Tag Archive for: first look

Old Woodhouse Manor Wedding – Victoria-Rose & Adam

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  • Victoria-Rose & Adam

    Old Woodhouse Manor Wedding

    Choosing The Best Wedding Photographer in Adelaide

Victoria Rose and Adam’s Old Woodhouse Manor Wedding was such an interesting wedding to be a part of! First up was a lovingly choreographed first look between this lovely, couple, followed by a classical music concert and then a delightful outside reception in the shadow of this delightful old manor in the Adelaide Hills.

Preparation

Both Victoria-Rose and Adam were being prepared in one of the many rooms in this delightful old Manor. Walking through the rooms was super nostalgic for me as the last time I had visited this Scout-run venue was over 20 years ago for a school camp.

This grand gothic sandstone house was built for one time Premier of South Australia and Chief Justice of South Australia Sr Richard Davies Hanson. Hanson built this large mansion in the 1860s, while the Australian Boy Scouts purchased the house and property in 1972 and to this day run the site as a training ground and popular camp site.

Victoria-Rose was keen on having a grand ‘first look’ with Adam next to the nearby stream so much of the time we were with Victoria-Rose as she got ready, Adam was with his groomsmen awaiting her arrival.

White suit jacket in tree
Groom having tie tied on verandah
Groom playing with cufflinks
Bride having makeup touched up
Engagement ring in red and pink bouquet
Groom pasing hallway
Engagement ring perched between shoes
Groom tie being adjusted in mirror
Wedding dress habging in window at manor
Bride smiling in small mirror
Groom talking to groomsmen
Grandma watching as girls get ready
Bridal party inbetween doorframe
Bridal bouquet closeup
Bride at Old Woodhouse Manor

Firstlook Photoshoot

Victoria-Rose and Adam held their first look at the bottom of the gardens surrounding the Manor, we made use of the nearby foliage for a bit of shade during the midday sun for a few glamour shots before heading to a nearby clearning for their ceremony.

Groom waiting patiently for first look
Bride arriving for first look
Bride approaching groom in first look
Smiles at first lok
Bride and groom hugs at first look
Bride leaning into her groom
Bridal party amongst the greens
Groom tickling his bride
Bride and groom on small bridge
Bride and groom close together through leaves
Bridal party silly photo
Bride and groom in the lush greens
Bride and groom embrace together
Bride and groom walking together
Bride and groom leaning in for kiss
Bridal portrait in the undergrowth

Old Woodhouse Manor Wedding Ceremony

Victoria-Rose and Adam’s Old Woodhouse Manor wedding ceremony took place under the shade of a large tree, nearby the car parking spaces reserved for people heading to the Manor.

Victoria-Rose arrived in a modern Mustang, with a rather brave driver, as they were completely off road and in heavy grass as they approached. I would have been worried aboult getting such a low car out of there!

Victoria-Rose walked along a small footbridge towards Adam and their congregation with Enya playing in the background and held a nice, simple ceremony topped off by having one of their grandmothers join in with a hand-fasting ceremony, which was a nice touch.

Groom looking out for his bride
Bride hitching dress up to walk in long grass
Old Woodhouse Manor wedding ceremony
Old Woodhouse Manor wedding holding hands
Groom looking at bride at ceremony
Bride looking at groom at ceremony
Placing wedding ring on her finger
Grandma joing in for hand fasting ceremony
First kiss at Old Woodhouse Manor wedding
Bride and groom exit on sunny day
Famiyl with wedding certificate

Old Woodhouse Manor Wedding Reception

Inbetween Victoria-Rose and Adam’s Ceremony and sit-down reception which was taking place in a large paved courtyard, shaded by the old manor, everyone was treated to a classical mucic concert as a surprise, put on by their parents.

Bride and groom walking up hill
Old Woodhouse Manor wedding reception setup
3 tiered white wedding cake with leaves
Bride and groom arriving at concert
Bride and groom cutting cake outside
Bride and groom enjoying concert
Mum and guest
Bride cork popping
Bride and groom leaning against large tree
Bride and groom under sunlight and trees
Fiurst dance at Old Woodhouse Manor wedding

Thankyou so much to Victoria-Rose and Adam for having my wife and I cover your wedding as both wedding photographer and Videographer! Was a lovely day!

4 Reasons You Will Want to Have a ‘First Look’

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  • Wedding first look

 

Want to Have a ‘First Look’?

During the wedding planning process, there is always one hot topic that the bride and groom will talk about: the ‘first look’. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, a first look is when a bride and groom meet together privately and see each other before the ceremony begins. This is different from the traditional ways, where the couple will only get to see each other during the ceremony.

While some may say a first look is unnecessary and untraditional, some will also claim that it is a must. Regardless of what you may believe, we sometimes suggest that you consider it as there are some compelling reasons why you may want to have a ‘first look’.

4 Reasons You Will Want to Have a ‘First Look’

  1. Your wedding is held during winter

Typically, if you plan to hold the wedding ceremony late into autumn, during winter, or even early spring, you may want to have a first look done. This is because the sun sets quite early, and if you are holding your ceremony later in the afternoon, there will not be any natural light left for the photo-taking session.

As such, a first look early on ensures that you and everyone else will be able to have photos taken using the light still left before it goes below the horizon.

Photos taken during sunset are of course taken at sunset, after the ceremony, but you need not take as long as you usually would due to having had a photoshoot done before your ceremony.

You may have also considered having an engagement shoot done previously also for the same reasons.

Lightning
  1. The reception follows the wedding immediately

If the reception starts immediately or almost immediately after a wedding, you will want to have a first look session done before the ceremony. Otherwise, you may spend the majority of your time during reception, taking photos rather than enjoying your meal. This is especially true if you also plan to have pictures of friends and family, which reduces even more time for your post-wedding activities. 

On top of that, if you are planning to enjoy plenty of cocktails and other drinks during the reception, you may not look at your best after a few. In other words, you may want to have a ‘first look’ as it will ensure you and your partner can have your photos taken before getting busy with the ceremony!

First look
  1. The location of the wedding is far from the reception venue

Many couples hold their reception on the same or near their wedding venue. However, some may hold their reception far away from the ceremony location. If the latter is your case, then it is smart to want to have a ‘first look’ before the ceremony. This way, you do not have to rush around trying to take pictures right after the wedding to give you and the others more time to reach the venue and prepare for a wonderful night. Plus, a first look ensures you get plenty of photos to add to your album, whereas rushing for pictures taken will only significantly limit how many photos you get!

first look in Kuitpo Forest
  1. You are afraid of the pressure of your emotions at your ceremony

Perhaps the most common reason why people want to have a ‘first look’ is that they are afraid that the nerves leading up to a traditional ‘first look’ as the bride walks up the aisle may be too much to bear causing ugly crying or other such emotional reactions you may not want to display in front of family and friends.

Having a first look allows you to get these nerves and emotions out of the way before the ceremony thereby lessening the chance of not looking your best during the ceremony.

Grooms first look as she walks towards him

If you believe that you will have a rushed photo-taking session due to the tight wedding schedule, then you may want to have a ‘first look’ before the chaos ensues! Sure, the ceremony will be a blast, but you may regret it later when you find out that the resulting photos were not what you expected or that you do not have enough to work with because you didn’t allocate enough time for it.

Save yourself the headache and do a first look if any of the above reasons apply to you, or you simply want to see the love of your life before everyone else!

Sven Studios is a professional wedding photography service that helps couples capture their weddings’ emotional memories to treasure forever. If you are looking for the best wedding photographers in Adelaide or around Australia, get in touch with us today to see how we will capture the best moments of your day!

Beach Huts Middleton Wedding – Sarah & Tom

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  • Sarah & Tom

    Beach Huts Middleton Wedding

    Bride and groom under a cloud

Sarah and Tom’s Beach Huts Middleton wedding was a delightfully intimate family affair with the focus being on enjoying themselves with their friends and family without ducking out too much to have photos taken. Due to this Sarah and Tom opted to have their glamour photos done before their ceremony at the nearby Middleton beach which was super busy due to the warm weather!

Middleton Beach First Look

While I’ve called their photoshoot beforehand a ‘first look‘ truth was that Sarah and Tom both arrived together so that whole idea of getting over the nerves with a first look photoshoot had already been done that morning :). All Sarah and Tom were really after were a couple of nice photos together without having to spend too much time away from their family and friends at the Beach Huts Middleton.

So after they arrived about 30 mins late due to usual wedding morning shenanigans, Sarah and Tom only had about half the amount of time originally allocated to have their photos done – but it was plenty of time to walking up the Middleton beach board walk and walk about the beach a bit. A bit of photoshop was required to remove all the other beachgoers though!

Walking the steps at Middleton Beach
Standing above Middleton Beach
Surprising his bride
Walking up the sand dunes
Spinning aorund
Walking along Middleton beach together
Bride and groom under a cloud
A bird flys over the bride and groom
Bride and groom walking along Middleton beach
Close up of Brides hands
Bride and groom standing together above Middleton beach

Beach Huts Middleton Wedding Ceremony

As is usually the case with a Beach Huts Middleton Wedding, Sara and Tom opted to hold their ceremony on the grassy area nearby the tennis courts, surrounded by the delightful little beach huts which the venue gets it’s name from.

While Sarah and Tom had opted to do thir photoshoot beforehand, they still did the traditional bridal entrance where she walked down the aisle with father on one arm and veil covering her face before approaching her soon to be husband.

The ceremony was a lovely, simple affair spearheaded by vows full of in jokes and funny anecdotes of the couple’s lives together.

Wedding sign at Beach Huts Middleton
Groom arriving at ceremony
groom waiting patiently for the bride to show
bride walking out Beach Huts Middleton
bridal arrival at the beach huts middleton
Groom look at his bride as she walks towards him
Beach huts middleton wedding ceremony
Groom smiling at his bride at Middleton
Beach Huts Middleton wedding congregation
Bride and groom under archway
Smiling bride during her wedding ceremony
Middleton beach huts wedding ceremony on the grass
Beach Huts Middleton wedding ceremony on the grass
Bride giving wedding band
First kiss at Beach Huts Middleton
Bridal escape

Reception

After the ceremony and before heading to the Blue’s restaurant on site at the Beach Huts Middleton for the evening reception, Sarah and Tom hosted a laid back afternoon reception for their guests which they were keen to be a part of.

The afternoon was full of lawn games, having fun with friends, and a couple of guests even picked up the tennis racquets and tried to hit my camera 😛 Every now and again I might catch Sarah and Tom and pull them aside for a quick photo, but I was aware they diddnt want to leave their friends and family for too long 🙂

The reception within Blues restaurant consited of a nice sit down dinner, with simple addons like a photobooth in the corner run by ‘In the Booth’, a kareoke machine set up as the DJ and Tom acted as his own MC – even going as far as announcing himself and Sarah as they entered the building!

It was a beautifully fun filled afternoon with plenty of lovely people laughing, playing and having a great time being together to celebrate this lovely couple’s love for one another.

Sunder the sun at Beach Huts Middleton
Having fun with the bride’s veil
Walking along the road at Beach Huts Middleton
Wedding bands on fence post
Talking best man
Engagement ring in the flowers
Guest playing lawn games
Boys being silly
Sarah looking pretty
Bride and groom amongst the roses
Guests playing games
Guest playing tennis
groom talking to guests
Guest playing lawn games
Laughing guests
Wedding reception table flowers
Flowers at wedding reception
Groom MCing own wedding
Bridal couple entrance to reception
Groom celebrating entrance
Bride and groom in the photobooth
Guests having fun
Guests out the front of Blues Restaurant
Little girl dancing to the music

Thanks so much to Sarah and Tom for having me capture their delightful Beach Huts Middleton Wedding for them! I had a blast taking the photos and I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did taking them! Cheers!

Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Sarah & Ricardo

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  • Sarah & Ricardo

    Ekhidna Wines Wedding

    Ekhidna wines wedding

Ekhidna Wines, or Ekhidna Winery in Mclaren Vale was the stunning backdrop to Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding amongst a wonderful bunch of people who had travelled from far and wide to attend their big day. A big difference between their wedding and many others however was the fact that they opted to do their glamour shoot a few days prior to their wedding day. They instead got dressed up 2 days before their wedding day in mid Januray and had a bit of a ‘first look’ and glamour shoot using optimal light later in the day.

Pre Wedding Shoot

The great thing about what Sarah and Ricardo decided to do was that they were able to dedicate their whole wedding day soley to their friends and family, without leaving everyone at their Ekhidna wines reception while they went off to have their glamour photos taken. As their glamour photos had already been done a few day prior they were able to just party all day! It was also great to me as we were able to make use of the best light during the day, without worrying about getting back inside for speeches or cake cutting. It was a wonderful idea and I can’t believe more pople don’t opt to do this!

Our glamour shoot began as a simple little ‘first look’ between Sarah adn Ricardo in the garden of the bed and breakfast they were staying at that night. It was a very small little garden, but it worked out beautifully as the sun was in a great spot for it to shine in through the leaves of the trees lining the road. Then we head out to the main street of Mclaren Vale where there is a stunning little grove of Olive Trees that are free to walk through as a tribute to the regions large Olive business.

I like using this spot later in the day as the sun shines through the canopy of this little grove quite nicely. The next spot we head to was the ‘story bench’ in Willunga which I learnt about back when I was a teacher at the nearby Willunga Primary School. Its a simple little park with large gum trees, a big open grassy area and some nifty, whispy trees I’m not sure what their names are. 😀 We then finished the day back at Ekhidna Wines where Saraha and Ricardo’s dog came to visit for a bit of a shoot throughout the vineyards.

First Look Photo
First look with the sun in the background
Bride looking pretty in Mclaren Vale
Kisses in the MClaren vale Olive Grove
Walking through the Mclaren Vale Olive Grove
Standing together amongst the trees
Holding one another
Close up of Engagement ring
Passion amongst the trees
Walking through the trees
Sitting on the Willunga Story bench
Looking through the tree at his bride
Having fun together
Amongst the wispy trees in WIllunga
Holding each other under the winspy trees
Fun in the sun
Kisses in the sun
Together in the Ekhidna Wines Vineyard
Dog running in the Ekhidna WInes vineyards
Bride and Groom together in the vineyard
Ekhidna wines wedding
Above the Ekhidna Winery vineyard
Bride and groom throught the vineyards
Kisses under the veil
Wispy veil
Dog portrait
Ekhidna winery wedding

Preparation

On the actual day of the wedding, Sarah and her bridal aprty were being prepared at the Ekhidna Wines on-site bed and breakfast which is always convenient as it’s right next door to the wedding venue. I had a little bit of time with Sarah and everyone there and grab a few shots of them all getting ready!

Flower girl dress
Hanging wedding dress
Looking in mirror
Wedding rings box
Getting flower girl ready
Pinning flower on Dad
bride with kids
Kids
Mum helping bride get ready
bride getting ready on her wedding day

Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony

Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding ceremoyn was full of meaningful readings and heartfelt cameos by friends and family throughout, and was of course backdropped to what I feel to be one of the best backdrops to any wedding venue in Mclaren Vale – that of the Hills behind Ekhidna WInes. When there is a little cloud in the sky, it just makes for a stunning backdrop!

Bride approaching her wedding ceremony
Groom watching his bride walk down aisle
Mum and Dad looking on
Wedding ceremony at Ekhidna wines
little one in the aisle
Priest speech
Family member speech
Ekhidna wines wedding ceremony
Bride looking on
Groom looking on
Ekhidna winery wedding ceremony
Wedding
Wedding ceremony
Holding hands during the Wedding ceremony
Exhcnaging wedding bands
Mclaren Vale wedding ceremony
first kiss at Ekhidna wines
Smiling bride during exit
Bride and groom exit

Ekhidna Wines Wedding Reception

To finish up I was at Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding reception on site at Ekhidna wines for a few hours before my wedding photography coverage was at an end. Can you believe I maaged to grab all these shotswithin 6 hours?! 2 hours on their glamour shoot day, and 4 on their actual wedding day and I managed to pretty much cover it all! It was obvious to me that many of those who made speeches throughout the evening were used to public speaking as the quality of all the speeches were fantastic, and tall the guests got right into each one, making the whole experience that much more intimate and special.

Guest book on table
Bride and her bridal party
Groom and his groomsmen
Talking groomsman
Laughing Mum
Kids running about
Happy groom
Drone group shot at Ekhidna WInes
Wedding cake set up at Ekhidna Wines
Speeches
Giving a speech
Dad giving a speech
laughing groom at speeches
Bride smiling at speech
Interpretor
Giving a heartfelt speech
Cheering being married
Cutting the wedding cake together

Sarah and Ricardo, your wedding was an absolute joy to be a part of and I hope you enjoy your photos!

Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Jenna & Josh

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  • Ekhidna Wines Wedding

    Jenna & Josh

    Ekhidna wines wedding photo

Jenna and Josh’s Ekhidna Wines wedding was an absolute joy to photograph! Loving vibes all around and a group of people that just seemed to love life! Jenna and Josh were surrounded by some of their best friends and family and they all made sure everyone knew they were there to celebrate their big day! It was a pretty neat wedding for me as I actually first met Jenna and Josh while I was up in Darwin as a wedding photographer – and they just happened to live up there at the time. I believe Ekhidna Winery actually referred me to them as a photographer.

Preparation

The day started as it usually does, with me at the groom and groomsmen place of preparation at a bed and breakfast not too far away from Ekhidna Winery. I arrived as the guys were just finishing putting on their shirts and everyone was running about making sure everything was ready for the big day. Josh was showing a bit of nerves, always trying to look directly at the camera, or trying to do something, but not really doing any thing 🙂

Getting ready in heart mirror
groomsmen getting ready
Groom looking at camera
Finishing touches on grooms suit
Bunch of groomsmen
Smiling groom getting ready
Groomsmen ready to go
Wedding rings on shoes
Smiling groomsmen putting on tie
Groomsman wearing sunnies
Best man putting on tie
Groom leaning on tree
Grooms shoes in woods
Groom playing with cufflinks

Jenna was being prepared in a bed and breakfast at the center of Mclaren Vale, it was a well set out house complete with opulent bedroom which made for a great staging spot for photos and video. Jenna seemed to be a lot more laid back than Josh during her preparation, having a lot of fun with her bridal aprty and everyone else there. There were smiles all morning 🙂

bridal bouqet on bedside table
bridesmaid helping put on dress
Bride and bridesmaids having fun
bride looking at mirror
Father of the brides first look
Bridesmaids fussing over bride
Bride looking out window
Bride leaning on door frame
Putting on makeup in front of window
Bride walking out front door
lacing up the wedding dress
Bride looking pretty in wedding dress
smiling bride as she gets ready
bridal party peeking through window
wedding dress hanging in bay window
smiling bride with bridal party

First Look

Jenna and Josh opted to hold a ‘first look’ well before their Ekhidna Wines wedding ceremony so that they can spend more time with their friends and family directly after the ceremony, instead of running off to have their photos done after. The bed and breakfast they had booked was well equipped for this purpose, with a lovely little garden that blocked the sun due to it’s copious foliage. Jenna walked up behind Josh and gave him a cuddle and Josh’s sweet side shone directly after seeing Jenna in her bridal gown for the first time. It was incredibly sweet the way he reacted and teared up while Jenna was all smiles the entire time.

First look
bride sneaking up on groom
bride and groom’s first look
bride and groom together in the morning
bride and groom kissing at their first look
boutonniere

First Look Glamour Photos

We then used the grounds surrounding the small bed and breakfast for some glamour photos. The surrounding area boasted a small vineyard and some nice gum trees which we made use of, along with a small paddock which we made sure to get their pride and joy, the car in some shots. The birdal party were more than keen to get on top of the car and just have some fun with the whole situation 🙂

walking together on the driveway
Holding one another in the vines
Holding one another in the vineyard
hugs amongst the vines
under the gums
bride and groom in the long grass
bride and groom holding each other the long grass
bridal party and car

Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony

Jenna and Josh held their Ekhidna WInes Wedding Ceremony overlooking the stunning southern Adelaide hills and the vineyard out the back of the Ekhidna winery cellar door. It’s an incredible vista that makes for a wonderful backdrop for a wedding. They had a triangular arbour, and with 6 people on each side of the bridal party, there were 15 people out the front during the ceremony including their celebrant! Their guest list was not on the small side either! Lucky Jenna and Josh made use of my optional second photographer and videographer to cover all the angles.

Their ceremony was simple and heartfelt, with nerves coming into play on both sides as they recited their vows, but it just made the whole ceremony that much more intimate.

waiting groom
bride walking with father
bridal approach at Ekhidna wines wedding
bride and groom together at altar
Ekhidna wines wedding ceremony
Ekhidna wines wedding ceremony with triangle arbour
smiling bride during ceremony
groom through bridesmaids
wedding ceremony at winery
wedding at Ekhidna wines
best man and wedding rings
during the wedding ceremony at Ekhidna winery
first kiss
Just married
bride and groom escaping under flower pettels

Ekhidna Wines Glamour Photos

As we had done much of our glamour shots before the wedding ceremony, the ceremony itself took place quite late in the day, meaning that soon after the usual group shots of family and friends, the sun was soon fading. We did manage to get a few speeches in before we head out for the sunset though – which turned out to be absolutely incredible. I got some wonderful golden light filtering in through the vines and from above with the drone!.

Smiling bride in sun light
Having some fun
Admiring the groom’s ring
Bridal party on love sign