Glenelg Wedding – Joanne & Gregor

Glenelg sunset

Glenelg Wedding – Joanne & Gregor

Having a Glenelg Wedding would have to be one of the things may South Australians would have in common with one another, however Joanne and Gregor travelled half way around the world to have theirs! The loving couple flew out from Scotland to celebrate their wedding on the famous beachfront with local family and friends. They were incredibly lucky with the weather as only the previous day Adelaide and it’s surrounds were thrashed with terrible weather causing erosion and a lot of damage. Joanne and Gregor’s wedding however was blessed with some stunning weather, complete with an amazing sunset which we took advantage of for some great shots.

Preparation

As Joanne and Gregor opted to have me with my flexible hourly rate, I was able to visit Joanne getting prepared in the Oaks Plaza hotel on the northern side of the Jetty. The whole styling was all wonderfully Scottish, complete with thistle in her bouquet and her mother wearing a beautiful tartan sash.

Engagement ring in flowers

Flower girl

Wedding dress

Bride and Mum smiling

Bride looking pretty

Flower girl

Bridal preparation

Glenelg Wedding Ceremony

As the weather was wonderfully suited for it, Joanne and Gregor held their Glenelg wedding on the beach, just in front of Joanne’s hotel room in the Oaks Plaza Hotel. One downside of having your wedding on such a famous beach is, even during times of inclement weather, you have to keep shooing tourists out of your carefully laid out altar! The men involved with the wedding were all clad in stunning kilts and Joanne as led out by a piper. It was all wonderfully Scottish 🙂

Groom seeing bride for first time

Exchanging wedding rings

First kiss

Beach wedding

Glenelg wedding

After wedding

Signing registry

Glamour shots

It wouldn’t be a Glenelg wedding without taking some shots along the famed coastline using the Jetty, which was exactly what we did. We headed over first to the Jetty, then to the public square. We then walked along the beachfront back up to the Glenelg marina before enjoying the reception in the Oaks Plaza Hotel.

Bride and Groom in marina

Bouquet

Scottish salute

Bride and groom on Glenelgs Jetty

Bride and Groom

Bride and Groom in Glenelg

Glenelg beach walk

During the reception we popped out to take advantage of the stellar sunset, and I’m so glad we did!

Glenelg sunset

Glenelg wedding sunset

I’d like to thank Joanne and Gregor for having me as their wedding photographer at their wedding in Glenelg and I hope they enjoy their photos as mucha s I enjoyed producing them!

September 20, 2016

Wedding, ideas, Reviews

Big List of Mclaren Vale wedding venues

Utopia waterfall gully wedding – Gemma & Ryan

Gemma and Ryan’s wedding at Utopia waterfall gully was an absolute blast to be a part of as their wedding photographer, not only because of the amazing wedding venue, but also because Gemma ad Ryan, along with their entourage were really fun to be around and couldn’t have been nicer people. Their affinity with the fantasy genre and their goal to incorporate their fandom into their wedding photos made it even better 🙂 From their preparation photos with weaponry, through to more personal affects such as personal charms and style of their wedding rings.

Preparation Photos

First off, Gemma and Ryan wanted to throw as many wedding traditions out the window as was passable by their respective families. This was apparent right off the bat when I arrived at their preparation location of the old Mt Lofty Railway station in Stirling. It was a joint preparation, where everyone was being prepared within the same space, both the groom’s party and the bridal party. What made it even more fun was the inclusion of larp weaponry, straight from the Lord of the Rings.

Wedding rings

Weapons

Engagement ring

Bridal Party

Checking pocket watches

The bard

Groom preparation

Bride smiling

Bridal preparation

Face off

Wedding dress

Bridal party with weapons

Groomsmen playing boardgames

Bride and groom

Groom putting on tie

Wedding rings

Bridal preparation

Grooms katana

Bridal preparation

Utopia waterfall gully wedding ceremony

Utopia waterfall gully was chosen by Gemma and Ryan as it reminded them of Rivendell, the Elvish city in Lord of the Rings. This was fine with me as I absolutely love the location as a wedding venue, and it’s pretty much second to none in Adelaide. The timing of their wedding was also perfect for Utopia waterfall gully, as the Autumn colours were in full swing, which provided the perfect backdrop to an already beautiful place.

Utopia waterfall gully

The chalet that now makes Utopia waterfall gully was originally constructed as a tea room in 1912. It was built in the style of a Swiss chalet and is now considered Australia’s earliest example of a ‘refreshment room’ set in a national park. Today the heritage listed building still stands, and has been recently updated to accommodate a larger gathering of people for events such as wedding receptions. The inside really is quite spectacular and has a wonderfully homely feel perfect for weddings.

Gemma and Ryan’s wedding ceremony took place on a small patch of grass near a gazebo erected below the chalet, which is where most weddings take place when opting to have Utopia waterfall gully as the venue.

Autumnal wedding

Utopia waterfall gully wedding

Best man speech

Bride and groom

Groom looking nervous

Utopia waterfall gully wedding

Bride and groom

Wedding rings on certificate

Bridal party

Groom

Signing marriage registry

Autumnal wedding

Exchanging wedding rings

Waterfall Gully Glamour shoot

It had been a long time since I last visited waterfall gully, and I can’t remember ever visiting during the Autumn, but the colours in waterfall gully were absolutely amazing for wedding photography. But this also meant that truckloads of tourists were also wandering about in the background of almost every composition I lined up to shoot! The experience was much different to the last wedding I took in Waterfall Gully almost 3 years ago in the winter. Gemma and Ryan were quite adventurous also, which made taking wonderful nature-clad photos that much easier as they were keen to climb about the hills and through foliage as I directed 😀

waterfall gully wedding

Waterfall gully wedding

waterfall gully weding

Bridal party

Bride and groom sitting

Waterfall gully wedding

Bridal party throwing leaves

Bride and groom under autumnal colours

Wedding in Autumn

Bride suprising groom

Bride and groom under autumnal colours

Utopia waterfall gully wedding reception

Gemma and Ryan’s wedding reception filled out the chalet of Utopia waterfall gully, spilling out onto what would usually be used for the dance floor. With that many guests, with varying dietary requirements, Gemma and Ryan also opted for something I hadn’t seen before, which was a selection of two different wedding cakes! One traditional, the other whole cheese wheels stacked upon one another! And if that wasn’t thoughtful enough, they had what I consider to be the best bomboniere idea ever, which was lego men for all! This catered for both the large compliment of children, and the children at heart that were in attendance. 🙂

Wedding cake two

Wedding cake

Bride and groom cutting cake

Center pieces

Bride and groom

Thank you Gemma and Ryan for having be as part of your amazing wedding day. I had an absolute blast, and you even gave me ideas for my own upcoming wedding! Definitely stealing the Lego minifig idea!

June 1, 2016

Wedding preview, Wedding

Maxwell Winery Wedding – Julie & Dave

JULIE & DAVE
Maxwell Winery Wedding

The rolling hills of Mclaren Vale was the setting of Julie and Dave’s wedding at the Maxwell winery. Julie and Dave took advantage of my flexible customizable wedding package to have me be their wedding photographer for 5 hours, this was plenty of time for me to travel to both of their preparation locations between Hackham and Moana, then a small part of their reception at the Maxwell winery.

Preparation photos

Dave was being prepared at their house in Hackham along with his grooms men. I think I surprised them as I turned up, as Dave jumped up and started getting dressed as I walked in. Apparently I wasn’t expected for another hour or so 🙂 Anyway, this drew the boys away from thir horse racing and started getting ready at least. The guys were really laid back, making quips amongst one another and keeping one eye on the horse racing. I don’t think anyone won any money unfortunately.

Cufflinks

Groom and Dad

Grooms men preparation

Boys walking the sunshine

Boys looking dapper

Grooms men preparation

Julie was being prepared at a rental in Moana overlooking the beach. The setting was a lovely simple apartment which allowed for beautifully soft light which lent itself well to the style of dress Julie chose, along with her wonderfully long veil. Like the boys, the girls were fairly laid back, making sure everything was perfect as they were getting prepared. They even arrived almost an hour early to the ceremony, meaning they had to do a bit of a lap around McLaren Vale.

Bride in wedding dress

Bride and bridesmaids

Bride in car

Engagement ring in flowers

Bride in doorway

Bride and bridesmaids

Maxwell Winery Wedding

The Maxwell Winery in Mclaren Vale is famed for it’s large hedge maze located at the foot of a vineyard covered hill it stands upon. As a wedding venue its facilities are perfect for intimate cocktail receptions. The main attraction for unique wedding photography in Mclaren Vale is the inside of the old Maxwell winery cellar, however it’s not really that old at all. The winery itself was built in the 1990s after expanding to the location due to good business. I might just point out here that Maxwell winery does produce some very nice wine, but they are also Australia’s largest producer of mead – a honey based drink which is delicious 😉

Bride arriving

First kiss

Groom waiting

Mclaren vale wedding

Signing the registry

Bride and groom at ceremony

Mclaren vale wedding

Maxwell winery wedding ceremony

Winery wedding

Bride arriving

As Julie and Dave opted to have their wedding ceremony rather late at 7pm, towards the end of their ceremony, the sun as completely vanished, as a result our choices for glamour shots after the ceremony was limited to artificially lit locations, such as the famed Maxwell winery cellar, which was wonderfully lit with candles. I had a lot of fun in here 🙂 The Maxwell Winery cellar is such a unique spot to have photos taken, it even looks as though Maxwell Winery have taken to using some of my photos in their own wedding advertising 🙂 Nice to see they like my photos!

Maxwell winery Cellar wedding photo

Bride and groom in cellar

Maxwell Winery wedding photo

Maxwell Winery Wedding Reception

I was able to stay until the end of Julie and Dave’s first dance at their cocktail reception, which was pretty perfect as I was able to capture all the official events they had planned before I left. The reception was a lovely family affair and you could really feel the love.

Wedding cake

First dance

Reception group photo

Reception fun

Dad speech

Reception fun

Blow up slide

Cocktail food

Wedding rings

First dance

Groom speech

I’d like to thank Julie and Dave for having me as their wedding photographer and I hope they enjoy their wedding photographs as much as I enjoyed creating them!

May 19, 2016

Wedding preview, Wedding

Carclew House Wedding – Vivian & Rohan

Vivian & Rohan
Carclew House Wedding

You can’t get more well known in the Adelaide wedding industry as venues than Carclew house and the Mortlock wing of the Adelaide state library. So when Vivian and Rohan asked me to be their wedding photographer for their wedding, I could not have been more excited. The locations they chose for their wedding ceremony and reception are absolutely beautiful locations that provide some stunning visuals for wedding photographers such as myself. Both locations really compliment each other well, having been part of the historic institution of Adelaide since their inception. Their interior are where the best photographs were taken, with old world high class charm.

Preparation

Rohan was prepared for his big day at their house in Torrensville, north of the city. Rohan’s passion for model cars was obviously pride of place in their house, with their tyre-shaped wedding rings being photographed with them, and also their lovely antique furniture creating what was colourful referred to as ‘new tinder pics’ for the grooms men.

wedding rings

Grooms men playing about

grooms men jumping

grooms men gifts

grooms men preparation

Groom and his grooms men

groom preparation

New tinder pic

Vivian and her entourage were being prepared at a rental apartment in the city which provided some nice open areas for photos, including a beautiful archway of trees which we made good use of for group shots. Everyone was quite laid back and were having a lot of fun.

Hanging Wedding dress

Engagement ring in flowers

Bride and Father

bride in trees

Bride looking pretty

Bridal preparation

Wedding dress

Carclew House Wedding Ceremony

Carclew House, after having been bought by the Adelaide city council in 1965, is a center to showcase youth arts under the moniker of the ‘Carclew Youth Arts Centre’. The magnificent house however has been standing next to the stoic statue of colonel light overlooking the city skyline since 1901, having been rebuilt on the same land as the original 1840 house by Sir Hugh Robert Dixon, however is was not known as Carclew house until 1908 when the Bonython family bought the land and renamed the estate. When the city of Adelaide bought the house in 1965, the land was originally planned to be the new site of the Adelaide Festival Hall, but this was later built where it stands today on the south side of the river Torrens.

Carclew House

Vivian and Rohan’s wedding ceremony took place out the front of Carclew house, taking advantage of the shadows that were creeping across the gardens so as to keep their guests happy. It also made for a wonderful backdrop to their wedding photos. I’d just like to point out here, that Vivian and Rohan had impeccable taste for their wedding locations, but also thought of amazing details like having a BARISTA on site making coffees for all their guests! Now this was a detail I had not seen before at a wedding and I certainly hope this is the type of thing that catches on!

Wedding in front of Carclew House

Bride and Groom holding hands

Bride about to enter

Carclew house wedding

Adelaide taxi

Groom looking happy

Wedding in front of Carclew House

Wedding register

Wedding in front of Carclew House

bride and groom

Exchanging wedding rings

After first kiss

bride and groom

Carclew House glamour photos

After the ceremony had finished and most of the guests had headed off to the city to wait for the reception later at the Mortlock wing of the state library, we used both the inside and outside of the historic building for some bridal shots.

Carclew house wedding

Bride and groom chatting

out the front of Carclew House

Stairway in Carclew House

Bride and groom

Wedding rings

Bride on stairway

Wedding party on stairway

Bride and groom on stairway

Continue to the Reception

May 11, 2016