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Paxton Winery Wedding – Jayne & Pete

Jayne & Pete
Paxton Winery Wedding

Jayne and Pete were super lucky to be able to host their Paxton Winery wedding towards the end of March as it was right at the beginning of the Coronavirus restrictions being in place for weddings. As Jayne and Pete had a number of guests and relatives from overseas in attendance it was a very tight situation! Despite all that, their day turned out to be absolutely awesome!

Preparation

When I arrvied at the bed and breakfast in Port Noarlunga, I was under the impression that no one was home! I had wandered over to the wrong door and was knocking on it for a good 10 minutes before I started to investigate whether there was another way in – turns out there was a large windowed area where Pete’s entourage were milling about in. However there was no Pete! Apparently he had forgotten about having his preparation photos done, and was still in the city!

So after having rushed back to Port Noarlunga, and worrying poor Jayne thinking Pete was going to miss out on his photos, we had a good 30 minutes of photos done where Pete and his groomsmen all got ready overlooking the lovely Port Noarlunga Jetty.

Groomsman helping put on grooms tie

Groom putting on shirt

Grooms shoes

Groomsmen huddle

Wedding rings on tie

Looking on with tie

Groom in tshirt

In case of cold feet socks

Hazing the new guy

After having done Petes photos, I head off up the road a little to Jayne’s bed and breakfast where she was getting ready alongside 3 little flower girls. The atmosphere was a lot more laid back that Pete’s whirlwind photoshoot as we had much more time to get ready!

In fact we had so much time I had a lovely chat with Jaynes relatives and a bit of morning tea before they were starting to move on to Paxton Winery in a mini bus.

Jayne’s Mum wasn’t overly keen on being in front of the camera but I hope she likes the photos I took of her! it was also lovely to see the reaction of Jayne’s father as he saw her in her dress for the first time.

Hanging wedding dress

E pin on flowers

Hanging flower girl dresses

Bride looking in mirror smiling

Flower girl in the makeup chair

Bride having fun putting on makeup

Looking on

Mum helping bride put on dress

Mum helping bride prepare

Bride looking pretty looking out window

Father of the Brides first look

bride and flower girls

Bride hugging daughter

Bride walking down hallway

Bride at front door

Paxton Winery Wedding Ceremony

Jayne and Pete’s Paxton winery wedding ceremony took place on the large grassy area right next to the main building of Paxton winery. The set up overlooks the wonderful rolling hills, topped with vineyards that the Mclaren Vale wine district is famous for.

It’s also a wonderful setup for weddings, as the bridal motorcade can be seen as it drives down the long driveway towards the Paxton Wines cellar door, and then it’s a straight walk over grass for the bridal party to the ceremony location.

The ceremony itself was a lovely laid back affair, with Jayne’s Father giving her away with a little procession at the beginning, and her little flower girls throwing flowers at the couple at the end.

The sun came out during the ceremony and everything was perfect! I only wish the PA system they had wasn’t so tinny – it was tought o edit it out for their highlight video!

Groom waiting patiently

Bridal car arriving at Paxton Winery

Arriving Bridal car

Bride getting out of car

Flower girls ready to go

Groom and groomsmen at altar

Bridal approach at Paxton wines

Bride and Father

Groom’s first look of bride

Father nad bride standing together

Paxton winery wedding backdrop

Paxton Winery wedding ceremony

Smiling at her groom

Holding hands during the ceremony

Close up of holding hands

Smiling at his bride

Bored flowergirls

Celebrant doing her thing

Best man and the rings

Exchanging wedding bands

First kiss at Paxton winery wedding

Flower girls throwing flowers

Celebrate

Bride and groom walking back down aisle

Glamour Photos

After the appropriately socially distanced group photos, and drone shot of the entire winery we set out for our glamour phtoos around the Paxton Winery estate.

A wonderful part of hosting a Paxton Winery wedding is the variety of wedding photography you can capture on site. As it’s a winery there the usual rolling vineyards that are always a treat to photograph, but there is also something unique to this location that I was quite excited about.

Right near some beautiful pepper trees and grassy meadows, there is an old heritage homestead on site that made for a lovely backdrop to Jayne and Pete’s wedding photos!

We also managed to sneak out once it got dark to take some nighttime photos of the large lit up ‘LOVE’ sign Jayne and Pete had hired, while i also got out my ‘smoke in can’ to create some atmosphere within the vineyards at night.

Bride and groom through the window

Night time LOVE

Paxton winery wedding 2

Bride and groom in wedding car

Bride and groom through the window at Paxton Winery

bride and groom through the vines

bride and groom in ruins at Paxton Winery

Bride and groom holding one another

Bride and groom holding one another in the trees

Bride and groom in the vineyards

Brothers

Social Distancing group photo

Bride and groom with the wedding car

Paxton Winery wedding night shot

Paxton winery wedding from the air

Groom looking at bride

Paxton Winery wedding at night

Bride stepping on groomsmen

walking together

Paxton Winery Wedding Reception

The highlight of Jayne and Pete’s wedding reception for me was the incredible bongo drum player they had to augment the DJ’s music! He was slamming and rocking out with the energy of 1000 suns all night! If I were to do what he was doing, I’d be sure to have very sore hands for the rest of the month!

The reception took place on the smaller of the two grassy areas nearby the Paxton winery cellar door, with the original plan being to hold it inside – however due to Coronavirus restrictions it had to be moved outside – which I actually think was the better choice as it was a lovely night and the lighting was beautiful!

The guests had lawn games to entertain themselves, and we were treated to some very good speeches that made everyone laugh over and over. It was a great night!

Wedding tissues

Coronavirus Wedding sign

Paxton wines

Wedding favours

Cupcake wedding cake

Annoucning the bride and groom

Cutting the wedding cake as a family

Laughing near wedding cake

MC doing his thing

bride and groom laughing at speeches

bride and groom listening

Speeches

Dad giving his speech

groom giving his speech

Bride listening to speech

Flower girls listening to speeches

Wedding disposable camera

Dancing guests

First dance at Paxton winery wedding

Bride holding her groom

Groom giving hugs

Bride hugging

Daddy daughter dance

Wedding jenga

Paxton winery wedding reception

Dancing about

Thanks so much to Jayne and Pete for having me as your wedding phtoography at yoru paxton winery wedding! I had a blast and I look forward to getting out to wedding again very soon, once this virus shenanigans has past!

Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Jenna & Josh

Ekhidna Wines Wedding
Jenna & Josh

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 🙂

Groom leaning on tree

Getting ready in heart mirror

Smiling groom getting ready

Best man putting on tie

Grooms shoes in woods

groomsmen getting ready

Groomsman wearing sunnies

Finishing touches on grooms suit

Groom looking at camera

Wedding rings on shoes

Smiling groomsmen putting on tie

Bunch of groomsmen

Groom playing with cufflinks

Groomsmen ready to go

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 🙂

Bride looking out window

Bride walking out front door

Bridesmaids fussing over bride

Bride leaning on door frame

bride looking at mirror

bridesmaid helping put on dress

wedding dress hanging in bay window

lacing up the wedding dress

bridal bouqet on bedside table

Bride and bridesmaids having fun

smiling bride with bridal party

Father of the brides first look

Bride looking pretty in wedding dress

smiling bride as she gets ready

Putting on makeup in front of window

bridal party peeking through window

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

bride and groom walking into sunset

bride and groom walking into Ekhidna winery vineyards

Ekhidna wines wedding photo

Ekhidna wines wedding vineyards

Bride and groom in Ekhidna wines vineyards

Bride and groom walking together in vineyards

Ekhidna wines wedding at sunset

Vineyards wedding photo

Bridal party walking about Ekhidna Winery

Bride and groom holding one another on driveway

Nightime wedding photo

Bride and groom in vineyard at night

Ekhnidna Wines Wedding Reception

As is the case with any Ekhidna wines wedding reception on asuch a beautiful day, the whole courtyard area was opened up and extended into the grassy area to the side of the cellar door. This was where Jenna and Josh had set up their dance floor. Their photobooth was set up inside, and the whole flow of the night was beautiful. Speeches were heartfelt and natural, while the dance floor was not empty all night. Jenna and Josh’s guests certainly knew how to have some fun 🙂

Cupcake wedding cake

Bride and groom cutting their wedding cake

Bride and groom cutting the wedding cake

Talking guests

guests having fun

Father speech

Bride and groom listening to speeches

Fathers speech

Bride and groom with bridesmaid

Bride and groom speech

Ekhidna Wines Wedding first dance

Ekhidna Wines Wedding dance

Bride on the dance floor

Guests dancing

Nutbush

Bouquet toss

Bride and her friends

Guests

Groom mingling

Thanks so much to Jenna and Josh for having me as their wedding photographer at their Ekhidna Wines wedding! It was an awesome day to be a part of!

Ekhidna Wines Wedding – Sarah & Ricardo

March 17, 2020/in Wedding, Wedding preview /by Steven Duncan

Sarah & Ricardo
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!

Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

January 25, 2020/1 Comment/in Wedding, Wedding preview /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.