Tag Archive for: Northern Territory

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Darwin’s Dudley Point Wedding – Melanie & Kerry

It was so good to be up in Darwin again for a wedding, and I was super excited for Melanie and Kerry’s as it was the first time as a frequent Darwin wedding photographer to be in the Top End for Territory day!

I had heard stories of the fireworks and how crazy the streets of Darwin gets, but I finally was going to be in town to see it! Even better they head out to East Point for a spot of private fireworks the night before – awesome!

Melanie and Kerry’s big day’s weather turned out brilliantly – if not a bit chilly for Darwin, and it was an awesome day to be a part of!

Preparation

Melanie and Kerry had a pretty nifty set up for their preparation, having two separate properties connected via a shared backyard, where Kerry and his groomsmen got ready in one house, while Melanie and her bridal party got ready in the other!

I spent the time I was with them walking inbetween houses as things were happening and using the nifty surrounds which included pools, lush green trees and triple tiered interior of one of the houses!

The whole aesthetic of Melanie and Kerry’s day was very beachy, laid back and fun. The boys were dressed in Hawaiian shirts, while the girls were dressed in nice, short dresses with a blue theme for the beach.

Wedding rings in shell
Groomsman talking to groom
Blue engagement ring on yellow flowers
Bridal jewellery on rock
Wedding dress hanging in tree in Darwin
Flower girl watching bride get ready on balcony
Groomsman with socks on head
Groom and grooms men in middle of pool
Groom standing in middle of pool
Bride having her hair done
Flower girl makeup
Flower girl admriing herself in mirror
Bride decending down stairs
Bridesmaids in blue helping bride
Naked cat
bride putting on ear rings nearby window
Bride walking down stairs
bridal party on stairs
Bridal party next to pool

Dudley Point Wedding Ceremony

The East Point Reserve, just north of the Darwin city center was where Melanie and Kerry chose to hold their wedding. It would have to be one of my favourite spots in Darwin to take photos, so that was great!

Their Dudley Point wedding ceremony took place in the corner of the picnic area, with a view of the nearby cliffs. There was enough room for a large number of their guests, while also being intimate due to the fact the ceremony took place on top of the cliffs.

The ceremony itself was a lovely, simple affair with stories of how the two met, their vows were personally written and heartfelt – and everyone was all smiles at the end walking through bubbles!

Tesla Arriving at Dudley Point Wedding
Bride exiting Tesla
Posing in front of Tesla wedding car
Relaxed groom
Bride arriving at Dudley Point Wedding Ceremony
Grooms first look of bride at Dudley Point wedding ceremony
Bride andgroom talking at Dudley Point wedding ceremony
Dudley Point wedding Ceremony
Darwin’s Dudley Point wedding Ceremony
Bride smiling at her groom during ceremony at Dudley Point
Bridal vows
Bride and groom framed by square arbour
First kiss at Dudley Point wedding ceremony
Bride and groom exit from their Dudley Point wedding ceremony

Glamour Photos

Time was running short once we had sorted all the group photos, and I had managed to corral all members of the bridal party for a short walk along the cliff top to what I affectionately call ‘pride rock’ as it looks like the bride and groom are perched upon a thin sliver of sliff top, when it’s quite a wide chunk of rock – and it kind of looks like Pride Rock from the Lion King.

I wanted to head here first as I feared being the 2nd of July – it would be a super busy day in Darwin for weddings, and I presumed we would have to beat many other couples off this spot with a stick. Surprisingly no other weddings showed up! So we actually had the run of the place before driving out towards the Fannie Bay Foreshore for the sunset on the beach.

I also stuck in a firework photo I took the night before because I thought it was cool 🙂

Bride and groom out on clifftop
bride and groom nearby the tree on Pride Rock
Bride and groom with ocean in background
Bride and groom admiring sunset
Darwin East Point Pride Rock wedding photo
bridal party at East Point
Wedding socks
bride and groom with sunset in background
Groom elading bride through the undergrowth
Bride and groom share embrace surrounded by foliage
bride leads groom along beachfront
Bridal portrait of bride and groom
Bride and groom walking along Darwin beach
Bridal party with Darwin’s cliffs as a backdrop
Darwin’s Cracker night couples photo

Darwin Wedding Reception

After their Dudley Point wedding ceremony and their glamour photos, Melanie and Kerry held their reception at turned out to be a huge shed that they had spent untold hours setting up for their party!

Thousands of fairy lights adorned the ceiling over their huge u-shaped table seating all their guests – it actaully made for a pretty neat group photo spot!

The night was full of fun, speeches, great food and was great to be a part of!

Darwin reception setup in shed
wedding memorial table
group shot of all wedding guests
Grooms speech in front of white backdrop
Another angle of Darwin wedding reception
Bride’s speech
Triple wedding cake
Cutting their wedding cake
Bridal couple dancing
Groom having some fun
Bouquet toss result

Thanks so much to Melanie and Kerry for having me at your Dudley Point wedding!

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Jervois Park Wedding – Darwin – Kate & Dylan

I have never before seen such impeccable timing than Kate and Dylan’s wedding where they timed their big day the day before a major COVID lockdown in Darwin. The day itself was a typical stunnly sunny Darwin day that made their Jervois Park wedding – just south of the Darwin CBD such a wonderful experience!

Kate and Dylan’s big day was full of family fueled fun, joy and beautiful moments I was so glad to capture with both photography and videography!

Preparation

Both Kate and Dylan were prepared nearby their Jervois Park wedding venue, with Dylan in a bed and breakfast I had shot in before, and Kate in a hotel room within the CBD.

As per usual on a wedding day, small things often go wrong that just cannont be helped – in the case of Dylan’s preparation, unfortunately one of his groomsmen got on the wrong end of a chainsaw only days before the wedding was to take place! Thankfully the injury wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and he was certainly a champ powering through the rest of his mate’s big day!

The morning was fun filled, and the guys had the usual trouble tieing their ties before Mr. Youtube came along to help! A troup of male strippers also made an appearance! – More of Dylan’s mates trying to create some silly photos 🙂

Wedding rings resting on white tie
Wedding stubbie holder
Engagement ring in between grooms shoes
Groom tieing tie surrounded by windows
Father helping tie tie
Groomsman tieing tie
Groomsman putting on socks
Groomsmen gathered around groom
Groom putting on jacket
Smiling groom looking at camera
Groom at the top of the stairway
Groomsmen at top of staircase
groomsmen in front of pool

Kate and her bridal party had a slightly more straightforward preparation, with plenty of makeup and hair to sort out before the ceremony. The ladies were all in good spirits and were obviously having a great time!

A highlight of the morning with the bridal party for me was the arrival of Kate’s father where we set up a bit of a first look for him seeing Kate in her dress for the first time. Always a crowd pleasing moment!

Wedding dress hanging from roof
Bridal shoes with bouquet
bridal makeup
bridesmaids reaching for dresses
bride and bridesmaids in doorway
Bride sitting in makeup chair
Bride and bridesmaids with gowns
Bride and bridesmaids having fun under veil on bed
bride looking back
Bride being preparaed
bride looking at bridesmaid while being prepared
Bride standing alone in living area
bridesmaids looking at bride
Fathers first look
Bride and Dad
Bride and bridal party
Bridal party on balcony

Jervois Park Wedding Ceremony

Kate and Dylan’s Jervois Park Wedding Ceremony took place inbetween a few trees, providing shade to the majority of their congregation while looking out over Darwin Harbour as a backdrop. It’s a pretty nice spot to hold a wedding ceremony – with quite a bit of parking space for guests, reasonably isolated from passers by, and still being in the center of the city!

Kate and her bridal party arrived in huge all terrain vehicles, which spoke to their affinity for the outdoors, and the ceremony itself was a simple affair with Kate and Dylan sharing personal vows, before breaking off to celebrate with guests and have family photos done.

Jervois Park wedding sign
Arriving parent
Groom standing around
Guests mingling
Bride getting out of car
bride arriving with Father
Groom smiling at bride in jarvois Park
Smiling groom during Jervois Park Wedding
Jervois Park Wedding Ceremony
Holding hands during Jervois Park Wedding Ceremony
Smiling bride during her wedding ceremony in Darwin
Groom listening to his bride’s vows
Exchanging wedding rings under arbour
Closeup of wedding rings exchange
First Kiss at Darwins Jervois Park
bride and groom holding one another after the ceremony

Glamour Photos

For glamour photos, one of the main spots Kate wanted to head to were the marvellous trees located in Garden’s Park, just in front of the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The area in there provides for some stunning shots – particularly later in the day with the sun lowering and gleaming through the foliage, or the trunks of the huge trees growing here.

We then head to one of my favourite spots in Darwin for wedding photos – the East Point cliffs. Us along with 2 other wedding parties who also had the same idea! Thankfully we arrived just as one party was finishing up, so we managed to get the prime spot out on the ‘pride rock’ rock formation in time for the sunset. Unfortunately for the couple arriving after us they kind of missed out! Very popular spot!

Bride and groom in front of wedding 4WD
Bride and groom in green foliage
Bride and groom amongst the green trees
Bride and groom framed by the green foliage
bridal party in the large trees
bride and groom walking between the trees of Darwin’s Botanic Park
Wedding Photo in front of Darwin’s Botanic Gardens
Gardens Park wedding Photo
Gardens Park wedding party Photo
Bridal party at East Point
Bridal party at East Point together
bride and groom out on pride rock
East Point Wedding Photo
Darwins East Point Wedding Photo
East Point in Darwin wedding photography
East Point Bride and groom
Bride and groom Darwin sunset
bride and groom looking out at the sunset
wedding couple looking out at the sunset

Private Property Wedding Reception

Kate and Dylan then had a bit of a drive out to their wedding reception which was held on a pricate property out by Howard Springs. The front yard of a house was decorated with a beautiful display of fairy lights covering all the tables for guests which had also been set up.

What I found most striking from their reception setup was the beautiful tiki torches lining the entrance to the reception – really made the whole setting quite intimate and glamourous, despite the bobcat holding the drinks in it’s digger!

bride and groom arriving at reception
Bobcat holding drinks
Guests selecting drinks
Maid of honour speech
Hugs after speech
Wedding cake on display in circle
Cutting the wedding cake as husband and wife
Dad and daughter dance
Happy bride in first dance
Smiling groom during first dance
Bride sitting on grooms knee
Dancing guests at the reception
Guests on swing
Table setting
Shoe game under the lights
Bride and groom kissing on the dance floor
Dance floor
bride and groom between the tiki torches
Cooling off in the pool
Bride dancing on the dancefloor
Dancing guests

Kate and Dylan, I’m so glad you guys got to celebrate your big day before COVID decided to ruin anything! Thanks so much for having me as your wedding photographer at your Jervois Park wedding!

Tiwi Islands Engagement shoot – Jane & David

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
On the road
Walking together in the forest
laughing
Dancing
Walking through the bush
In the forest
Hugs
Dancing
Smiles
Engagement ring
On the road

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
From above
Walking along the beach
From above
Kung Fu!
Tiwi Islands Engagement
On the beach together

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. 😛

Amongst the wattle
Waterhole hugs
Waterhole hugs
Jumping in together
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.

Sun set on the rocks
Running together
Family portrait
Sun set on the rocks
On a rock
Sun set on the rocks
Sun set
Twirling

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!