Mclaren vale Archives

IvyBrook Farm Wedding – Carly & Josh

January 25, 2021/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Carly & Josh
Ivybrook Farm Wedding

I was delighted to have been asked to be Carly and Josh’s wedding photographer at their Ivybrook Farm wedding at the beginning of November!

Their day was one full of fun and family, and was certainly a relaxing day out with a lunch time reception and ample time to mingle with guests. The time mingling with their guests was foremost in Carly and Josh’s mind when planning their day with only a small portion dedicated to having glamour photos done, which I feel is a really nice way to look at your day.

Still, I was keen to make fulluse of the incredible scenery Ivybrook Farm has to offer!

Ivybrook Farm Wedding Ceremony

My coverage began with Carly and Josh’s Ivybrook Farm wedding ceremony under the large tree nearby the main building of the venue. Their guests were set up facing the tree on the grass, as Carly and Josh both approached the wedding arbour together from the on site bed and breakfast.

The highlight of their ceremony in my opinion was the delightful readings from a family member which detailed the love story of Carly and Josh coming together intermingled with inside jokes and fun stories that had everyone giggling.

IvyBrook Farm Wedding Ceremony

under the IvyBrook Farm Arbour

groom smiling at his bride at Ivybrook Farm

Smiling bridal couple under arbour

Bridal couple laughing during ceremony at Ivybrook farm

Bridal couple listening to reading during ceremony

Bride smiling during ceremony 2

bride and groom closeup of hands

Ivybrook farm wedding ceremony under tree

Bride and groom during wedding ceremony

Exchanging wedding rings during ceremony

First kiss at Ivybrook farm wedding

Bride laughing signing marriage documents

Wedding bands on hands closeup

bride and groom exiting under confetti

Kiss after exiting wedding ceremony

Ivybrook Farm Wedding Reception

Carly and Josh opted to hold a lunchtime reception so as to maximise the time they could spend with the firends and family. The settig at Ivybrook Farm was set up in a delightfully rustic way, complete with Australian fauna and a stunning semi-nude wedding cake set atop a barrel which just made the whole setting pop.

Guests were treated to lawn games, food platters and games for the kids while everyone enjoyed the warm weather before settling down for a pizza lunch.

Lunch was eaten, and speeches were told before we had some time to head out around the grounds to shoot some glamour photos of Carly and Josh. After which we returned for the first dance!

Wedding cake on display at Ivybrook Farm

Sloth wedding cake toppers

Ivybrook farm wedding cake display

Guests enjoying themselves at Ivybrook farm

Smiling guests at wedding

Guests talking at wedding reception

Eating the food

Talking to the bride

Simpsons pig wedding cufflinks

Boys group photo

Girls group photo

Bride and groom entrance to Ivybrook farm wedding reception

Cutting the cake

Ivybrook farm wedding reception

Carly and Josh

Wedding Pizzas

Having fun with the polaroid cameras

bride and groom speech 2

First dance at the reception

Ivybrook Farm wedding first dance

Smiles all round dancing

Glamour Photos

The great thing about hosting an Ivybrook farm wedding is the variety of spots you can head to have your photos done. The area boasts fields of long unkempt grass, or well kept grass depending on what you feel would work best. There are also lines of trees, vineyards and rustic buildings which I certainly made the most of!

Ivybrook Farm group photo

bride with groom in background

Bride and groom under gum trees

Bride and groom in the long grass

Bride and groom in the long grass together

bride and groom walking along the farm track

Bride and groom in the Ivybrook Farm vineyards

Wedding rings on fence post

Engagement ring in rose

Smiling bride through vines

Bride and groom in the Ivybrook Farm vines

Under a big tree together

Smiling for the camera

Bride and groom moody portrait

Ivybrook farm wedding photo

Ivybrook farm wedding photo 2

Sitting on a bench together

Wedding rings on hands close

Thanks so much to Carly and Josh for having me at their delightful wedding!

Ekhidna Wines Mclaren Vale Wedding – Nikki & Trenton

December 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

I always love heading to Ekhidna Wines Mclaren Vale, as it’s one of my absolute favourite wineries in Mclaren Vale to shoot a wedding at! So I was excited to head there once again for Nikki and Trenton’s wedding that took place right at the end of October! The day was a little overcast and windy, but that diddnt hampen the spirits of these two lovely people and their guests!

Preparation

Trenton and his entourage were being prepared in a bed and breakfast on Main street Mclaren Vale, and while Trenton seems cool, calm and collected he was obviously trying to find things to do to keep his mind busy – but he certainly managed to do so, and had his groomsmen nearby to keep the nerves away!

Wedding rings on table top

Wedding rings on grooms shoes

Figuring out the flower

Groom buttoning up shirt

Groomsman walking the hallway

Groom helping best man get dressed

Groom playing funny buggers

The boys looking smashing

Nikki was being prepared a little further away in a hidden bed and breakfast nearber Kangarilla. It was a spectacular location, overlooking the rolling hills the region is so famous for and the building has some amazing architecture! Nikki was being helped to prepare by her sole bridesmaid/maid of honour which made for a very stress-less time!

Helping put on the wedding dress

bridal boots

Helping put on the wedding dress in front of window

Ring in flowers

Smiling bride with bouquet 3

Bride and maid of honour together

Ekhidna Wines Mclaren Vale Wedding Ceremony

Both Niki and trenton were quite excited by their bridal cars so they made a big entrance by driving right up onto the lawn near the vineyards at Ekhidna Wines Mclaren Vale. From there, the ceremony took place with the hills and vineyards in the background and was personalised by some funky personal quirky events Nikki and Trenton planned.

Things such as a coin toss to figure out who says their vows first, adn then their fur baby dog coming to visit as they signed their paper work. These sorts fo things are always guarnateed to put a smile on everyone’s face!

Groom watching bridal car arrive

bridal car arriving amongst vineyards

Bride looking out window of car

Bride in front of Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale

Grooms first look as she walks towards him

Groom looking at his bride during the ceremony 2

Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale Wedding Ceremony

Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale Wedding Ceremony Cloudy

Laughing bride 2

Bride and groom holding hands closeup

Laughing bride during vows

Groom listening to her vows

Bride and groom laughing together under the arbour

First kiss Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale

Smiling bride after first kiss

Best Man being as imposing as possible

Best wishes from fur baby

Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale wedding Ceremony on cloudy day

Kiss to the head of his bride

Glamour Photos

As their dog wasn’t going tostay long we began by taking some glamour photos of both Nikki and Trenton with their dog – however they were a little afraid that he would run off – so I ended up having to photoshop out the leash which was held by one of their sons as he ran with the dog down the vine ally way 🙂

The day’s weather was a finicky beast being cloudy and windy one minute, then sunny the next – but we made the most of it by walking about the vineyards a bit, then using the barrels Ekhidna Wines have on display.

One major reason why I love Ekhida Wines as a Mclaren Vale Wedding Venue is the direction their vine yards face – it always makes for a great drone sunset shot – despite there not being much of a sunset!

Wedding dog

Dog running through vines on wedding day

Bride and groom with their dog

Kiss amongst the Ekhidna WInery vines

Bridal couple walking together amongst the vineyard

Bridal couple through the vines

bride and groom leaning on wine barrels

Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale wine barrels photo

Bride and groom in the sunlit vines

Bride and groom kissing over the bouquet

bride and groom walking together in the vineyard 2

Holding one another in the Ekhidna winery Mclaren Vale vineyard

Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale vineyard

Drone shot of bride and groom in vineyard

Night time wedding photo

Wedding Reception

To finish up the day, Nikki and Trenton held a cocktail style reception in the Ekhidna Wines cellar door, and also had the SvenStudios photobooth set up! The night was a lovely casual affair, which really picked up once the dance floor opened and everyone cut loose for a bit 🙂 Was a lot of fun to be a part of!

Bridal couples names sign

Wedding favour cookies

Wedding cake topper with names

bridal party entry to reception

Bride and groom entry to Ekhidna Winery

Wedding cake set up at Ekhidna Winery Mclaren Vale

Personalised wedding serviettes

Maid of honour speech 2

best Man Speech 2

bride and groom listening to speeches

Cutting the wedding cake together

First dance 10

First dance 11

Thanks a bunch Nikki and Trenton for having me as your wedding photographer! Hope you enjoy your photos as much as I did taking them!

Ekhidna Winery Wedding – Kelli & Ben

December 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Kelli & Ben
Ekhidna Winery Wedding

It was a beautiful day for Kelli and Ben’s wedding at the Ekhidna Winery in Mclaren Vale. Their wedding ceremony was a bit later in the day so that, despite me only being with them for 3 hours as their wedding photographer, I was still able to make the most of the amazing light that presented itself during the later periods of the day for some great shots!

Preparation

Kelli and her bridal party were being prepared in the bed and breakfast directly next door to the Ekhidna Winery, so it was a very convenient walk in between the two locations once they were done getting ready for the ceremony. The morning was jovial, with the girls all having a blast as they were getting ready – very little in the way of nerves were visible 🙂

Looking out window

Next to window

Putting on dress

Out in the sun

Engagement ring

Hanging the wedding dress

Putting on dress

Ekhidna Wines

Bed love heart

Smiles

Looking in mirror

Ekhidna Winery Wedding Ceremony

Ben was standing out the front of the congregation, waiting for the slightly late bridal party having a bit of fun with his entourage of groomsmen. It was great to see the groomsmen making light of the time before the ceremony as it allowed Ben to relax a bit and help their little boy run about getting the flower petals ready to distribute amongst their guests. The ceremony itself took place overlooking the lovely vineyards out the back of the Ekhidna Winery cellar door, in beautiful mid afternoon light with just a touch of wind which blew the white shawl over the arbour nicely.

At the altar

Vows

Ekhidna Winery Wedding Ceremony

Bridal exit

Holding hands

Bridal entrance

Bridal party

Exchanging wedding rings

First kiss

Groom patiently waiting

Celebrant

Glamour Photos

Once the whole group photo was done with the drone, we first head back to the bed and breakfast where Kelli was being prepared for some group shots with the whole bridal party – there was some lovely trees there that I wanted to use 🙂 We then head back to use the vineyards and finally drove into Mclaren Vale to utilize the Olive grove along the main street to take a shot I’ve a little bit famous for 🙂

Through the vines

Amongst the olive trees

Under the sunlight

Walking through the vineyards

In the vineyards

Playing Croquet

Walking amongst the Ekhidna Winery vines

Amongst the olive trees

Ekhidna winery wedding

Ekhidna Winery Wedding Reception

Once the glamour shots were done, we head back to the Winery for Kelli and Ben’s reception where we did the group family photos and generally had a nice party! I noticed however that there was a stunning sunset brewing, so luckily I was able to draw Kelli and Ben outside for a bit to utilize it! Using the drone and getting above the Ekhidna winery vineyards always creates a special shot and it’s a huge drawcard for the venue.

Smiles

Mobile phone snap

Wedding cake

Smiles

Doggy

Smiles

Kids having fun

Smiles

Sunset

Cutting the cake

Thanks so much kelli and Ben for having me as your wedding photographer!

Mulberry Lodge Wedding – Heidi & Jory

February 11, 2019/0 Comments/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

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

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.