beach Archives - SvenStudios

Posts

Pt Noarlunga Wedding – Kate & Matt

June 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Kate & Matt
Pt Noarlunga Wedding

Kate and Matt held their wedding ceremony in their backyard for an intimate, and simple wedding ceremony amidst the craziness that has come with the COVID-19 restrictions on wedding gatherings. That said however, they did not compromise as their original plan was to get married at a more traditional wedding venue in the future, only to figure they may as well do it right now! So they did woith their nice, simple backyard Pt Noarlunga wedding ceremony.

Pt Noarlunga Backyard Wedding Ceremony

I arrived just before the ceremony was due to take place to Matt and his family putting together some of the finishing touches to the backyard ceremony setting while also playing with their adorable fur baby who was keeping an eye on things. Kate arrived soon after along side a few more family members and the ceremony began immediately.

A lovely, simple affair with Kate and Matt both exchanging their own personal vows before being declared husband and wife. The fun parts were when their dog wanted to join in on the celebrations 🙂

The weather wasn’t the best in the world – but it also wasn’t too cold, nor was it windy, it was just threatening to rain the entire time. Thankfully the rain held off enough for both their ceremony and their glamour shoot down the famed steps of the Onkaparinga River Mouth.

Wedding rings on bark

Wedding dog

Groom waiting

bride arriving

Bride walking to ceremony in backyard

Backyard ceremony

holding hands during ceremony

Together on their wedding day

Bride listening to vows

Groom listening to vows

Socially distanced wedding ceremony

Standing together at their backyard ceremony

First Kiss Backyard ceremony

Pt Noarlunga Wedding Photos

Once the certificate was signed, and the family photos were done, we head down to what possibly would be the most photographed set of steps in South Australia – the steps leading down to the beach at the Onkaparinga River Mouth.

If you’re holding a Pt Noarlunga wedding you’re bound to end up here for wedding photos – not just for the steps, but also for the incredible rock formations along the beach which are awesome at high tide to get the whole ‘pride rock’ moment of the bride and groom standing out, surrounded by water.

The entire photoshoot was very laid back, with Kate and Matt super keen to crack a joke and make the most of their big day – and as I was only with them for just over an hour the whole process was over pretty quickly!

I made sure to photoshop in some starwars and lightning bolts in the background to make use of the moody clouds in their backdrop – while also producsing some very heartfelt moments while they were cuddling each other and walking along the boardwalk.

Excited groom

Standing together at the top of the Pt Noarlunga steps

Bride and groom on their Pt Noarlunga wedding day

Pt Noarlunga South Wedding

On the Pt Noarlunga boardwalk

Helping one another over the rocks

Walking along the Pt Noarlunga rocks

Port Noarlunga wedding

Hugs on the rocks

Pt Noarlunga beach wedding

Lightning wedding photo

Bride and groom on the rocks on their wedding day

Bride and groom walking along the boardwalk

Bride and groom hugging each other

Walking together back to their pt Noarlunga wedding

Thanks so much for having me as your wedding photographer Kate and Matt! It’s great to get back into the swing of covering weddings again after the COVID restrictions!

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding – Andrea & Gerry

April 20, 2020/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Andrea & Gerry
Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding

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

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony

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

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

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

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

Andrea and Gerry’s wedding sign

Andrea and Gerry approaching the ceremony

Holding hands

Approaching the wedding ceremony together

Approaching thre wedding ceremony

ready to start the ceremony

Kids out the front

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony

Smiling bride during the ceremony

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding

Holding hands under the arbour

Smiling brides

All hugs during the vows

Ring bearer

Exchanging the wedding rings

Just married

First kiss under the arbour

Smiles at their beach wedding

The crowd swamping the couple

Glamour Photos

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

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

beach wedding photo

Bridal couple on the beach

Closeup of bridal bouquets

Brides having fun at their Adelaide Sailing Club wedding

Fun beach wedding photography

Walking along the beach together

Casual beach wedding photo

The two brides together on the beach

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Reception

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

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

Chatting with guests

Having a chat with one another

Guest group shot

Having a good time

Cheers

Brides sharing a laugh

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Reception

Wedding cakes

Close up of cheese

Fun times

Listening to her wife’s speech

Lit Candle

Group shot

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

Surprise Backyard Wedding in Woodville – Natasha & Jono

February 21, 2020/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Natasha & Jono
Surprise Backyard Wedding

Natasha and Jono held their wedding in their backyard on what turned out to be a lovely day surrounded by intimate family and friends who had mostly travelled to Adelaide for their engagement party. Natasha and Jono decided, considering everyone had travelled to attend their party, they’ll turn their engagement party into their Surprise Backyard wedding instead. An alternative was going to be holding their wedding on a beach in New Zealand, but they figured it’d be easier for everyone if they held it here, in their backyard. 🙂

Preparation

Natasha and her bridal party were geting ready with a small selection of family and friends in a house nearby. I took photos of the girls getting ready, and together in their custom kimonos, before heading over to the boys before Natasha had put on her dress – as I was going to get that shot ust before the ceremony when she changes again.

Putting on makeup

Wedding shoes on bed

Laughing in mirror

Gran looking on

Doing the hair

Hanging wedding dress

Chatting in the garage

Bridesmaids helping out

Girls together

Jono and his groomsmen were getting ready on site at the couple’s home in Woodville. In between putting on their shirts, and trying on their new fedoras, they were also running about putting some finishing touches on small parts of the wedding reception setup in the backyard.

Smiles all round

Groom’s flowers

Smiling groomsman

Groom wearing a hat

Wedding rings with bowtie

Putting on shirt

Groom finishing up

Smiling groomsman

Putting on groomsman tie

Groom walking the hallways

Glamour photos

As their engagement party ruse was set up as an evening affair, with a marquee set up on the back lawn and food and drink available for dinner; Natasha and Jono decided to have their glamour photos done prior to their wedding ceremony. We head down to the Semaphore Beach to make use of the pristine sand and dunes available there for family photos, before heading just up the road a bit for the more photo friendly Largs Bay jetty.

bride and groom with their dog

Bride and groom on the beach together

bride and groom walking along the beach

Bridal party on the beach

bride and groom on Semaphore beach

Bride and Groom next to Semaphore Jetty

Bridal party on top of Semaphore Jetty

Bride and groom celebrating their wedding on Semaphore Beach

Semaphore Beach wedding photo

Bride and groom under the Largs Bay Jetty

Largs Bay Jetty wedding photo

To add a little bit of variety to the photos, and also because the sky was looking a little grey, I suggested heading through Port Adelaide and using the famed Crozier Street for a bit of an industrial slant to Natasha and Jono’s photos.

Crozier street wedding photo

Black and White Crozier street

Bridal party chilling in Port Adelaide

Bride and groom on crozier st

Bride standing in front of doorway

Bridal Party playing rugby on Crozier st

Bride and her bridesmaids together in a doorway

Bride and groom having fun in a doorway

Surprise Backyard Wedding Ceremony

Many of Natasha and Jono’s guests had travelled from around Australia and New Zealand in order to attend their engagement party that was set up in their backyard, and they continued this ruse riught up until the beginning of the wedding ceremony where Jono’s groomsmen carried out the arbour that was hidden in their shed. Natasha snuck off during a time where guests were mingling and settling in for a fun night of celebration to change into her wedding dress again before reemerging.

Talking to guests

Bride out waiting for guests to arrive

Kids having fun the the marquee

Bride playing with kids

Waiting for the Surprise Backyard wedding to start

Welcome to country

Bride and groom listening to the Welcome to country

Bride peeking out window

Smiling bride

Many of their guests were quite surprised about attending their wedding there and then, whichwas great to see! It’s often the case that the surprise is ruined well before by something, but their surprise wedding was quite successful! The ceremony itself was a nice affair with Aboriginal and Maori traditions coming together, complete with a ‘Welcome to country‘, Maori songs, and even a didgeridoo procession. It was lovely to be a part of!

Groom waiting out the front

Groom waiting patiently

Bridal approach

Groom seeing bride at the wedding ceremony

Start of the wedding ceremony

Surprise Backyard wedding ceremony

Maori song

Groom looking at his bride

Holding hands during the ceremony

Bride looking at her groom

Backyard wedding ceremony

Exchanging wedding bands

Surprise wedding ceremony setup

First kiss under the arbour

Excited bride and groom

Digeridoo in the wedding ceremony

Smiles all round

Bride and groom exit

Surprise Backyard Wedding Reception

All the food was set up on a long table within their shed out the back, which guests were asked to serve themselves from, and drnks wer self served from a pretty neat rental bar with several different drinks on tap. During the night I took Natasha and Jono to a nearby spot to make use of the incredible sunset that had set in, and also made sure to get some of the spaklers within the photos during their first dance. It was a great night!

Speech

The food

First dance with sparklers

Cutting the cake together

MC doing her thing

Bridal speech

Lolly bar

New Zealnad Themed wedding cake

First dance in the Surprise Backyard wedding

Smiling bride during the first dance

Sunset

Surprise Backyard wedding under the marquee

Sunset on the oval

Having fun during the first dance

I’d like to thank Natasha and Jono for havingme be a part of their Surprise Backyard wedding, and I hope they enjoy their photos! 🙂

Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

January 25, 2020/1 Comment/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Michelle & Ryan
Woodstock Winery Wedding

It was a stunningly sunny day for Michelle and Ryan’s Woodstock winery wedding, just out of Mclaren Vale. I was asked to be their wedding photographer from their ceremony through to their first dance at their reception, whith photos in between down at Maslin Beach and of course using the vineyards about Woodstock winery.

Woodstock Winery Wedding Ceremony

The main appeal of having a Woodstock winery wedding in my book would have to be the beautiful picturesque, but still private surrounds of the winery. There is a large, open grassy area out the back of the main restaurant, lined by gum trees, bushes and of course the Woodstock winery’s vineyards nearby. Michelle and Ryan chose to set up their wedding ceremony so that the vineyards were the backdrop to their arbour.

The sun was out in full force throughout their ceremony, causing some rather harsh light shining on poor Michelle’s face, but thankfully the ceremony wasnt overly long and it also wasn’t so hot that it got uncomfortable – but the guests quickly found some shade before and after the ceremony.

The highlight of the ceremony would have to have been the moment when the exchanging of the rings was held up by Ryan and his best man’s antics where they faked forgetting the rings, only to reveal that their little dog was waiting in the wings with the rings tied around it’s collar.

wedding sign

Groom waiting patiently

Bride hiding behind the wall

Waiting out the front

Bride walking towards ceremony

Grooms first look of bride

Dad giving away bride

Together under the arbour

Wedding ceremony at Woodstock winery

Woodstock winery wedding ceremony

smiling bride during ceremony

Groom reading vows

Dog ring bearer

Woodstock winery wedding ceremony under the gum trees

exchanging the wedding rings

first kiss under the arbour

Woodstock winery wedding ceremony exit

Glamour Photos

What was a little different to most other weddings, was that directly after the Woodstock winery wedding ceremony, we immediately jumped into a bus waiting to take us down to the beach for the glamour photos – forgoing the usual family group photos that usually follow a ceremony. Michelle and Ryan had purposefully planned it this way so as to have a more relaxed, leasurely time down at the beach and to make sure they got all the photos they wanted.

I was quite excited by the copious number of flying seagulls in the air during Michelle and Ryan’s photoshoot on the beach, that it made it that much easier to have them smiling in their photos as they were laughing at my own antics being excited about the birds. Thankfully they held their distance away from us, along with another nearby wedding ceremony that was taking place a top the cliffs – nothing worse than gate crashing another wedding, but the birds made for an awesome backdrop in many of their photos!

After having photos on the beach, and posing for a Starwars themed photo, we then head back to Woodstock winery and used some lovely trees they have in their car park before being announced at the reception. During the reception, we head out for the family photos and used the dying sun for some photos amongst the nearby vineyards.

Bridal party walking to beach

Bride and groom walking down to the beach

Being all lovey

Bridal party walking the dog along the beach

Bridal party on the beach

Wedding couple walking along the beach

Wedding couple walking along the beach with their dog

Bridal couple kissing on the beach

Flowing veil on the beach

Bride and Groom on Maslin beach

Star Wars Wedding Photo

Minimal wedding photo of bride and groom on beach

Bride and groom on Maslins Beach

Beach shot

Bride and groom amongst the sanddunes

Bride and bridesmaids

Groomsmen

Kisses on the Beach boardwalk

Bride and groom amongst the Woodstock winery trees

Bride and groom amongst gum trees

Sitting together in the vineyards

Holding hands

Walking around the Woodstock winery

Walking through the woodstock winery vineyards

woodstock winery vineyards

Woodstock winery wedding at night

Woodstock Winery Wedding Reception

The wedding reception took place in the Woodstock winery’s beautiful two-tiered restaurant, with the head table in the center of the arc, and family tables lined up either side. There was no indoor dancefloor, so the first dance took place outside, and there was no shortage of people out there enjoying the wonderful, warm weather. Emotions were running high during the daddy daughter and monther, son dances with family members all joining in, and was lovely to see 🙂

Michelle and Ryan opted to have a cool, modern take on a wedding cake, having doughnuts piled up with a starwars themed topper, adding a little bit of quirkyness to the whole day.

Guestbook sign

Woodstock winery wine bottles

bridal entrace at Woodstock winery wedding reception

Helping with the veil

bride sharing a drink

Woodstock winery at dusk

Doughnut wedding cake

Inspecting rings

Engagement ring amongst bouquet

first dance

hugs on the dance floor

Daddy daughter dance

Singing

I’d like to thank Michelle and Ryan for having me photograph their special day, and I hope they enjoy their photos!

Cruising Yacht Club of SA Wedding – Emily & Angel

December 28, 2019/1 Comment/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Emily & Angel
Cruising Yacht Club of SA Wedding

Emily and Angel held their lovely intimate wedding ceremony at the the Cruising Yacht Club of SA. The prestige of this venue is apparent as soon as you arrive as you’re surrounded by multi million dollar yachts in a stunning location! I was asked to be their wedding photographer for a few hours, seeing me with them for their preparation, through to the first parts of their early reception dinner.

Preparation

Emily and Angel chose to be prepared on the same location, together at a property not far from the Cruising Yacht Club. The atmosphere was reasonably laid back with family and freinds also on site fussing about, preparing lunch, or getting ready while watching a Chinese action movie on the TV in the background. I was treated to some scrumptous home made food while there, and it was very much appreciated!

As Emily and Angel were being prepared at the same lcoation they could share makeup artists and hairdressers, without having them travel to multiple locations in the morning – this made everything run much smoother than what I have experienced in the past, and everyone was ready to leave, and head to the ceremony quite early.

Looking out window

Close up of wedding shoes

Wedding ring box

Standing next to painting

Emily and Angel before their ceremony

Playing with veil

Holding hands

Putting on necklace

putting on makeup

Both brides sitting in makeup chairs

bride looking out windows

Smiling brides

Smiling

Putting on earrings

Girls looking on

Looking pretty

Cruising Yacht Club of SA Wedding Ceremony

The Cruising Yacht club of SA is a well kept secret of Adelaide wedding venues, nestled along the shores of the north-western Adelaide beaches, the marina and club rooms are hard to spot unless you are looking out for the venue as you drive past. The main draw of the venue for weddings would be the views of the marina and exclusivity of the space provided – including gated car parking and a hidden wedding ceremony spot.

The wedding ceremony location set up at the Cruising Yacht Club of SA is a small, dedicated area set off to the side of the marina, shaded by cloth sails and headlined by an impressive concrete circular station where the bridal couple stands during the ceremony. Emily and Angel’s wedding ceremony was held bilingually in both English and Chinese for the benefit of all those in attendance and made everyone smile with it’s innate sweetness and beauty.

Wedding sign

Brides arriving

Brides approaching altar

Under the Cruising yacht club of SA’s wedding circle

Cruising Tacht Club of SA wedding

Standing together in front of family and friends

Wedding ceremony at Cruising Yacht Club of SA

Smiling brides

Ring bearer

Exchanging wedding bands

First kiss at Cruising Yacht CLub of SA

Wedding ceremony ending

Bridal exit

Glamour Photos

After the ceremony and family photos which we held just behind where the wedding ceremony took place, we first used the Cruising Yacht Club of SA’s lovely marina lined with huge yachts to take some glamour photos. Emily and Angel had even arranged to use the bow of one of the yachts to have photos done, which was wonderfully unique. We then went on a short drive to Grange beach where we used the lovely sand dunes and jetty for more shots, while also making use of the large kites that were being flown that day as a backdrop.

Heading towards the yachts

In the Cruising Yacht club of SA’s marinia

Hugging brides

brides on yacht

Cruising yacht club of SA marina

Bouquet in sand

brides on the beach together

Brides standing together in sand dunes

Together under Grange Jetty

Walking together under Grange jetty

Celebrating under Grange Jetty

Married couple

Cruising Yacht Club of SA Wedding Reception

The Cruising Yacht club of SA has a number of different function rooms to choose from when holding a wedding ceremony. As Emily and Angel’s wedding party wasn’t on the large side, they opted to make use of the smaller of the available areas for their wedding reception. It was a nice space that boasted sweeping views of the marina and all the boats. The highlight of their party I feel was their duel bouquet toss, where they both threw their bouquet at the same time. it’s always fun when everyone joins in for that! WHile I wasn’t there for their entire reception, the atmosphere was friendly, laid back and felt very family friendly, with evertyone enjoying themselves and listening to speeches.