Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

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!

January 25, 2020

Wedding preview, Wedding

Cruising Yacht Club of SA Wedding – Emily & Angel

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.

bride looking out windows

Close up of wedding shoes

putting on makeup

Standing next to painting

Holding hands

Smiling

Smiling brides

Looking pretty

Girls looking on

Looking out window

Both brides sitting in makeup chairs

Putting on earrings

Playing with veil

Wedding ring box

Putting on necklace

Emily and Angel before their ceremony

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.

Wedding decor

One of the Cruising Yacht Club of SA’s function rooms

Table center piece

Wedding cake

Wedding favours

Cutting the cake together

Before the double bouquet toss

Bouquet toss

Flower girl

Emily and Angel together

Bridal party at the head table

Thanks go out ot Emily and Angel for having me as their wedding photographer!

December 28, 2019

Wedding preview, Travel, Wedding

Beautiful Santorini Wedding – Greece – Kerri & Tony

Both Kerri and Tony live in Adelaide, South Australia, but chose to hold a destination Santorini wedding in order to head around Europe on honeymoon. Another reason was that Kerri and Tony met in Canada, where Tony lived, so in order to make the wedding fair to both families they held it somewhere in between the two countries!

Preparation

While shooting destination weddings in Santorini is an absolute blast and pretty much a wedding photographer’s dream, walking inbetween wedding venues in the height of the Greek summer was no easy task! Thera is a town located right at the top of the cliffs, so walking to any wedding venue really takes it’s toll on your thighs! I mention this as Tony and Kerri were both prepared at different locations a good walk away form one another – good thing I’m fit! 😛

I started the day with Tony and his family, with his groomsmen who all travelled out from Canada for the big day. After getting in a bit of trouble splashing a bit of water out from the pool in order to get a shot of the boys jumping in, I took photos of them all getting ready. It was a fairly laid back affair with Tony showing little to no signs of nerves, and more keen on having a good time with his mates.

Jumping int he pool

Swimming

Bow Tie

Wedding Shoes

Putting on shirt

Doing up tie

Groom and his groomsmen

Walking down the road

Kerri and her bridal party were the same, laughing and joking about whilst occasionally doing little dances all around the rooms and making funny faces in front of the camera. Perhaps the only difference was that everyone got ready inside so as to avoid the beating heat of the lovely sunny day. Kerri’s paresnts and flower girl dropped in for a visit just as she was about to leave which was nice as we got to have some family photos done before walking up to the ceremony at Dana Villas.

Wedding dress

Looking in mirror

Getting dressed

Putting on bracelet

Engagement ring

Laughing in mirror

Standing in doorway

Getting ready

Dancing about

Dad looking on

Flower girl

Walking up stairs

Playing with flowers

Bridal crew

Dana Villas, Santorini Wedding

The Dana Villas ceremony location is a one of those Santorini wedding venues that you recognise straight away – even if you’ve never visited Santorini. Overlooking the entirety of the Santorini caldera – caused by an ancient volcanic eruption, the romantic setting of the Dana Villas wedding terrace is the setting of any dream wedding ceremony, and in my opinion would have to be one of the best wedding venues on the island.

There is a purpose built wooden arbour that covers where the bride and groom stand during wedding ceremones, while having a stunning viewpoint to the waters below. It’s conveniently located amongst some of the more upper scale hotel accomodations available on the island, and also withing short walking distance to the center of the town of Thera. The space allows for an intimate wedding ceremony with no compromise.

Kerri and Tony’s intimate Santorini wedding was officiated by a friend of theirs using some personal injokes and personalised vows that made sure their congregation were chuckling throughout. They even went as far as incorporate their mutal love of board games by having the rule book of ‘Settlers of Catan‘ as their marriage registry book.

As everyone had travelled for this destination wedding, both from Canada and Australia the congregation was a rather intimate affair with no more than 40-50 people in attandance.

Groom looking for bride

Bridal arrival

Smiling bride

Dana Villas Wedding Ceremony Location

Santorini Wedding Ceremony

Standing together

Reading vows

Smiling bride

Exchaning vows

Laughing

Smiling groom

Santorini wedding ceremony

Exchaning rings

First kiss

Smiles

Exit

Thera, Santorini Wedding Glamour Photos

As Kerri and Tony werent overly keen on the idea of spending too much time on their wedding day having glamour photos taken, I had spent the previous few days I had in the island scouting out spots on the walk in between the Villas and the Apelos cafe – where their reception was taking place. The aim being that I could utilise the wonderous views of Thera on Santorini, without taking up too much time before entering their reception and starting the party 🙂

A goal of mine before heading out to Santorini was to find a spot to capture the iconic blue domed church and three bell arch that’s symbolic of the Greek isles backdropped by the agean sea – luckily I found a spot in Thera for just that purpose and it wasn’t too crowded with tourists for us to use. For other shots I simply used the stairways and wonderful vistas the island naturally provides.

Just a tip for anyone out there planning a Santorini Wedding – try to book your day during a period where there are few cruise ships in port, as the island tends to fill up with tourists in no time when there are 3-5 cruise ships in town and some of the best spots for photo taking just get swamped!

Looking over the caldera of Santorini

Walking through the streets of Thera

Putting on jacket

Skipping down the steps

Kisses

Sitting together

Bride and her girls

Kiss on the cheek

Bridal party

How to choose a destination wedding photographer

Santorini Wedding

Under a lamp post

Silly faces

Lovey dovey

Bridal party walking together in Thera, Santorini

Bride and her bridal aprty

Bride and groom in front of blue domed church

Santorini wedding photography

infront of flowers

Walk ways of Thera, Santorini

Thera, Santorini Wedding

Apelos Wedding Reception

The Ampelos cafe in the middle of the city of Thera is a wonderful little cafe situated on the rooftop overlooking the caldera of Santorini. It’s located right on the main pedestrian strip of the city where at sunset it gets super crowded with tourists, so being above everyone in the rooftop space was great for uninterrupted views of the world-reknowned sunset.

On one side of the reception space theres a magnificent white domed church which made for a beautiful backdrop for Kerri and Tony’s head table, while the guests tables were situated under the roofing, surrounding the dance floor. It was a beautiful spot to end what was an absolutely stunning day!

Entry to Reception

Guests

Laughing groom

The last supper

Bride looking out over Santorini’s Caldera

Laughing bride

Speeches

Santorini Sunset

Speech

Wedding cake

First dance

Flower girl cuddles

Bouquet toss

I’d be super keen to head back for any other Santorini weddings that you might have planned! Get in touch as I’d go out of my way to be const effective and my usual super awesome self! Or If you’d just like to have a chat about wedding venues in Santorini, I’m your guy!

July 10, 2019

Wedding preview, Wedding

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding – Helen & Simon

Dance under the sun set

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding – Helen & Simon

There was no better place to be than the beach for Helen and Simon’s stunning wedding ceremony out the front of the Adelaide Sailing Club House. The weather was absolutely stunning, not too hot or cold, and the wind was just enough to make you feel like you were beach side! Helen and Simon’s family had travelled long distances in some cases in order to celebrate their union together and a more happy family is very hard to come by. 🙂 I was asked to be their wedding photographer from their ceremony through to the sunset, and we got some great shots in front of the sun that’s for sure!

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Ceremony

Helen and Simon’s ceremony took place on the large grassy area out the front of the Adelaide Sailing Club house. The grassy area meets the body of water and small beach held within the artificial rocks that make up the boat ramp catchment area of the sailing club. Quite fortuitously on the same day as their wedding, there was a sailing regatta on in the background, so there was a lovely display of small sailing boats cruising about on the waters just behind where Helen and Simon’s ceremony took place. It was a lovely sight to behold.

Getting married

Laughter

First kiss

Speech

Smiling bride

Speech

Walking together

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding

Exchanging wedding rings

Arbor

Adelaide Sailing Club

Smiling groom

Just married

Standing together

Glamour Photos

After the family photos had been completed, we head off first to the rocks lining the small catchment area for some glamour photos before heading over to the Grange Jetty a short drive away. I love heading to the Grange foreshore as the sand dunes there make for some lovely photos, and under the jetty make for some very interesting photos.

Flower

Kiss on the dunes

Under the jetty

Sitting together

Under the jetty

Walking amongst the dunes

Under the jetty

Bridal party

Kiss under the sun

Under the jetty

Walking on the Jetty

Close up of wedding bands

Under the jetty

Having fun

Bouquet

Walking along the beach together

Adelaide Sailing Club Wedding Reception

helena nd Simon’s reception took place back at the Sailing Club where their main function area was used. The function room is large enough to hold quite a few people, and is equipped with a large dance floor and private bar. It’;s a really nice spot to celebrate a wedding, while also watching the sunset over West Beach during a reception.

Wedding Cake

MC

Inside the Adelaide Sailing Club

Food

Cutting the cake

Talking with guests

Entrance

Having fun

Head Table

Talking guests

We couldn’t hang around in the reception while there was a stunning sunset going on, so Helen, Simon and I went out to make use of it on the beach. The tide had come in significantly since their ceremony so our first choice of location for these photos could not be used, but we made do with the beach on the other side of the club – the only issue being the amount of seaweed on the beach, but the photos still turned out great 🙂

Dance under the sun set

Smiling

Silhouette under the sun set

Kisses

Together under the sun set

Thanks so much Helen and Simon for having me capture your wedding photography! 😀

April 10, 2019

Wedding preview, Wedding

Sacred Heart Church Wedding – Katie & Jakob

Semaphore Beach Sunset

Sacred Heart Church Wedding – Katie & Jakob

OK, this wedding turned out to be an absolutely stunning day, beautiful people, an organised – well thought out timeline, amazing locations and topped off with the most incredible sunset which Katie and Jakob were more than keen on heading out to use! The Sacred Heart Church in Semaphore was the historic venue of their ceremony, while we head out to Port Adelaide’s famed Crozier Street, and the Semaphore Jetty for some beautiful glamour photos before retiring to the Palais for their reception. I was lucky enough to be asked to be their wedding photographer for their entire day and I’m so pleased they did! I’ve provided them with almost 800(!) photos from their day which is about 150 more than usual just because it was such an awesome day!

Preparation

Jakob had an unusual request to begin the day at his local pub, sharing a beer with his groomsmen at the crack of dawn for some photos which was a great way to shake off any nerves and have some fun with is boys before starting to get dressed back at his parent’s house. The entire morning was jovial and if Jakob was feeling any nerves, he didn’t show it!

Putting on cufflinks

Putting on tie

Tardis cufflinks

At the pub

Help with the tie

Wedding rings

Train

Getting ready

At the pub

Men standing about

Putting on shirt

Smiles

Katie and her entourage were being prepared at a house a short distance away, perfectly suited for taking photos as the walls were painted with a neutral grey and was just a stunning house overall! Katie and her ladies were a bit late in getting there as her makeup artist was on the other side of the city, so putting on the dresses and putting the finishing touches was a little rushed before heading out – but we got it all done.

At the front door

Ladies together

At the front door

Dad checking the time

Girls fussing

Smiling dog

Girls fussing

Dad looking on

Ladies together

Smiling bride

Engagement ring

At the front door

Wedding dress

Page boy

Sacred Heart Church Wedding Ceremony

The Sacred Heart Church is a stunning historic Catholic church located nearby the beach front of Semaphore. It’s a huge church with ample room for hundreds of people and even enough room for me as a wedding photographer to walk about and not get in anyone’s way – despite the Priest’s concerns 😛 Katie and Jakob’s ceremony was a traditional Catholic one, taking around 50 minutes to complete finishing with the two of them walking back down the aisle while hugging and kissing everyone on the way out.

Hugs

Kiss

Smiles

Sitting together

Wedding bands

Shaking hands

Inside the Sacred Heart Church Semaphore

Lefevre Community Church

Waiting groom

Sitting out the front

Bridal entrance

Groom’s first look

Priest

Exchanging wedding rings

Close up of flower

Smiles

Glamour Photos

For glamour photos, I was super excited to hear that Katie had booked the Semaphore Merry-go-round for a photo session! I had always wanted to shoot a wedding there, and I enjoyed myself immensely! We also used the Semaphore jetty onf beachfront of course, while also venturing to the famed Crozier Street Wool sheds in Port Adelaide for a more industrial look – just to add variety to their photos. During their reception the most incredible sunset appeared over the Semaphore foreshore so both myself and their videographer had an absolute ball capturing them in front of it!

Semaphore Beach Sunset

Walking along the sand dunes

Crozier street

On the Semaphore Jetty

The Groomsmen

Under Semaphore Jetty

The bridal party

Semaphore Beach Sunset

On Crozier street

In the middle of Crozier Street

Under Semaphore Jetty

Crozier street

On Crozier street

Walking along the sand dunes

Semaphore Merry-go-round

Walking along the sand dunes

Semaphore Beach Sunset

Wedding bands on hands

Semaphore Merry-go-round

The Palias Wedding Reception

The Palais on the Semaphore foreshore was the venue for Katie and Jakob’s wedding reception. I love this place, it’s a beautifully cozy half tent, half shed area dressed up as a lovely event hall suitable for mid to large parties. A live band was on site and the entire night was a blast to be a part of due to their fun loving guests!