I was right in the middle of the Darwin CBD for Kelly and ben’s Doubletree by Hilton Darwin wedding that took place on the lawns nearby the hotel’s pool, with glamour photos just across the round in Darwin’s Bicentennial park, and reception in the Doubletree by Hilton Darwin reception center a few doors down from the actual hotel!
The weather was absolutely fantactic, as you’d expect from this time of year in Darwin – while perhaps on the warmer side, but that was ok as Kelly and ben were keen to get back to their friends and family sooner rather than later for their reception, instead of spedning took long taking photos!
Doubletree by Hilton Darwin Wedding Ceremony
Kelly and Ben’s Doubletree by Hilton Darwin wedding ceremony took place on the lawned area alongside the hotel’s pool area. The grassy lot has ample room for small to medium sized wedding ceongregations and is a private little space, surrounded by tall buildings, fences and greenery.
The ceremony itself was a short, simple affair, with Kelly of course being a tad late – which is of course tradition – but once she was there, it was smiles all around as these two lovely people said their vows and tied the knot.
Groom waiting at his Doubletree by Hilton wedding ceremony
Bride arriving at Doubletree by Hilton
Smiling bride in the Doubletree by Hilton lobby
Bridal entrance at the Doubletree by Hilton
Grooms first look at doubletree by hilton wedding
Doubletree by hilton wedding ceremony
Holding hands at wedding ceremony
Bride and groom holding hands on the grass at doubletree
Wedding ceremony on the grass at Doubletree by hilton
Doubletree by Hilton Darwin wedding ceremony
Groom during his wedding ceremony
Page boy bringing the rings
Vows at a wedding ceremony
First kiss at Doubletree by Hilton Darwin wedding
bride and groom exit their Doubletree by Hilton wedding ceremony
Glamour Photos
After holding the family group shots over the water of the pool, using the small patch of greenery as the backdrop – we head over the road to Darwin’s Bicentennial park for glamour photos. It kelly and ben weren’t overly keen to travel too far away for their glamour photos, opting instead to have a few done close by, allowing them to spend more time with their family and friends back at their reception. It was also quite a warm day, so moving too far wasn’t on the top of most people’s lists of things to do 🙂
The sunny day meant that I was presented by quite a bit of sun glare shining through the foliage of trees, so I made good use of the light bathing the bridal party in it’s glow. We managed to walk around the park a bit, all the way down to the rocky shoreline and back before retiring to get ready for the reception.
bride and groom on the pool edge
Bridal party in Darwins Bicentenniel park
Bride and groom in Bicentennialpark
Ring in flowers
bridal party in Bicentennial Park Darwin
bride and groom amongst thin trees in Darwin
Bride and groom in thin trees in Bicentennial Park
bride and groom on the Darwin bay lookout
Bride and groom on the Darwin foreshore
bride and groom amongst the Darwin Foliage
Smiling bride and groom surrounded by green
Darwin Bicentennial Park Wedding Photo
Darwin Bicentennial Park Wedding Photography
Doubletree by Hilton Darwin Wedding Reception
It was the second time I had covered a wedding in this Doubletree by Hilton Darwin reception hall – as there are a number to choose from, but I think this hall is quite popular due to it’s size and ease of access from the road. The area boasts ample room for a medium sizes wedding party, with dance, while the kids were keen on using the spare space for games and running around.
The atmosphere was fun and laid back, with a number of speeches and plenty of dancing later in the evening. I;d like to thank Kelly and Ben for seating me at a table! I had a lovely chat with the people at the table who clued me on some places to visit for the next time I was in Darwin – which happened to be only last week. Unfortunately though my trip was cut short due to COVID 🙁
It was a lovely night to be a part of!
wedding sign in Hotel
Wedding favour jelly beans
Doubletree by Hilton Wedding Reception
bride and groom arriving at their reception
Wedding reception food
bride and groom outside the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Darwin
Despite being based in Adelaide, possibly my favourite place in Australia to cover a wedding is in Darwin. From the weather, the people, and the incredible sunsets, shooting a wedding in Darwin has always been an incredible experience for me and I’d like to share some of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin.
My goal here is to provide a simple list of locations in and around the Darwin general area, without having to force bridal couples to travel too far. I’ve also restricted this list to free to enter locations – that is photo locations that do not require a permit in order to be allowed ot have photos taken there. An example of an otherwise obvious addition to this list would be the Darwin Botanic Gardens which do require a permit.
A list of my favourite Wedding Photo Locations in Darwin
Nightcliff Jetty and Surrounds
The Nightcliff Jetty and surrounding parks is a popular spot for locals and tourists a like to bask in the glow of the famous Darwin sunsets that light up the sky in a glorious orange glow during the Darwin wedding season. It’s not uncommon to see multiple weddings having their sunset photos done here in the evening.
It’s the uninterrupted view of the sunset and the wonderful rocks that emerge from the ocean that draw people here to have their photography done!
Darwin wedding sunset
East Point Reserve
Similar to the Nightcliff rocks, the East Point reserve has some incredible rock formations you can have an adventurous bridal couple climb over for some epic scenes – particularly at sunset. Also if you’re able to time it right, at low tide you can walk down from nearby Pee Wees on the Point to the beach with some incredible rocks, mango trees and coloured cliffs that make for some great backdrops! Just takes a bit of planning from the bridal couple to get down there. You can also use some of the World War 2 historical buildings nearby.
Darwin’s Pride rock
Out on pride rock
Darwin wedding photo
SunSet Beach / Fannie Bay Foreshore
Just down the road from the East Point reserve is SunSet Beach which is one of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin largely due to it’s so easy to get to. Both Nightcliff and East Point rocks require your bridal couple to be ok with traipsing over rocks – where as its the same with Sunset beach, but it’s a lot easier to get to, and less dangerous.
Out on the water
Lake Alexander
Right across the road from SunSet Beach is Lake Alexander. If you’re looking for a little more greenery in your Darwin wedding photography, then heading to the Lake Alexander park would be your best bet. With curated lawns and green trees bordering the lake itself, it makes for a nice change in pace from the dark greens, and yellows you would get from shooting in front of cliffs, beaches and rocks all day.
Walking together
Holding one another
Gardens Park Trees
When covering a wedding in Darwin I always try to visit the incredible trees located on Gardens rd, just outside the entrance to the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The unique trees that are growing in Gardens Park make for an incredible backdrop for wedding photography. And it’s not just one or two of thetrees here, it’s pretty much all of them! They are climbable, huge, always green and would not look out of place in any Harry Potter movie.
Under a tree
Bridal Party under a tree
Darwin wedding trees
Vestey’s Beach Rocks
If you’re looking for a relatively quiet sandy beach, and a few rocks, then Vestey’s beach is a good bet. It’s a beach that’s closed off from the famous Mindil beach next door, but usually without the crowds that usually go along with Mindil beach during the dry season due to the Mindil beach markets. The rocks a short walk from the boat ramp make a nice frame to any shot too.
Vesteys beach rocks
Darwin Waterfront Precinct
If you’re after a more industrial feel to your wedding photography, the Darwin waterfront precinct would be one of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin. Away from the restaurants and tourists, there are some fun walkways and industrial looking walls lining walkways with the bay in the background.
There is also the Bicentennial park nearby, which I have not made one of my favourite wedding photo locations due to the fact that it’s nearly impossible to go there without getting others in the background which is usually the aim win wedding photography.
Bride and Groom walking together near Wharf One
Bridal Party
Rock formations on Casurina drive
It’s really hard to get a bridal couple to head out here for photos, but when they do it always pays off. The famed ‘fingers’ rock formation is difficult to get to, due to the long walk, or jumping over a fence to get to, it’s also a fair way away from any other photo spots – so to get here it can eat up a bit of time which is usually at a premium on a wedding day. But just look at this place!
Darwin Fingers Rock Formation
Darwin Surf Club Beach
It’s not so much the Darwin Surf club, but rather the beach out the front of the wedding venue. The beach not only goes on for miles in both directions, but also boasts hundreds of meters of sand between the land and the water at low tide. The reflections you can get in water pools at sunset are absolutely awesome.
Darwin Surf Club
There are so many other gems of wedding photo locations around Darwin, but these are a few of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin to get you started exploring the wonderful photo opportunities that this city offers.
Amanda and Brian’s wedding was held right on the foreshore of Darwin under the verandah of the Wharf One restaurant with the picturesque backdrop of Darwin’s Kitchener Bay. The day’s weather was absolutely magnificent, as can be expected from Darwin at this time of year! I love heading up to the Northern Territory for this exact reason! Amanda and Brian had quite a few of their family and friends travel up to Darwin for their wedding day which included two separate tea ceremonies and a lovely laid back ceremony and reception at Wharf One.
Morning Tea Ceremonies
Amanda and Brian hosted two separate traditional tea ceremonies for their two travelling families. The first in a rather nice, large bed and breakfast propertry overlooking the Darwin shoreline. It’s also where Amanda and her bridal party had their makeup and hair done before greeting Brian who arrived brandishing flowers.
I rather like the idea of giving thanks to family members and seeking approval of the wedding through the exchanging of tea in the morning before wedding ceremonies as it brings together and includes family members who would otherwise not have as much to do on a wedding day. It formalises the idea of the coming together of two separate families in a lovely traditional way.
Makeup
Makeup
Family on couch
Engagement ring
Tea set
Wedding rings
Wedding dress
Wedding dress
Grooms arrival
Smiling bride
Hugs
Tea ceramony
Tea ceramony
Jewellery gift
Little girl
Smiling guests
Entrance
Mobile photos
Drinking tea
Drinking tea
Offering tea
Tea cup
Tea ceremony
Tea ceremony
Preparation Photos
As is often the case after hosting a tea ceremony on a wedding day, it’s not uncommon for the bridal party to change clothing into their wedding ceremony attire. After heading back from the Darwin city center and back to the bed and breakfast for lunch, Amanda changed out of her red dress into her white bridal gown, while Brian suited up. They managed to hide the dress entirely from Brian despite being prepared at the same location by hiding it in an upstairs bedroom which Brian was forbidden to enter. That way the tradition of seeing the bride for the first time on the day was saved for when she walked down the aisle in her white dress, which Brian hadnt seen yet! 🙂
Shoes
Cufflinks
Crossing fingers
Putting on shirt
Sorting out ties
Pose
Putting on jacket
Helping out
Helping out
Closeup of flower
Walking out door
Bridesmaid helping out
Putting on dress
Walking down the stairs
Bridesmaid putting in veil
Looking pretty
Bridesmaids
Wharf One Wedding Ceremony
The decking just outside the Wharf One restaurant was the setting for their wedding ceremony, with the entire congregation shaded from the hot sun, and yet still enjoying the beautiful weather while surrounded by the calm waters found in the Darwin artificial beach precinct. The ceremony itself was a lovely simple affair with a couple of friends and family sharing readings and laughter as their celebrant highlighted some of the funnier parts of their relationship.
Wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bride getting ready to go
Bridal approach
Out the front together
Smiles
Smiles
Wedding ceremony
Smiling bride
Wharf One Wedding ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
Holding hands
First kiss
Bridal exit
Bridal exit
Glamour Photos
After the family photos, the rest of the congregation enjoyed the precinct surrounding the Wharf One restaurant while Amanda, Brian, their bridal party and I went for a little drive to make use of some of the more picturesque spots scattered around Darwin. Our first stop was of course the decking surrounding Wharf One where we took a few bridal party shots. We then head over to the wonderful trees out the front of the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The trees here are wonderful to have photos done at that time of day as the sun peeks through the foliage in such a delightful manner! We then head around to the parklands surrounding Lake Alexander before heading up to Dudley point to make use of the delightful hanging cliffs for the sunset.
Bride and Groom walking together near Wharf One
Pushing the groom into the drink
Bridal Party
Bridal Party under a tree
Bridal Party under the trees
Bride and groom walking together
Bride and groom walking together
Under a tree
Amongst the scrub
Amongst the scrub
Romantic
Hugs
Walking together
Holding one another
Holding one another
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Beautiful light on the rocks
Beautiful light on the rocks
Sunset
Sunset
Wharf One Wedding Reception
Amanda and Brian’s wedding reception was held back at the Wharf One restaurant a little late as we stayed out at Dudley Point for the sunset, but noone seemed to mind much. The atmosphere was jovial and everyone had a delightful meal backdropped by live music and the odd foray into the photobooth – who’s attendant happened to be the very same attendant at my first wedding in Darwin over 2 years ago! Very small world.
Bridal entrance
Speech
Schedule
Best Man speech
Bride
Maids of honour speech
Laughing bride
Hugs
Wedding cake
Speech
Cutting the cake
Inside Wharf One Restaurant
Boys hanging out
Thanks so much for Amand and Brian for having me as your wedding photographer! If anyone is looking for a photographer in Darwin, I’d be super keen to travel back up for your wedding! Check out my darwin website at https://svenstudios.com/darwin-wedding-photography/ for more details!
There’s nothing better than travelling up to Darwin for a wedding during the winter months, getting away from the cold weather in Adelaide during this time of year! these past few months have been full of travel for me, having covered a wedding in Santorini, Greece just a few weeks prior to Jane and David’s wedding at the St Mary’s Cathedral in Darwin! It was so awesome to be a part of as I knew Jane and David were wonderful people last time I met up with them on the remote Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin for an engagement shoot.
I went up there for a few days camping and exploring the remote island where Jane and David live amongst the local Tiwi islander community. It also happens to be the location of the wedding featured in the recent blockbuster ‘Top end wedding‘, which was pretty neat!
Preparation
David was being prepared with his groomsmen in an apartment overlooking the Darwin waterfront precinct. The atmosphere was laid back and easygoing and it all went pretty smoothly until I apparently interrupted a crossfit competition when we were waling about for photos on the beachfront.. sorry about that! Diddn’t seem to interrupt much as I diddnt even notice until after when someone mentiuoned it to me.. haha.
Getting ready
Walking along the beach
Getting ready
Wedding rings
Getting ready
Getting ready
Getting ready
Close up of flower
Getting ready
Wedding rings
Socks
Jane and her bridesmaids were being prepared in a rather lavish bed and breakfast overlooking the Darwin skyline. The house featured a 3 story long single stairway which I was super keen on utilising for photos! 🙂 Similar to the guys, the girls were super laid back and if there were any nerves, Jane was hiding it well 🙂
Wedding dress
Putting in earrings
Everybody helping
Sitting around
Engagement ring in shoes
Jane and Mum
Champaigne
Smiles
Putting on dress
Ready to leave
Engagement ring
Buttoning up dress
Girls together
Wedding dress
St Mary’s Cathedral Wedding Ceremony
St Mary’s Cathedral, or ‘Star of the Sea’ Cathedral is located fairly central to the darwin CBD and features a rather unique arch design right throughout it’s main chamber. The Cathedral is lined with local indigenous artwork which was quite important to Jane and David having strong connections with the local Tiwi islander community where they live and work. In the days leading up to the wedding day, jane was keen to point them out to me and tell me the meaning behind it all. It was facinating to learn about!
The Cathedral was built after the war in 1962, with it’s first tone taken from the first uranium mine built in the Northern Territory. As a result, it’s arather modern cathedral with ample natural lighting and wide open spaces in order to move about without getting in anyone’s way while taking photos 🙂
Jane and David’s wedding ceremony was a traditional Catholic affair, complete with readings and full mass service, and even the ex-bishop of Darwin was in attendance which was quite the surpise to Jane and David! The main thng that really made Jane and David’s service stand out though was the wonderful performance from the local Tiwi islanders who had made the trip out to Darwin to celebrate Jane and David’s wedding with them.
Wedding sign
Bridal entrance
Grooms first look
Smiling bride
Holding hands
Holding hands
Everyone out the front
Smiles
Groom
Inside St Mary’s Cathedral
Standing together
Holding hands
priest
Sitting together
under the arch
Ring bearer
First kiss
Celebrations!
Mass
Sitting together
Signing the registry
Smiling at one another
Dancers
Dancing bride and groom
Guitar player
Dancing back down the aisle
Glamour Photos
After family photos and more Tiwi islander dancing out the front of St Mary’s Cathedral, we head out for the glamour photos. We first made use of the wonderful trees out the front of the Darwin Botanical park, before heading over towards Lake Alexander and East Point for photos amongst the wonderful red rocks and cliffs along the beach. jane and david were keen on having photos done similar to what they would have had done in the Tiwi Islands so I suggested heading around here. We also made use of a small park nearby the Darwin Surf Club before heading in for their reception.
Under the sun
Pride rock
Walking along the beach
bridal party
Under the veil
Pride rock
Out on the water
Under the veil
Pride rock
Amongst the trees
Walking along the beach
Pride rock
We head into the Darwin Surf Club for the beginning of their wedding reception only to leave about 20 minutes later to drive to the Nightcliff area for some sunset photos. I’m glad we did too as it was a spectacular sunset and I was about to angle myself in order to make the sun look larger than it actually is. It’s great when that’s possible with a sunset like this!
Sillouette
Darwin wedding sunset
Nightcliff wedding sunset
Sunset photo
Watching the sunset
yay!
Darwin Surf Club Wedding Reception
As is usally the case in Darwin during the dry season, the temperature during the night was absolutely perfect for a night time reception out on the lawn, and the great thing about the Darwin Surf Club is that the sun sets right over the beautiful beach lining the venue. The entire guest list were certainly there to have a good time and I was so pleased to see so many people up on the dance floor! Even David serenaded jane during the night with his newly gained guitar skills! It was such a fun night to be a part of which even featured a gelato bar!
Speech
Selfies
Wedding cake
Having fun
Laughing at speeches
At the bar
Exit
Dancing together
In the bar together
Musician
First dance
On the dance floor
Darwin Surf Club Wedding Reception
Entrance dancing
Darwin Surf Club
Entrance dancing
Table settings
Entrance dancing
First dance
Smiling groom
First dance
Dancing
Entrance dancing
Gift box
Conga line
Cutting the cake
Wedding art
Centre piece
Thanks so much to Jane and David for having me not only at your wedding, but also in your home and town on the Tiwi islands!
Since expanding my operations to the Northern Territory, in particular Darwin through my website https://svenstudios.com/darwin-wedding-photography/, I’ve been super keen on heading up to the Northern End of Australia to shoot again. So when Jane contacted me via my instagram feed, I jumped at the chance on shooting in the most remote area of Australia I have yet visited.
Jane and David were awesome hosts for a 2 night stay on the islands, where they both work in the local community, and in exchange for their wonderful hospitality I was to shoot a bit of an engagement shoot while galavanting around the island!
The first day
After having spent a few days in Darwin – taking photos of the lovely beaches and the amazing sunsets Darwin has to offer, I head out to the Tiwi Islands on a ferry to meet Jane and David whom were both working, so once I arrived I was picked up by David, then had a bit of time to explore the community before they both knocked off work. It was rather surreal witnessing the Liberal coup where former Prime Minister Turnbull was ousted for Scott Morrison in such a remote part of Australia, from within an Aboriginal community – it felt quite distant an unimportant.
It’s this remoteness I think appeals to both Jane and David who both hail from Sydney originally that makes them love this place. The culture and sense of community surrounding them where they live is obvious in that everyone knows one another, when driving about, everyone waved and one another and the entire town felt very laid back.
Once Jane and david had finished their work, we went on a shot expedition to a small wood with lovely tall trees, through which the sun was beating down in typical Northern Territory fashion, so I made use of it!
On the road
Engagement ring
Smiles
In the forest
On the road
On the road
Dancing
Dancing
Hugs
Walking together in the forest
Walking through the bush
laughing
We then head out of town for a bit to a lovely secluded beach beyond the so called ‘international Airport’ of Wurrumiyanga to make use of the fading sun. I found it quite funny that it was classified as a major airport when considering flight paths and ability to launch my drone as the airport consists of only an airstrip – that is apparently sinking into the ground – and a small shed. But anyway, the beach was stunning and out of range from flight limitations anyway.
On the beach together
Walking along the beach
On the beach together
From above
Tiwi Islands Engagement
Kung Fu!
From above
The next morning, the plan was to get up at sparrows to make use of the sun rising over the local bay – while avoiding the giant croc that apparently inhabits the water around the area 🙂
Smiling David
Smiling Jane
Sitting together
Tiwi Islands Sunrise
Shortly after breakfast we were on the road to a delightful little natural spring waterhole were we stopped to have lunch and go for a dip. I was assured there were no crocs around the place here, but the water was so incredibly clear that nothing would be able to sneak up on us anyway. 😛
Jumping in together
Amongst the wattle
Waterhole hugs
Waterhole hugs
Waterhole hugs
By the late afternoon we had reached our campsite for the night, a long white sand beach at the northern tip of the island. We spent some time fishing from the rocks, however caught more rocks than useful fish, then made use of the spectacular red cliffs and sunset for some more photos, all the while dodging the millions of hermit crabs scuttling along the beach, and keeping a wary eye out for crocs.
On a rock
Family portrait
Twirling
Running together
Sun set
Sun set on the rocks
Sun set on the rocks
Sun set on the rocks
On the final day, once we returned home to town, we spent the afternoon waiting for the Darwin-bound ferry fishing on Jane and David’s boat. It was the first time I had experienced fishing on a boat, and Jane managed to land a huge 90cm Barramundi! Which we released, but she also caught herself a smaller one which David filleted up and gave me a fillet for dinner that night 🙂 I also managed to catch quite a few other fish – including some good sized snapper! All in all, my weekend in the Tiwi islands was not one I will soon forget!
Thanks so much to Jane and David for having me photograph them on the Tiwi islands – It’s a place I would never have thought of visiting otherwise, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity!