedding dress next to window

Bridesmaids helping put on wedding dress

Nervously clutching fingers

bride looking out window as she gets ready

Bridesmaid helping with lacing up wedding dress

Dad’s first look of his daughter

Bride ready to goto her ceremony

Bride through the window

Serafino Wines Wedding Ceremony

Claire and Arron’s Serafino Wines wedding ceremony took place were it usually does at Serafino winery – under a big gum tree backdropped by a delightful lake. The area boasts a huge manicured grassy area suited for any size of congregation.

Their ceremony was presided over by a priest, but much of the time was taken up by readings and speeches written by guests who could not attend due to COVID restrictions, but instead read out by a member of the bridal party – which was a nice touch. We were also blessed to have a nice little reading from Claire’s Mum after the first kiss.

What I thought was really cool though was the fact that Claire being a music teacher – her students were invited to come out and provide the background music for her bridal approach and exit, which was really awesome! And what was even more awesome was Claire’s choice of song! Disney’s Tangled theme song ‘I see the Light‘.

Holding up the wedding sign

Groom waiting patiently for his bride

bride being walked to ceremony by her father

Grooms first look of bride through fathers brim

Smiling groom during wedding ceremony

Serafino wines wedding ceremony

Speech during wedding ceremony by bridesmaid

Serafino wines wedding tree

Serafino wines wedding ceremony from side

Smiling bride looking at her groom

Exchanging wedding rings at Serafino wines wedding

Under the arbour at Serafino Wines

Priest blessing the couple during their wedding ceremony

First kiss at serafino wines wedding ceremony

Head butt

Mum giving speech

Hugs as the bridal couple exits

Serafino wines wedding exit

Glamour Photos

Hosting a Serafino wines wedding ceremony means that you can make the most of what Mclaren vale has to offer in regards to vineyards, Australian bush land and histroic buildings. As a Mclaren Vale wedding venue, Serafino has it all.

After the usual family photos, Claire Arron and I went for a bit of a walk around the lake with their bridal party for some group shots, before heading out by ourselves for some more intimate scenes amongst the vineyards.

As the weather was very sunny, I attempted to keep Claire and Arron away from the direct sunlight as much as possible in order to produce some lovely photography without too much int he way of overblown highlights and harsh shadows.

before heading back into the main reception hall to be announced as bride and groom, we were lucky enough to be able to use the old Serafino wines cellar door which is always packed with a pleasing amount of wine barrels that makes for a lovely backdrop!

Bride and groom surrounded by the veil

bride and groom under the veil

Sweeping veil in the wind

bridal couple kiss under gum tree

Bridal couple portrait

Bridal couple amongst the trees at Serafino WInes

Bridal couple amongst the trees at Serafino Wines wedding

Bridal party on the log

Hiding groom in trees

Surprising the bride

bride and groom amongst the Serafino wines vineyard

bride and groom amongst the sunny Serafino wines vineyard

hugs in the serafino wines vineyard

Serafino wines wedding photo

Serafino wines wedding photo in barrel room

Serafino wines wedding photo in barrel room 2

Serafino WInes Wedding Reception

Claire and Arron’s Serafino wines wedding reception was a blast to be a part of! Along with having my photobooth running all night, they also had a wonderful acoustic guitar band who also acted as their DJs.

The speeches that were said were very entertaining, with each one being quite fun – in particular one by one of Claire’s bridesmaids that was set to music and party sung! Check out the end of their wedding highlight video above for that!

Claire and Arron also played a pretty unique wedding game, which was a bit of a different take on the shoe game, but in this case it was the guests who were answering the questions about the bride and groom’s relationship. For example the bridesmaid would ask the guests a question such as ‘Who said I love you first?’ and the guests would hold up a stick for either the bride or groom corresponding who they thought was the correct answer. Was a bit of fun!

Wedding cake on barrel

Bride and groom entrance at Serafino wines wedding

Cutting the cake

Serafino wines wedding party table

Speech

bridal couple speech

Wedding game

First dance at serafino wines wedding

Photobooth prints

Guests leaning on the bar

Dancing guests at Serafino wines

Bride and groom dancing amongst guests

Serafino wines wedding dancefloor

kiss

dancing bride

dancing bride with guests

Bridal exit under archway

Thanks so much to Claire and Arron for having me shoot your wedding photography! I had a blast and hopefully you love your photos as much as I enjoyed being a part of your big day!

Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club Wedding – Amy & Brendon

April 2, 2021/in Wedding preview, Wedding

Amy & Brendon
Brighton and Seacliff yacht club

After a few false starts due to the unfortunate effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had, Amy and Brendon finally held their Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club Wedding on an overcast day in early February.

I had been looking forward to being Amy and Brendon’s wedding photographer for quite a while, having learnt much more about this couple than many others due to them having me also produce their RSVP website, writing and reading about their relationship on there – although the wedding ended up being held at a different venue.

The day was filled with fun, lovely people to be around and they all certainly turned it up a notch later at night on the dance floor!

Preparation

My day began with Brendon and his groomsmen being prepared with his parents and their ‘best dog’ which diddnt seem too keen on me that morning! Wasnt too sure about the flashing camera.

The atmosphere was jovial, with brendon running about trying to be as helpful as he can be to everyone there – perhaps to try to cover any nerves he was feeling that morning? 🙂