Kate and Matt held their wedding ceremony in their backyard for an intimate, and simple wedding ceremony amidst the craziness that has come with the COVID-19 restrictions on wedding gatherings. That said however, they did not compromise as their original plan was to get married at a more traditional wedding venue in the future, only to figure they may as well do it right now! So they did woith their nice, simple backyard Pt Noarlunga wedding ceremony.
Pt Noarlunga Backyard Wedding Ceremony
I arrived just before the ceremony was due to take place to Matt and his family putting together some of the finishing touches to the backyard ceremony setting while also playing with their adorable fur baby who was keeping an eye on things. Kate arrived soon after along side a few more family members and the ceremony began immediately.
A lovely, simple affair with Kate and Matt both exchanging their own personal vows before being declared husband and wife. The fun parts were when their dog wanted to join in on the celebrations 🙂
The weather wasn’t the best in the world – but it also wasn’t too cold, nor was it windy, it was just threatening to rain the entire time. Thankfully the rain held off enough for both their ceremony and their glamour shoot down the famed steps of the Onkaparinga River Mouth.
Wedding rings on bark
Wedding dog
Groom waiting
bride arriving
Bride walking to ceremony in backyard
Backyard ceremony
holding hands during ceremony
Together on their wedding day
Bride listening to vows
Groom listening to vows
Socially distanced wedding ceremony
Standing together at their backyard ceremony
First Kiss Backyard ceremony
Pt Noarlunga Wedding Photos
Once the certificate was signed, and the family photos were done, we head down to what possibly would be the most photographed set of steps in South Australia – the steps leading down to the beach at the Onkaparinga River Mouth.
If you’re holding a Pt Noarlunga wedding you’re bound to end up here for wedding photos – not just for the steps, but also for the incredible rock formations along the beach which are awesome at high tide to get the whole ‘pride rock’ moment of the bride and groom standing out, surrounded by water.
The entire photoshoot was very laid back, with Kate and Matt super keen to crack a joke and make the most of their big day – and as I was only with them for just over an hour the whole process was over pretty quickly!
I made sure to photoshop in some starwars and lightning bolts in the background to make use of the moody clouds in their backdrop – while also producsing some very heartfelt moments while they were cuddling each other and walking along the boardwalk.
Excited groom
Standing together at the top of the Pt Noarlunga steps
Bride and groom on their Pt Noarlunga wedding day
Pt Noarlunga South Wedding
On the Pt Noarlunga boardwalk
Helping one another over the rocks
Walking along the Pt Noarlunga rocks
Port Noarlunga wedding
Hugs on the rocks
Pt Noarlunga beach wedding
Lightning wedding photo
Bride and groom on the rocks on their wedding day
Bride and groom walking along the boardwalk
Bride and groom hugging each other
Walking together back to their pt Noarlunga wedding
Thanks so much for having me as your wedding photographer Kate and Matt! It’s great to get back into the swing of covering weddings again after the COVID restrictions!
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.
Groom putting on shirt
Groomsmen huddle
Looking on with tie
Wedding rings on tie
Groomsman helping put on grooms tie
Grooms shoes
Groom in tshirt
Hazing the new guy
In case of cold feet socks
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 at Paxton Winery
Bride and groom in the vineyards
Brothers
Paxton Winery wedding at night
Bride and groom holding one another
Bride and groom in wedding car
Groom looking at bride
Bride and groom with the wedding car
Paxton winery wedding 2
walking together
Social Distancing group photo
Night time LOVE
Bride stepping on groomsmen
Paxton winery wedding from the air
Bride and groom holding one another in the trees
bride and groom through the vines
bride and groom in ruins at Paxton Winery
Paxton Winery wedding night shot
Bride and groom through the window
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!
Despite being based in Adelaide, possibly my favourite place in Australia to cover a wedding is in Darwin. From the weather, the people, and the incredible sunsets, shooting a wedding in Darwin has always been an incredible experience for me and I’d like to share some of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin.
My goal here is to provide a simple list of locations in and around the Darwin general area, without having to force bridal couples to travel too far. I’ve also restricted this list to free to enter locations – that is photo locations that do not require a permit in order to be allowed ot have photos taken there. An example of an otherwise obvious addition to this list would be the Darwin Botanic Gardens which do require a permit.
A list of my favourite Wedding Photo Locations in Darwin
Nightcliff Jetty and Surrounds
The Nightcliff Jetty and surrounding parks is a popular spot for locals and tourists a like to bask in the glow of the famous Darwin sunsets that light up the sky in a glorious orange glow during the Darwin wedding season. It’s not uncommon to see multiple weddings having their sunset photos done here in the evening.
It’s the uninterrupted view of the sunset and the wonderful rocks that emerge from the ocean that draw people here to have their photography done!
Darwin wedding sunset
East Point Reserve
Similar to the Nightcliff rocks, the East Point reserve has some incredible rock formations you can have an adventurous bridal couple climb over for some epic scenes – particularly at sunset. Also if you’re able to time it right, at low tide you can walk down from nearby Pee Wees on the Point to the beach with some incredible rocks, mango trees and coloured cliffs that make for some great backdrops! Just takes a bit of planning from the bridal couple to get down there. You can also use some of the World War 2 historical buildings nearby.
Darwin’s Pride rock
Out on pride rock
Darwin wedding photo
SunSet Beach / Fannie Bay Foreshore
Just down the road from the East Point reserve is SunSet Beach which is one of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin largely due to it’s so easy to get to. Both Nightcliff and East Point rocks require your bridal couple to be ok with traipsing over rocks – where as its the same with Sunset beach, but it’s a lot easier to get to, and less dangerous.
Out on the water
Lake Alexander
Right across the road from SunSet Beach is Lake Alexander. If you’re looking for a little more greenery in your Darwin wedding photography, then heading to the Lake Alexander park would be your best bet. With curated lawns and green trees bordering the lake itself, it makes for a nice change in pace from the dark greens, and yellows you would get from shooting in front of cliffs, beaches and rocks all day.
Walking together
Holding one another
Gardens Park Trees
When covering a wedding in Darwin I always try to visit the incredible trees located on Gardens rd, just outside the entrance to the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The unique trees that are growing in Gardens Park make for an incredible backdrop for wedding photography. And it’s not just one or two of thetrees here, it’s pretty much all of them! They are climbable, huge, always green and would not look out of place in any Harry Potter movie.
Under a tree
Bridal Party under a tree
Darwin wedding trees
Vestey’s Beach Rocks
If you’re looking for a relatively quiet sandy beach, and a few rocks, then Vestey’s beach is a good bet. It’s a beach that’s closed off from the famous Mindil beach next door, but usually without the crowds that usually go along with Mindil beach during the dry season due to the Mindil beach markets. The rocks a short walk from the boat ramp make a nice frame to any shot too.
Vesteys beach rocks
Darwin Waterfront Precinct
If you’re after a more industrial feel to your wedding photography, the Darwin waterfront precinct would be one of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin. Away from the restaurants and tourists, there are some fun walkways and industrial looking walls lining walkways with the bay in the background.
There is also the Bicentennial park nearby, which I have not made one of my favourite wedding photo locations due to the fact that it’s nearly impossible to go there without getting others in the background which is usually the aim win wedding photography.
Bride and Groom walking together near Wharf One
Bridal Party
Rock formations on Casurina drive
It’s really hard to get a bridal couple to head out here for photos, but when they do it always pays off. The famed ‘fingers’ rock formation is difficult to get to, due to the long walk, or jumping over a fence to get to, it’s also a fair way away from any other photo spots – so to get here it can eat up a bit of time which is usually at a premium on a wedding day. But just look at this place!
Darwin Fingers Rock Formation
Darwin Surf Club Beach
It’s not so much the Darwin Surf club, but rather the beach out the front of the wedding venue. The beach not only goes on for miles in both directions, but also boasts hundreds of meters of sand between the land and the water at low tide. The reflections you can get in water pools at sunset are absolutely awesome.
Darwin Surf Club
There are so many other gems of wedding photo locations around Darwin, but these are a few of my favourite wedding photo locations in Darwin to get you started exploring the wonderful photo opportunities that this city offers.
It was a wonderful day that was laid out in front of us for Ellie and Nick’s Belair National Park wedding! The sun was out and everyone involved had a wonderful day celebrating the coming together of these two wonderful people! They turned out to be very lucky with the timing of their wedding being only a week before the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in South Australia.
Preparation
My day started by shooting photos of Nick and his groomsmen who were being prepared at a house in Ingle Farm. Nick and his groomsmen were having a bunch of trouble tieing their ties before Nick’s best man and father stepped in to help! It was important for Ellie and Nick to get some shots of their dog in some of the shots too, so we had their fur baby model for us occasionally 🙂
Nick was a little distracted while getting ready partly due to nerves, but also because one of this groomsmen had a shirt that was a little too small for him – so they had to rush off and get a new shirt quickly before the ceremony.
Groom and groomsmen on road
Groom looking in mirror
Groom putting on tie
Groom putting on jacket
Groomsman helping out
Groom getting ready
Father of the groom
Ellie and her bridesmaids were being prepared at a lovely bed and breakfast along Waterfall Gully road. We were so close to the waterfalls it pains me to know we diddnt use them for any photos! The girls were all in high spirits all morning, singling songs and making Elllie smile while doing silly things, the atmosphere was quite laid back and fun!
laughing birdesmaids
bride getting ready smiling
Bride holding bouquet as she gets ready
bride getting her hair done
Rear of wedding dress
engagement ring in bouquet
bridal party in mirror
Bride looking pretty in wedding dress
Bridal party in kimonos under tree
Smiling bride as she gets ready
Bridal party helping bride get ready
bridal jewellery
wow a ring!
hanging wedding dress
smiling bridesmaid as she helps
Belair National Park Wedding Ceremony
Ellie and Nick’s Belair National Park Wedding Ceremony took place in the ‘Joseph Fisher‘ picnic grounds which boasts some very tall pine trees surrounding a lovely grassy area, perfectly suited to a wedding ceremony. Theres also a covered area and toilets on site. The only issue I had was that as it was a very sunny day, the sun was very harsh coming in one direction – thankfully the ceremony itself too place under the shade of one of the pine trees.
Part of Ellie and Nick’s wedding ceremony included a creation of a time capsule where they will open it again if they ever find the need to remind themselves why they married one another and read love letters they write each other while drinking the wine inside. It’s a nice addition to a wedding ceremony to do this, or something similar as it breaks up the usual talking and reciting of vows. Another way to incorporate a time capsule is allowig youselves to open it each anniversary.
Bridal motorcade arriving
Bride meeting flower girl
Groom waiting
Bride arriving
Grooms first look of bride
Smiling bride looking at groom
Groom looking at his bride
Belair National park wedding ceremony
holding hands during the ceremony
Wedding ceremony in Belair National Park
Belair National Park wedding in shade
belair National park wedding under tree
Smiles all round
wedding ceremony
Nailing the time capsule
Bride and groom exit
Glamour Photos
For Ellie and Nick’s glamour photos we began on site within the Joseph Fisher picnic area and made use of a love heart someone had engraved into one of the trees. Ellie was quite keen on getting that shot here! We then moved on throughout the national park to the Old Parliament House and then on to behind the Belair Train Station for more Belair National Park wedding photos.
The photos at the Old Parliament House were rushed a bit due to a small mix up of times which the area was booked – turned out the attendant on site expected us a good hour before we turned up for our photos – but she turned out to be a good sport and stuck around for us anyway 🙂
Wedding photo in the Old Government House garden
Bride and groom standing in the sun
Belair National Park wedding photography
Bridal party photo at old government house
Belair National Park wedding photo
Belair National Park wedding photo 2
Bride and groom in an embrace
Close up portrait
Belair National Park wedding photo 3
Leaning against a lamp post
Bride and groom standing together in forest
bride and groom standing in the Belair National park
Standing together under a tree
Bride and groom dancing
Bride and groom walking together
Walking together in the garden
The Summit Cafe and Function Center Wedding Reception
Ellie and Nick’s wedding reception took place at the Summit Cafe and Function Center at the Summit of Mt Lofty. It’s a nifty little spot, perfect for photographing the sunset from the top of the tallest mountain in South Australia and also the city lights during the night – although it was fairly cold and windy!
Wedding cake
Mt Lofty Summit cafe and function center
Mingling
Bride and groom cutting the wedding cake
Bride and groom at sunset
Bride and groom silhouette
guests having fun
Bride and groom on Mt Lofty Summit
Head table
Maid of honour speech
First dance
Smiling bride and groom
Nutbush at wedding
Bouquet toss
I’d like to thank Ellie and Nick for having me as their wedding photographer at their Belair National Park Wedding!
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 🙂
Finishing touches on grooms suit
Groomsman wearing sunnies
Best man putting on tie
Wedding rings on shoes
Smiling groomsmen putting on tie
Grooms shoes in woods
Getting ready in heart mirror
Bunch of groomsmen
Groom playing with cufflinks
Smiling groom getting ready
groomsmen getting ready
Groomsmen ready to go
Groom leaning on tree
Groom looking at camera
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 🙂
lacing up the wedding dress
bridal party peeking through window
bridal bouqet on bedside table
Bride looking out window
Putting on makeup in front of window
Bridesmaids fussing over bride
Bride leaning on door frame
smiling bride as she gets ready
Bride walking out front door
Bride and bridesmaids having fun
bridesmaid helping put on dress
Father of the brides first look
smiling bride with bridal party
bride looking at mirror
wedding dress hanging in bay window
Bride looking pretty in wedding dress
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 🙂
