Belair National Park Maternity Shoot – Emma & Ashley

July 6, 2018/0 Comments/in Engagement /by Steven Duncan

EMMA & ASHLEY
Maternity Shoot

After having been their wedding photographer at their wedding in Renmark back in October, 2017 – I was privileged to recently head to the Belair National Park to conduct a bit of a maternity shoot for them before their new bundle of joy comes along later this year. I was looking forward to using the sun shining through the trees of the National Park as I had so often done before for wedding shoots, however the day turned out to be rather miserable in the afternoon, but this turned out to be pretty advantageous, allowing for some soft, dreamy scenes throughout the forest.

Belair National Park Maternity Shoot

Together amongst the trees

Together on a log

Amongst the tall grass

Together amongst the trees

Close up of belly

Belair Maternity Shoot

Over a pond

Mumma in the forest

Walking together amongst the trees

Leaning against a tree

laying on a log

Mumma

Over a pond

Belair National Park Wedding – Lexi & Matt

February 5, 2017/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

LEXI & MATT
Belair National Park Wedding

Alexis and Matt were married nearby the Belair National Park at the (now closed) Belair Park Country Club with the original aim to use a grassy area to the front of the complex for their ceremony. This wasnt to be due to the weather, so instead they used the interior of one of the reception halls available on site. I was lucky enough to be chosen as their wedding photographer for the entire day, and despite the early weather, the day turned out brilliantly!

Preparation

I started the day with Matt and his grooms men who were being prepared at their parent’s place in Semaphore Park. One of the first things that Matt said to me was that we wasn’t a smiler 🙂 Nothing wrong with that though as his grooms men were more than keen on playing about, hanging on his nerves 🙂

Playing pool

Groom walking out the door

Wedding rings

Groom getting ready

Groom’s shoes

Socks

Playing pool

Groomsmen getting ready

Lexi was being prepared down the road in a room in the Lakes Hotel. The girls were waiting for me as they were sitting about casually having a bit to eat and joking about. More than happy to help me set up my photos 🙂 The only thing that was dampening the mood was the potential for rain, but if all turned out great in the end!

Buttoning up dress

Putting on bracelet

Bride getting ready

Bride walking down corridor

Bride getting ready

Bride and bridesmaids

Bride in her wedding dress

Engagement ring

Hanging dresses

OMG it’s a ring!

Belair Country Club Wedding Ceremony

The Belair National Park is one of the oldest National Parks in Australia and it boasts quite a bit of natural flora and fauna. The country Club built nearby in the 90s takes advantage of this incredible setting being surrounded by 835 hectares of the most beautiful scenery you could imagine.

It was a very warm period of the year when Alexis and Matt were wed amongst the Belair National Park, however the weather turned for the worse overnight and the original plan of using the grassy area in front of the Belair Country Club was cancelled due to fear of the ground being muddy. So the Ceremony was moved indoors which turned out to be a wonderful turn of events as it was stunning.

Hugs from granny

Groom looking nervous

Wedding ceremony at the Belair National Park

Hugs

Bride arriving

Bride and Groom at the Belair Country Club

Bridal Motorcade

Signing registry

Saying vows

Holding hands

Wedding ceremony

Belair National Park Glamour Photos

Directly after the ceremony and family photos, the bridal party first head out to where the ceremony was originally going to be held to mimic a shot I took at a wedding last time I was here – only to find the ground was fine. We then used the entry driveway of the country club to take photos of the cars before travelling to the Belair train station. We then went for a bit of a trek through the Belair National Park after having realised the ladies had left their flats at the Country Club – so it was pretty difficult going for them walking around in their heels, but we managed! 🙂 It was well worth it too, as we took some stunners!

Bride and Groom under trees

Walking through the Belair National Park

Belair train station wedding

Gender bender

Groomsmen jumping

Bride and Groom under trees

Bridal party walking through scrub

Belair National Park wedding

Bridesmaids doing the Charlies Angels pose

Belair National Park wedding

Viel outside of car

Belair National Park wedding

Bridal bouquet

Belair Country Club Wedding Reception

We head back to the Country Club for the reception, which took place in the upper reception room on site. The room is a lovely setting, complete with a private bar just outside, and room for a large number of guests. The area was decorated with long pieces of beautiful cloth which really completed the entire look of the room.

Outside the Belair Country Club at night

Head table

Photobooth strips

First dance

Kangaroos fighting on the fairway

Selfie

Talking out on the balcony

Speech

Cutting the Wedding Cake

First dance

Hugs

Wedding Cake

I;d very much like to thank Lexi and Matt for having me capture the wedding photography at their Belair National Park wedding, and I wish them all the best in the future!

Belair Country Club Wedding – Bonita & Mike

October 18, 2015/0 Comments/in Wedding, Wedding preview /by Steven Duncan

I was incredibly lucky to be Bonita and Mike’s wedding photographer at their Belair Country Club wedding as the day turned out to be utterly perfect. Great weather, people and the Belair Country Club is such a beautiful venue! With rolling grass areas fringed by lush trees and a creek, it’s really beautiful. Aside from this, the Belair National Park is right next door where we went after the ceremony for some photos along with the old Belair train station.

Groomsmen Preparation

Mike and his two grooms men got ready at Glenelg in a hotel suite which they forgot they had to check out of by 10am! lucky the staff of the Oaks Plaza Pier Hotel allowed us to stay that little bit longer to take a few preparation photos. It helps when it’s your wedding day!

groomsmen preparation glenelg

Bridal Party Preparation

Bonita (or Bonnie) got ready at their house in O’Halloran Hill. I arrived just before the make up artist was finishing up and as their motorcade was arriving. Quite a laid back couple there was little to no stress and laughter all around. The whole preparation process was a delight to witness.

Bridal preparation

Wedding dress hanging

Bridal preparation

Belair Country Club Wedding Ceremony

The Country Club is a venue just down the road from the Belair National Park entrance and is absolutely breathtaking as a wedding venue. Of all the Adelaide garden wedding venues, this Country Club has got to rank amongst my favourite for wedding photography. The venue is nestled amongst magnificent gum trees, full of kangaroos, emus, Koalas and bird life as you would expect from a place surrounded by a national park.

Belair Country Club wedding

Exchanging wedding rings

Happy bride

View from behind bride

Wedding in the garden

After First kiss

Walk down the aisle

Wedding chalkboard

Bridal party entrance

Groom

Wedding cars

First kiss

Glamour Photos

For Bonita and Mike’s glamour photos we started out in the grounds of the Country Club, but then headed out to the old Belair train station and then took a short walk through the Belair National Park. All three locations were absolutely breathtaking and it made my role as their wedding photographer much easier.

Belair train station wedding

Belair National Park wedding

Belair train station wedding

Belair National Park wedding

Standing in the garden together

Lovely light here

Belair train station wedding

kissing under a tree

Belair National Park wedding

Belair Country Club Reception

The Belair Country Club is approximately 20 years old with the main building looking very modern. The building comprises of three function rooms (The Garden Room, The Parkview Room and the Fairway View Room.) The Parkview and Fairway View Room can be opened up into one large room is desired. Bonita and Mike’s wedding took place in the Garden room. One of the owners of the Country Club is a former International Head Chef and it really showed in the food they served, was delicious.

Wedding entrance

Reception setup

Wedding cake

Reception setup

Guests dancing

First dance

Dinner

Bride and groom cheers

I’d like to thank Bonita and Mike for choosing me as their wedding photographer as I had an absolute ball taking these photos and editing them. I believe some of the photos taken at this wedding were some of my more ‘epic’ in regard to sheer aesthetic appeal. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Belair National Park Wedding – Justine & Nathan

January 21, 2019/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Justine & Nathan
Belair National Park Wedding

It was a rather overcast day in early December for Justine and Nathan’s wedding at the Belair National Park. Rain was threatening all day, but thankfully only showers for brief periods all day. Good thing too as the ceremony and following picnic-style period in between the ceremony and reception was all out in the open within the park. Turned out to be an awesome day though. I was asked to be their wedding photographer for the entire day and I had an absolute blast!

Preparation

Started off the day with Nathan and his boys getting ready at their home. I arrived to the boys all sitting about playing Super Smash bros on their Nintendo Switch before getting them moving to get dressed. There was a neat empty room off to the side of their living room where there was plenty of room to move about and take some rather atmospheric shots 🙂

Dad helping

Groom getting ready

Unicorn

Groom

Smiling groom

getting ready

Wedding rings

Standing about

Blues Bros

I think the best experience of the morning was at Justine’s place of prep at her parent’s place. The emotion certainly got hold of Justine’s Dad who was holding back tears all morning, it was a delight to see and made the whole morning that much more emotional to witness that kind of fatherly love. Justine was fairly calm and collected through the whole morning though, quite keen on getting her dress on and moving the day forward 🙂

Helping with the dress

Putting on dress

Proud Dad

Putting on dress

Wedding Dress

Mum helping

Putting on veil

Flower girl

Engagement ring

Smiling bridesmaids

Looking pretty

Putting on dress

Putting on necklace

Belair National Park Wedding Ceremony

Their wedding ceremony took place in a hireable spot of grass within the Belair National Park in the shadow what I’m told to be the tallest certain type of gum tree in South Australia. Backdropped by native fauna, the place is a lovely setting, nearby some lush greenery ready for photos after.

Exit

First kiss

Blushing bride

Groom standing out the front

Exchanging rings

Flower girl

Holding hands

Groom’s first look

Groom glancing sideways

Bride arrival

Bridal approach

Little bub

Wedding sign

Belair National Park Picnic

The great thing about this spot is that it boasts plenty of room to set up a ceremony, and a picnic while still having plenty of room for lawn games including cricket, chess and marks up. Everyone had a blast, and I got to witness one of the most intense games of giant jenga ever conceived.

Playing jenga

Hugs

Playing chess

Cricket

Hugs

Bowling

Throwing the ball

Rings on bouquet

Playing chess

Batting

Hugs

Playing finska

Glamour Photos

For the glamour photos we wandered around the local area nearby where Justine and Nathan’s ceremony took place using the lovely greenery, and an awesome tree I discovered. before heading to another spot on the other side of the Belair National Park nearby the railway station. It’s always a great shot there with a huge archway of gum trees throwing themselves over the walking trail. Once we were done here we head off to the Glenelg Golf Course for the reception. While waiting to head in we used the scenery there for a few shots too.

Amongst the tall grass

Picking the bride up

Close up of wedding rings

Bridal Party

Walking about Belair National PArk

Under a tree

Amongst the tall grass

Under the trees

Smiling

Skipping into the sunset

Bouquet

Walking together in the Belair National Park

Under the veil

Glenelg Golf Club Wedding Reception

The reception was quite a boisterous affair at the Glenelg Golf Club, with dancing going on all night and everyone having an absolute blast! The girls and boys all got into the bouquet and garter tosses, and everyone from young to old I’m sure were rubbing their feet the next morning from all the dancing they did the night before! It was a lot of fun circling the dance floor with my camera s when I walked by I’d always get someone throwing a funny face or going crazy in front of me!