Tag Archive for: adelaide

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Auchendarroch House Wedding – Emma & Stephen

Emma and Stephen’s wedding at Auchendarroch house in Mt Barker was the coming together of two people who went through quite a bit in order to keep a world-spanning long distance relationship alive!

As soon as he was able due to COVID restrictions, Stephen flew to Australia, all the way to Virginia  to meet and marry his sweetheart to the tune of the Portal theme music and their celebrant re enacting certain lines from Lord of the Rings 🙂

It was good to see this couple again as I had met them not too long ago during their enagagement shoot at the Belair Train Station.

Auchendarroch House Wedding Ceremony

As Stephen had travelled from Virginia, many of his family were still back in the United States , meaning that having a live stream set up was quite important to both Emma and Stephen in order to include those who could not attend. They not only had my free livestream, but also a much more elaborate setup which left nothing to chance!

As I mentioned earlier, their celebrant was asked to have a little fun during their ceremony by putting on voices and reciting lines from The Princess Bride – which made everyone giggle.

After the ceremony, they retreated into a back room to have a proper chat with Stephen’s family back home via facetime.

Glamour Photos

Emma and Stepehen’s Glamour photos were taken in and around the Auchendarroch house grounds, not straying too far away as they wanted to spend as much time as possible with their family and friends. As their wedding took place in the morning, their glamour photos were taken at around midday, which most phtographers would cry about due to the harsh shadows on display at this time of day – but we managed to keep out of the sun for the most part

The inside areas of this old manor is gloriously ornate which makes for some very opulent scenes when moving some furniture around. The less in the photos the better, as the architecture can really do the talking in a place like this. I love the windows, and curtains which I used quite a bit to frame Emma and Stephen being all romantic with one another, which is always good fun!

The gardens out the front of the house is also awesome to use, even in the midday sunlight, as the trees available block out most of the light and their leaves make for nice framing devices for a nice composition.

Auchendarroch House Wedding Reception

Emma and Stephen’s lunch time reception was a nice laid back affair, scored by some wonderful music played by a band of young musicians. I made sure to record some of the music in order to use in the background of Emma and Stephen’s highlight film. It’s always a bit of fun hearing music like the portal theme song being played at a wedding!

The afternoon came to an end when Emma threw her bouquet to the waiting group out on the lawn – twice as some of the guys were running about messing things up 🙂

Thanks so much to Emma and Stephen for having me be your wedding photographer – I hope you enjoy the resulting photos!

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Chapel Hill Winery Wedding – Sandi & Daniel

Sandi and Daniel’s Chapel Hill WInery wedding took place on a gloriously sunny day overlooking the vineyards of this picturesque winery nestled amongst the Mclaren Vale wine district. It’s a wedding venue I had not ventured to before Sandi and Daniel’s wedding, despite being very familiar with Mclaren Vale wedding venues, and I certainly enjoyed the experience!

 

Preparation

After having set up the photobooth for later, I met with Daniel and his best man who had opted to make use of a rather convenient little room at the Chapel Hill Winery restreat area – which is also where their wedding ceremony and reception were to take place. It was quite a surprise finding a little self contained unit attached to the main reception hall – but all the more convenient for Daniel!

While Daniela nd his best man were being prepared, they were also able to over see the finishing touches of the florist and other suppliers who were buzzing about setting everything up.

Sandi, along with her mother and maid of honour were being prepared a short walk away at the guest house. It’s neat little set up actually as the bride can walk straght up the walkway and begin the wedding ceremony later on – all very convenient.

The guest house is a large, wooden clad cabin which made for some lovely ambient light bouncing about the place off the wood, while there are some fun spots for photos like the stained glass window within the dining room and the long, dark corridoor where the bedrooms are.

The highlight of the morning was the father’s first look of Sandi as she walked down the stairs!

Chapel Hill Winery Wedding Ceremony

Sandi and Daniel’s Chapel Hill Winery wedding ceremony took place on the grassy area just below the Chapel Hill retreat building, which allowed for sweeping views of the vineyards stretched out over the rolling Mclaren vale hills.

As the day was a very warm, and sunny day – it was a little unfortunate that their celebrant’s PA system overheated shortly after beginning causing some broken audio – thankfully I always have a backup microphone system handy to capture clear audio whenever I can for the video!

Glamour Photos

Once the mandatory groiup photos were complete, we head out to make the most of the Chapel Hill Winery Wedding photo locations!

I was made aware that we were not able to make use of the vineyards proper – but thanks to some creative angles – nearby the vineyards we can make it looks like the bridal couple are standing amongst them. But I think the killer shot of the entire day was when I brought out the ol’ smoke in a can in front of the Guest House’s window for a bit of a bridal silhouette shot!

We also made the effort to find our way back to the winery cellar door for the proper chapel’s stained glass window area – however unfortunately due to communication errors, we could not find a way in, so we used the outside areas a bit, and also the wine making area.

Chapel Hill Winery Wedding Reception

Sandi and Daniel’s Chapel Hill Winery wedding reception was spear headed by what might be my favourite guest entertainment – which is an on site caricature artist who sits there drawing everyone all night! it’s so much fun to see! Once he left then it was my photobooth’s time to shine!

The night was a blast to be a part of, surrounded by lovely people who just wanted to see Sandi and Daniel have the night of their lives!

Thanks so much to Sandi and Daniel for having me as your wedding photographer! I hope you enjoy your photos!

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Bremer Farm Wedding – Heather & Nick

I had been looking forward to covering Heather and Nick’s wedding as their photographer as they had chosen such a lovely unique venue that I knew would produce absolutely awesome results with my style of wedding photography! Their Bremer Farm wedding was one of those weddings where no matter how hard I tried, I could just not take a good photo! I even went so far as smashing my camera! haha

Heather and Nick had a beautiful family and group of friends who simply wanted nothing more than seeing this delightful couple get married in the most beautifully rustic setting.

Preparation

Nick and his groomsmen got ready at the parent’s house, just north of Adelaide – and the interior decor was quite a find. The light coming in the ornate windows, and the decorations lovingly placed around the hallways made for a nice, rustic start to the day which I was expecting at the Bremer Farm wedding ceremony, not so much the places of preparation, but I wasn’t complaining!

The highlight of the preparation was when Nick opened Heather’s gift to him, which was a lovingly chosen, elobrate chess set – which made Nick smile quite a bit! We had to take some shots of the Best man besting the groom!

Heather and her entouage got prepared a bit closer to Bremer farm, at a B&B in Mt Barker. The atmosphere was delightfully laid back with the appearance of a rather large 8-legged guest, to which heather was keen to give a bit of a kiss and I presume an invite to celebrate the day with her! Such is the humour of country girls – I was told!

Bremer Farm Wedding Ceremony

The Bremer Farm wedding ceremony location is at the end of a nice little patch of grass, surrounded by an old, rustic stone wall and lines of lush green trees. At one end is a permanent arbour made of what looks like repurposed railway sleepers, which all comes together so a nice, rustic surrounds for wedding ceremonies.

Heather was walked down the aisle by her son, and their ceremony involved a reading from an important person. Their vows were shared and they were married! Simple as that!

Glamour Photos

After a short group photo session, we made sure to use the rustic old buildings scattered around Bremer Farm for some awesome photos. I expecially enjoyed using the old stables – although it was a bit of a shame that the hay bails that were there when I came out to visit the venue a few months prior had gone, but the atmosphere was still there!

Heather was keen to get photos with the wildlife a short walk away before going for a short drive to a ruined cottage we had scouted out prior to the day.

This cottage is quite a find! I really enjoyed the fact that there is a tree growing from inside the old house, while there are bullet holes, and huge craters along the walls of the place – which otherwise looked in fairly good condition or an abandoned ruin.

While there I also had a ball of a time using the rolling clouds which before long scattered Heather and Nick’s reception with a bit of rain, but thankfully they had a bit of a marquee set up to keep everyone dry.

Bremer Farm Wedding Reception

Heather and Nicks Bremer Farm wedding reception was full of heartfelt speeches from quite a few people from their lives, and their dance floor was set in the large shed right near the marquee they had set up.

One big reason why they had me as their wedding photographer is my love for the more candid photos at this time of night, so I had a bit of fun running about catching people just enjoying the night – it was a great atmosphere to be a part of!

I had an absolute blast at Heather and Nick’s wedding as their photographer! Even though I broke my camera again (second time in a few months) Their day was awesome to be a part of due to the laid back nature, the genuine people and the awesome venue they had chosen! They also gave me a nice bottle of whiskey! woo!

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Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding – Alex & Tom

Alex and Tom certainly knew how to have a good time as their Royal SA Yacht Squadron wedding can attest! Their day was full of fun loving people, who were keen on having a blast all day – particularly as the SA COVID restrictions had been recinded in regards to dancing only the night before!

Alex and Tom, both avid, successful sailors themselves had the run of the yacht club for their entire day, making things simple for themselves and their guests, who all had giant smiles on their faces all day!

 

Preparation

Tom and his groomsmen were being prepared in a nearby house. I was greeted by many of the guys wandering about in their underwear, stressing about not knowing where Alex’s gift to Tom – a watch – had vanished to! They had the wrist band, but not the watch itself. Crisis was averted after Tom had a proper look. 🙂

After finding the watch, Tom seemed to relax a bit and had a grand ol’ time laughing and making jokes with his mates while getting ready, culminating in a fashionshow-esque portrait shoot where each of the boys made it their mission to pose with the most awkward expressions possible.

Alex and her bridal party were being prepared in a larger house close by, with a grand entrance hall in which I made use of for shots of the bridal preparation and of course haning the dress in!

Alex made use of the grassy area out the back for what might have been the best champaign spraying I have ever seen, before heading back inside to put on dresses.

A big highlight of their preparation would have to be the father of the groom’s first look – not only for his reaction as he peeked around the door frame, but rather the emergance of Alex and Tom’s little boy first who waddled out like a little penguin to screams of delaight from the bridal party.

Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Ceremony

Alex and Tom’s Royal SA Yacht Squadron wedding ceremony took palce under the umbrellas on the large open decking area overlooking the club’s marina. This allowed all their guests to excape the sunny weather, while also having quite a view to look at!

Again Alex and Tom’s little boy stole the show early in the proceedings with him making an entrance to the music of the wiggles, much to the delight of all onlookers, and made everyone laugh as they joined in with the song.

The ceremony also had a couple of heartfelt readings from important people and made sure to involve both laughter and tearjerking moments – all emotions were on display, even confusion when a couple of slight mishaps occured, including a stepping on the dress, and the slight oversight of the location of the wedding bands! This was all laughed off in good humour though.

Glamour Photos

As Alex and Tom’s plan for glamour photos did not involve heading off site anywhere, we made the most of the laid back time by spending some time with family and friends, and also a bit of down time enjoying a drink together in the club’s spectacular boat house.

We made use of the beautiful coloured doors quite a bit, while I also enjoyed shooting Alex and Tom witht he light scoming through the open door to create a ruustic frame around the dancing couple.

We also made use of the marina’s piers and docks as we walked about, and even clamboured on a large yacht for a few photos there.

Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Reception

Alex and Tom’s Royal SA Yacht Squadron wedding reception was spearheaded by an immediate dance floor incursion by the entire bridal party – they were that keen on getting up there!

The entire night was well planned, with over an hour’s worth of heartfelt speeches throughout, which everyone jokingly heckled about, but all really enjoyed with laughter, tears and other shenanigans. After which everyone was keen to jump on the dancefloor, causing the rest fo the night to be a blur!

I’d like to thank Alex, Tom and their family for having myself and my wife there to document your big daya dn I hope you enjoy your photos and video!

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Ayers House Wedding – Mona & Lester

Mona and Lester held their Ayers House wedding mid-week which meant that we had the run of their entire estate for their wedding photos!

Their Ayers House wedding ceremony and reception took place in the main grand ballroom, flanked by large TVs on which relatives who could not attend watched on via live stream – which Lester seemed to have a lot of fun setting up before the ceremony began!.

Ayers House Wedding Ceremony

Prior to their Ayers House wedding ceremony, amongst the running about that Lester was doing trying to get the live stream to work correctly, Mona was waiting in a small room down the hall, as their guests milled about thir wedding sign – so we took a few group shots while we were waiting.

Mona and Lester’s ceremony began with a precession of almost all of their guests who took their places at the front of their chairs in order to watch the ceremony.

The Ballroom is a grand old space to hold a wedding ceremony with a huge arched window space at the head of the room where Mona and Lester had an arbour set up to frame the head of the ceremony. To the right of their set up were some custom candles with their names which symbolised the coming together of the families.

The only unfortunate thing about holding an Ayres Hourse Wedding ceremony in this space is the bright sun shinging through one of the windows – in this case the left – just behind where Mona was standing. This caused her white dress to become quite bright int he dark room, but she certainly stood out!

After the ceremony had ended we had all their guests congregate on the lawns out the front of the house in order to get some shots of them walking under thrown flower petals!

Glamour Photos

Ayers House is one of those Adelaide wedding venues which have been around forever and have become quite an institution within the city. The manor was built all the way back in 1871 after the land having changed hands a few times right after South Australia was founded!

As Mona and Lester’s wedding took palce on a Wednesday – there were no other functions occuring at the venue, so we had the run of the grounds for glamour photos – which we took advantage of so that we diddn’t spend too long away from family and friends.

Ayers House Wedding Reception

Mona and Lester’s wedding reception took place in the same room their ceremony had been held, after being cleared of their seating and tables set up for their sit-down reception dinner.

During the evening many speeches were held by family, friends and well wishes – even from guests overseas both pre-recorded and live, which again were played on the large TVs placed at the front of the ballroom. The whole night was a lovely, simple affair and lovely to be a part of!

My thanks go out to Mona and Lester for having me both photograph and put together a simle little highlight video for you, and I hope you enjoy your life together as husband and wife!

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