Tag Archive for: St Francis Winery

StFrancis Winery Wedding – Bronwyn & Dayne

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  • Bronwyn & Dayne

    StFrancis WInery Wedding

    StFrancis winery wedding photo

It was an incredibly sunny day for Bronwyn and Dayne’s StFrancis Winery wedding in late November!

Their day was full of fun filled hijinks curtesy of their bridal party and plenty of naughty water refreshments all throughout the day.

Their day was a bunch of fun to be a part of, so lets jump right into it!

Preparation

Bronwyn and Dayne were obviously up for a party right from the get go, with their respective entourages keen to have a bit of fun during their preparations! Dayne and his boys made sure to keep most of their body parts within their pants all morning, while we also made sure their delightful fur babies made it into plenty of their photos.

Groom and page boy suit
Grooms shoes on table top
Puppy
Groom putting on tie win sun
Groomsman with tie on head
Best man helping out with tie putting on
smiling groom at best man
Groom and dog
Groom looking out doorway
Groom helping with page boy flower
Grooms entourage on street

I arrived at Bronywn’s place of preparation to the beat of plenty of loud music! The bridesmaids were keen to dance about all morning, while also making sure Bronwyn wasn’t feeling too much in the way of nerves – as much as possible!

Engagement ring setting in flower
Wedding dress hanging in sun
Bridesmaids dresses hanging in tree
Bridesmaids with hands in air
Bridesmaids with earrings
Flower girls looking at each other
bridesmaids helping out with bridal gown
Flower girls watching bride get ready
Bride standing in lounge

StFrancis Winery Wedding Ceremony

Bronwyn and her bridal party arrived at their StFrancis Winery wedding ceremony via large hummer limo, and directly after had a bit of a ‘first look’ with Bronwyn’s family – which is always nice to see.

Their wedding ceremony was delayed a little bit due to guests being a little late, but bronwyn and her bridesmaids made the most of their time having a smoke and chilling under the shade, while Dayne and his boys also made sure to find some shade while having photos done with family and friends.

Dayne was in good spirits all day, being sure to make it known with huge emotive smile and laughter, while Bronwyn was a little more reserved. The ceremony itself was a nice, simple affair – being as short as possible so that the party could continue unabated!

groom waiting under arbour
Bridal party in limo
Bride exiting the limo
bride and family member
bride approaching ceremony at StFrancis winery wedding
StFrancis winery wedding ceremony
StFrancis winery wedding from side
Laughing bride during ceremony at StFrancis
StFrancis winery wedding ceremony with blue sky
Holding hands during wedding ceremony close
Smiling groom at his bride during ceremony
First kiss at StFrancis Winery Wedding
Guests at StFrancis winery wedding

Glamour Photos

We diddn;t spend too long out and about for glamour photos – the main goal of the day for Bronwyn and Dayne was to spend as much time with their friends and family as possible! before their limo hire ended, I did however managed to get them out to the nearby bike track which has magnificent arching trees overhead. I made use of this space the most for their glamour photos – while I also snagged a few shots around St Francis Winery in between drinks.

I made use of the extra time by taking some portraits of other couples and also had family photos done whenever I could. It was such a laid back day that it wasn’t overly pressing to have any photos taken.

Groom walking about
Dudes chilling around barrel
Hugs with little one
Bridal party under trees
bridal party messing about
Bride and groom together on bike track
Running page boy
Laughing bride under veil
Two kids look at water
Silly photo of bride and groom
Kids
Bridal party under arch

StFrancis Winery Wedding Reception

Bronwyn and Dayne’s StFrancis winery wedding reception was immaculately set up in the most beautiful way, with blue lighting and white floral arrangements as far as the eye could see! Their DJ had the smoke machine going during the first dance and made for a great party atmosphere.

Towards the end of the night, I managed to coax Bronwyn and Dayne out to the awesome lit weeping willows that lines the St Francis winery pond – which the boys were threatening jumping into all night. If they did I must have left too early to see it! Would have been a greast photo 🙂

Mr and Mrs sign
Wedding cake under circle
StFrancis WInery Wedding Setup
Leaping girl
Bride and groom entering Reception at StFrancis
Cake cutting at StFrancis winery wedding
Bridesmaids at head table
Speech at head table
Groom reacting to speech
First dance at StFrancis winery wedding
First dancing in smoke
Dancing at wedding
Dancing at wedding reception
StFrancis winery wedding photo

Thanks go out to Bronwyn and Dayne for having me as your wedding photographer! I hope you enjoy your photos!

St Francis Winery Wedding – Jess & Chris

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  • Jess & Chris

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    veil flowing amongst the trees

Jess and Chris held their lovely St Francis Winery wedding on a lovely day in early October. While the sun wasn’t out, the temperature was warm and everyone had a wonderful time. I was asked to be Jess and Chris’ wedding photographer after having covered Kate and Callan’s wedding at Peacock Farm a few years prior. Callan happened to be one of the groom’s men for Chris 🙂 It’s always nice to be recommended by previous bridal couples, makes me feel that I’m doing something right! haha

Preparation

I started the day at Jess and Chris’ house, south of Adelaide which was where Chris and his groomsmen were getting ready. I arrived just as an incredible breakfast was being served to each of the boys, a full stack of wonderful looking pancakes that make me want to sit down and join them! They looked pretty good… Callan then got onto the ironing, as was tradition, and the boys got dressed. It was nice that Chris’ mother came to join them just before I was to leave to visit Jess and her girls getting ready at St Francis winery.

putting on flower
putting on tie
groom ironing
getting ready
groom almost ready

The girls were getting ready in the usual room that is generally reserved for brides getting ready on wedding days at St Francis winery. The room is usually used as it has some nice natural light and large windows available for some nice shots. The girsl were fairly laid back while they were being prepared, and they even had enough time to wander through the reception area and view the ceremony spot on the St Francis winery lawn before putting on the wedding dress and heading out.

bride looking in mirror
putting on dress
pretty bride
bride getting ready
bride looking at bouquet

St Francis Winery Wedding Ceremony

St Francis winery has several different spots where a wedding ceremony can be set up. The majority of ceremonies I’ve covered here have overlooked the pond, however Jess was concerned with the possibility of it being a sunny day and the sun shing in their eyes while they stood there, she also diddn’t like the idea of having the nearby supermarket in the background of her photos. So to avoid these issues, Jess set up her ceremony facing the St Francis Winery buildings, which allowed for the lovely foliage from the trees and interesting architecture from the buildings to be in the backdrop. As the day was fairly overcast, the guests were pretty comfortable out on the grassy area and the ceremony worked out quite well.

st francis winery wedding ceremony
smiling groom
st francis winery wedding ceremony
together
proud mumma
bridal exit at st francis winery
bride waiting
wedding sign
waiting groom
best man
st francis winery wedding ceremony
grooms first look

Glamour photos

After the ceremony, I got out the drone and had a big group photo done on the grassy area in front of the lake, and had smaller group photos done in front of the weeping willows and love sign. Jess, Chris and their bridal party then went for a little walk around the St Francis winery lake to make use of the broken down carts, and wonderful weeping willow trees for photos. We then had a little break to grab a drink before going for a short drive to the nearby bike track which I knew had some awesome arching trees that I could use as a backdrop. The lack of sun really worked to my advantage, limiting the amount of harsh shadows and made for some awesome shots!

happy couple
floating veil
veil flowing amongst the trees
bridal party near cart
flowing veil
bridal party amongst trees
passion
kisses

St Francis Winery Wedding Reception

Jess and Chris’ reception was a fun little party, punctuated by heading out for some photos under the lit up willow trees at night, and in front of the lit love sign which I believe Jess had won in a competition leading up to her big day. They had the reception hall decked out really nicely with floral arrangements and a beautiful abckdrop behind the bridal table, and their first dance was complete with smoke machine. It was all pretty neat!

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first dance
dancing in front of love sign
st francis winery decor
st francis winery wedding reception
wedding cake
cutting wedding cake
entrance
dancing guests
guests having fun
under the st francis winery trees at night
hugs
dancing guests
first dance at st francis winery
looking at rings
pretty at night

Thanks so much to Jess and Chris for having me as your wedding photographer! I had a great time and I hope you enjoy your photos!

Halloween Themed Wedding at St Francis – Leticha & Carrie

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  • Leticha & Carrie

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    Brides sharing a moment

Leticha and Carrie held their Halloween themed wedding at the delightful St Francis winery on October 31st last year, and what a delightful day it was! Surrounded by supportive friends and family, they also included guests that could not attend due to COVID by using my livestream service which made it all the more inclusive.

Leticha and Carrie’s Halloween themed wedding included pumpkins lining their aisle, suitibly coloured bouquets and bridal party, and even my greenscreen photo booth complete with a Halloween themed backdrop!

Preparation

I began the day with Carrie and her family being prepared at her parent’s place nearby. Her bouquet was orange in colour, to suit the Halloween theme, and everyone there was wearing a matching orange item. Her entourage were wearing orange vests, while Dad was wearing an orange tie. It was a really nifty detail to add!

Engagement ring in a rose
Bridal high heels
Helping out with bridal party
Putting on Dad’s flower
Mum helping put on wedding dress 2
Mum helping out with buttons
Bouquet closeup
Bride holding her bouquet
bride looking pensive in hallway

Leticha’s colour scheme was green, complete with an impressive green stoned engagement ring. Her entourage and bouquet was also green – contrasting the orange of Carrie, and also following the halloween theme.

One small detail I really enjoyed though was that Letich and Carrie also made sure their own personalities and interests was really put on display throughout the day. They obviously love boardgames and other ‘nerdy’ things by having their invites UNO themed, Harry Potter items were strewn about the place, and later on their wedding cake was based on Cluedo!

Emerald engagement ring
Wedding band in box
Wedding invites based on uno
reaching for the dress
Dad helping put on shoes
Hugs with Dad
bride looking pretty in bright room
bride walking towards doorway

Halloween Themed Wedding Ceremony at St Francis Winery

Leticha and Carrie’s Halloween Themed Wedding Ceremony took place on the grassy area in front of the St Francis winery pond. Their aisle betwenen guests were decorated with pumpkins and ivy, perfectly complementing the Orange and Green theme that the bridal couple had chosen.

As this was a same sex wedding, both leticha and Carrie were walked down the aisle together at the same time, flanked by their fathers which was a really nice touch.

Bride looking out car window
bride about to hop out of car
Flower girls approach
Brides entrance with fathers
St Francis Winery wedding ceremony
Holding hands during wedding ceremony 2
Smiling at her bride
bridal couple out the front of the wedding ceremony
bride smiling at her bride
Gathering the wedding rings
Waiting for the paperwork to be completed
First kiss at St Francis winery
St Francis winery wedding ceremony exit
Hugs after the ceremony
Heart group photo at St Francis winery

Glamour Photos

After the group photos, we made use of the St Francis Winery gardens and lovely weeping willows to take a few glamour shots, before heading off to a bike track with some rather spooky, dark trees which I thought would suit the Halloween theme nicely.

Along that same vein of thought, I also took Letchia and Carrie outside once it got dark with some smoke in a can to try and create a moody shoot under the lit weeping willows.

It was a little bit of fun thinking about how to create some moody, creepy wedding photos while still making them ‘weddingy’.

group photo with flower girls
Looking into each other eyes
Standing under the St Francis Winery weeping willows
Group photo with the bridal party
Kiss on the cheek
Walking together under the willows
Group shot on the old cart
Another kiss on the cheek
Looking at each under under the tree
Together amongst the foliage
brides under the willows
Togther under the weeping willows
Brides under creepy trees
Wedding photo under dark trees
bridal party photo under the dark trees
Brides sharing a moment
brides under a canopy of trees
brides in a tunnel of dark trees
night wedding photo at St Francis Winery
Wedding photo at St Francis winery

Halloween Themed Wedding Reception

The St Francis winery wedding reception area naturally has a neat, dark vibe to it due to it being an older building and built as a storage area for wine it’s aesthetic is rustically bare bones – making it quite a nice choice for a halloween themed wedding.

Their guests enjoyed making use of the green screen backdrop with a Halloween image superimposed behind them in each shot, while the dancefloor also got quite a workout by Letchia and Carrie’s guests. I was also in character whiole wearing my Jason hockey mask that I have as a photobooth prop while taking photos 😀

The personal touches that they had spent time in preparing really made the whole night come alive!

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Cluedo themed wedding cake details
Brides cutting their Cluedo themed wedding cake
Cluedo themed wedding cake
brides first dance
Dancing bride at St Francis
Lego brides
bride listening to guests
Flower girls drawings
Brides dancing on the dancefloor
bridal hugs

Thanks a bunch Leticha and Carrie for having me as your wedding photographer!

St Francis Winery Wedding – Chelsea & Nathan

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  • Chelsea & Nathan

    St Francis Winery Wedding

    under the weeping willow

It was a stunning day in amongst some rather ordinary weather for Chelsea and Nathan’s St Francis Winery Wedding at the beginning of September. It’s rather exciting to head to weddings like ths as I knew form the outset that Chelsea and Nathan were excellent dancers so I knew their reception was going to be a blast! I was lucky enough to be asked to be their wedding photographer all day and we managed to make most use of the time without the day seeming too rushed.

Preparation Photos

I was asked to begin the day with Chelsea’s preparation photos at the St Francis Winery room where she was being prepared, but I felt as though Nathan was missing out a bit so I head around to the nearby house he was getting ready at for about 10 minutes also – just to grab a shot of the rings and other small things lying about the place.

Getting ready
Getting ready
Getting ready
Engagement ring
Wedding rings
Through the makeup light
Wedding dress

First Look

The preparation phtos wasn’t a huge deal to Chelsea and Nathan, but what was exciting was they opted to have their main ‘glamour’ photo shoot done before their wedding ceremony in what’s known as a ‘first look’ where the groom and bride meet each other before the ceremony away from prying eyes and the nerves that would otherwise accompany the usual tradtional ‘first look’ as the bride walks down the aisle.

One of the Nathan’s groomsmen was a good sport here as Chelsea had secretly dressed him up in a stunning dress to play a bit of a prank on Nathan before she arrived for the real first look! 🙂

Groom walking about
Groom and groomsmen
The beautiful bride approaches
Surprise
Hugs
The actual bride approaches
The actual bride approaches
Hugs

Glamour Photos

After the first look we had a good amount of time to use the St Francis Winery grounds and surrounds for some glamour photos. This time of year the weeping willows surrounding the pond on the grounds was just starting to turn green again which always makes for a lovely backdrop – particularly on sunny days where the sun flares through the foliage. We also head out for a bit to the nearby bike track which I knew – having lived in the area for quite a while – made for a lovely backdrop wth it’s arching tall trees either side. This made for a little diversity in their photos.

Walking amongst the forest
Together in front of the flowers
Standing together
Smiles under the trees
Under a tree
walking together
inside the St Francis winery wedding reception area
Under the trees
On the bike path
In front of the cellar doors
Chilling on the cart
inside the St Francis winery wedding reception area
Bridal party
On the bike path
Near the cart
under the weeping willow
under the weeping willow
Holding bouquet
Walking together
Wedding rings
Under a tree
inside
Walking amongst the forest

St Francis Winery Wedding Ceremony

Chelsea and Nathan’s actual wedding ceremony was a lovely simple affair which, after the music had been fixed at the begining went off quite well 🙂 Unfortunately their music had been set up with the bridal party walking down together holding flash cards as a bit of an inside joke, but diddnt work out so well 😛 Diddnt put a dampener on anyone’s mood though!

wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bridal approach
Bridal approach
Smiling groom
Smiling father of bride
St Francis winery wedding ceremony
Smiling bride
St Francis winery wedding ceremony
together out the front
Nerves
Vows
Listening
Smiles
Celebrant
Exchanging wedding rings
Exchanging wedding rings
First kiss
Celebrate!
Checking out ring
Congregation

St Francis Winery Wedding Reception

As I mentioned before I knew Chalsea ad Nathan were pretty good dancers as their circle of friends happened to be the same as a wedding I covered several years ago where the bride and groom attended the same dance club. I also knew that many of the same dance club would be there than night, so the dance floor was always in action this night, and not just with people swaying and bopping, actual proper dancing! It was great to witness 🙂

First dance
First dance
First dance
First dance
Daddy daughter dance
under the trees at night
bonbonerie
talking
Main
Speech
reaction
reaction
Dancing
Dancing
Dancing

Thanks so much to Chelsea and Nathan for having me as your wedding photographer on your big day!

Saint Francis Winery Wedding – Lucy & James

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  • Lucy & James

    Saint Francis Winery Wedding

    Saint Francis Winery Wedding

Lucy & James held their surprise wedding at the Saint Francis Winery in Old Reynella. If you aren’t aware of the dynamics of surprise weddings, they can be a lot of fun to be a part of, particularly as a wedding photographer. It’s fun as you generally turn up to a party that is otherwise going swimmingly, when a photographer with a giant camera shows up and starts taking your picture 🙂 Now obviously it’s not often you attend a small party, even an engagement party – as is what Lucy and James’ guest thought they were attending, where there is a professional photographer in attendance. So there was a bit of surprise.

Before Party

Lucy & James’ guests were invited to their engagement party and were treated to a lovely spread put out by the Saint Francis Winery, including cheeses, fruits and meat platters, including an open bar. The congregation was located out the front of the Winery, near the famed pond next to South road when I arrived amd all were having a great time 🙂 Not many even noticed Lucy and James slink off to change into their wedding finery.

Lucy and James engagement sign
Engagement party
Boys and gran
Food

Lucy & James’ Saint Francis Winery Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony was set up within around 30 minutes, before the ceremony, but after everyone had arrived so that the secret was not blown. In past weddings I have covered at the Saint Francis Winery, the ceremony itself has taken place next to the lake, out the front of the winery, however as this one needed to be ‘hidden’, the ceremony took place in the grassy courtyard area surrounded by hotel rooms.