It was a stunningly sunny day for Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding. The small town of Sedan, near Renmark in the South Australian Riverland was the setting for this fun wedding where everyone just seemed to want to have a good time! I was asked to be their wedding photographer for their preparation through to the beginning of their reception, so lets jump straight into it shall we?
Preparation
I began the day at Kirsty and Andrew’s new house nearby the town of Sedan. I was quite excited to see some awesome gum trees on the horizon and rolling golden hills that I was hoping to use later in the day for their wedding photos.
Kirsty and her bridal party were being prepared here, and the atmosphere was quite laid back, with Kirsty more worried about where her boots were than any nerves she might have been feeling due to her being married a bit later.
As they had just moved into their new home, it was quite a neat thing to have the entire front room quite free in order to use while putting on the wedding dress – made taking photos that much easier! 🙂
Bride hanging her dress
Engagement ring in bouquet
Hanging wedding dress
Putting on makeup
Girls together in kimonos
Laughing bridesmaids on couch
Wedding boots
OMG it’s an engagement ring
bridal hanger
Helping put on the wedding dress
bride holding her hands
bridalparty lacing up wedding dress
Smiling bride while she gets ready
Bride looking pretty in black and white
bride playing with bouquet
Bride holding bouquet
bride on her own under a tree
Bride standing with bridal party
Andrew and his groomsmen were getting ready in another farm house nearby, but this spot had some very nifty old ruins, which of course I made use of in the short amount of time I had with the boys. One thing I found very co-incidental is that Andrew and his boys were enjoying some clay shooting prior to me arriving for their photos, which I had only ever seen for the first time at the wedding I covered just the week prior! Is this a new trend? 😀
Wedding rings on top of one another
Grooms wedding shoes
Helping put on tie
groomsman putting on tie
groomsman standing in front of car
Groomsmen messing about together
Groom and family in ruin
Groom standing with gun
Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding
You simply cannot miss the Sedan Lutheran Church as it towers over the rest of the small town with it’s huge steeple and traditional small town church styling. It’s also located right on the intersection of 4 roads that lead into the center of town. The church itself is a bit on the small side, with only a single aisle leading through the middle of the church. As it was a reasonably hot day, it was a struggle for some guests to stay cool – but it wasnt overly stifling. One neat feature of the inside of the church is the ability for some guests to venture to the upper level – I got some neat shots from up there.
Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding was presided over a priest who was friend of the couple and began with the tolling of the church’s bells, which I dont see very often! It was a reasonably simple ceremony with a number of readings from guests and blessings from their priest.
One great thing about church weddings like this is when the bride and groom exits out the front, and if the guests are keen to help – I can tee up a fun shot of everyone throwing the rose petals over the couple – which of course I did!
Sedan Lutheran Church 2
Bride arriving in front of church
Smiling priest
Grooms first glimpse of bride
Standing together at the altar
Sedan Lutheran Church wedding from above
Bridal party at the front of church
Inside the Sedan Lutheran Church
Exchanging wedding bands
First kiss at the Sedan Lutheran Church
Preist blessing
After the ceremony
Bride and groom leaving the Sedan Lutheran Church
Bride and groom celebrating in front of the Sedan Lutheran Church
Glamour Photos
After the required group photos out the front of the church, we head back inside of the church in order to take a few glamour photos using the pews and interior a little before heading out to the Renmark foreshore to make use of the greenery there. My favourite glamour photos from Kirsty and Andrew’s Sedan Lutheran Church Wedding though were taken on a portion of Kirsty and Andrew’s family land.
We drove to a spot where there was a ruin of an old cottage and barn which we made use of for some great shots, before moving to the nearby hills which I had a lot of fun flying over with my drone! We finished off in amongst the lovely gum trees growing out of a dry creek bed nearby.
Bride walking towards groom in church
Standing together in front of altar
Holding hands on pews
Hugs under the rotunda
Dipping under the Renmark rotunda
Walking along the Renmark foreshore
Groom looking at bride in ruin
Bride and groom hugging in ruin
Hugging bride and groom
Groom picking up bride through window
Groom picking up bride
Bride and groom walking along hilltop
Bridal party on hilltop
Bride and groom amongst gum trees
Bride and groom under the sun
Walking together along the creek bed
Bride and groom under tree in the sun
Close up of bridal bouquets
Walking together
Holding hands Walking together
Fun together in front of bridal party
Bride and groom out the front of the Sedan Lutheran Church
I was with Kirsty and Andrew for the very beginning of their reception at a hall in Sedan before heading off! I’d like to thank Kirsty and Andrew for having me take their riverland wedding photography and I hope they enjoy their photos! 😀
I’d like to thank once again all my couples I covered as their wedding photographer in 2019, and all those who submitted their favourite photo for my little annual wedding photo of the year contest! It’s always a little bit of fun to run this contest each year as I get to reconnect with all the couples I spent their wedding day with throughout this contest and find out which of the photos I took were their favourite. This in turn helps me in the future to be a better photographer!
So without further ado, here is the winner of the 2020 Wedding Photo of the year with 100 votes!
Winner of the 2020 Wedding Photo of the year!
Congratulations Leah and Jarron in receiving the most votes on their favourite photo from their wedding at Kuitpo Hall. I’ll get in contact soon to discuss details of your prize of a large framed print! They were lagging the photo from Hailey & Brad’s big day at Al-Ru Farm for quite a while, but a surge of Leah and Jarron voters last night put them over the line in a frantic finish hailey and Brad ended with 67 votes! There were also quite a few voters for Astrid and Corey and Chelsea and Nathan online last night, but unfortunately not enough 🙁 Chelsea and Nathan’s wedding at St Francis Winery came in third place with 55 votes.
Photo of the year contest HaileyBrad
Photo of the year contest ChealseaNathan
In all, this year’s contest, with 22 weddings entering recieved a total of 581 votes which is more than any of the previous 4 years in which I have run this contest, so that is an awesome turnout! Hopefully there will be even more in next year’s edition – providing of course I get out and shoot more weddings this year! There were a significant number more in total votes, however some people like to think I can’t detect those of you who try to vote twice or more by using different devices, emails addresses, etc 🙂
Winner of the $100 cash prize for voting
I also like to give away $100 cash to a random voter simply for casting their vote, so if your name is the one below, check your emails as I’ve sent you an email asking for your bank account details 🙂
Jasmine P.
Once again thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to those who won! 😀 Looking forward to when the world returns to normal after all this COVID-19 stuff :/
Over the years of being an Adelaide wedding photographer I’ve been able to explore the Adelaide CBD and find a multitude of spots that are suitable to take wedding couples to to have their photos done without having to worry about having photo permits of permission to do so. So I thought I’d put together this list of wedding photo locations in Adelaide so that other have no need to do the scouting themselves.
I’ve purposely put this list together for those who do not wish to purchase a photography permit to use the area, and are only of those locations within the Adelaide CBD that are considered ‘public space’ and therefore need no prior arrangements to be made to have photos taken there. A good example of a popular wedding photo location in Adelaide that will not be on this list would be the Adelaide Botanic Gardens – as couples need a photography permit to have their photos taken within the gardens.
List of my favourite Wedding Photo Locations in Adelaide
Veale Gardens
If you’re planning on also having your ceremony in Veale Gardens, then you will need a permit from the council, but if you’re just looking to have your photo shoot done, then no such permission is needed. Located in the southern park lands, Veale Gardens boasts beautifully manicured lawns and a man made river sweeping through the whole garden area.
There are a number of different rock pools that also make for a great setting for wedding photography. One of the best things about Veale Gardens though is the variety of photos you can take here, as just behind the gardens is a small gum tree forest and a rather unkempt area for a more rustic feel to your wedding photos – something you’d usually have to travel outside of the city to find.
Veale Gardens wedding photo
Couple portrait at sunset in Veale Gardens
UNder the tree in veale Gardens
Himeji Gardens
The Himeji Gardens are also located in the southern park lands, and right nearby Veale Gardens. Himeji Gardens is build to commemorate Adelaide’s sister city relationship with the Japanese city of Himeji. The whole area is designed to look pretty as it’s a properly designed garden with the Japanese aesthetic in mind. Wedding ceremonies are not allowed to take place within the gardens, but you are able to walk through and take your glamour photos within.
Just be sure you try to use the gardens during it’s opening times. The best times to visit are during the autumn months as the Japanese maple’s start to show some incredible colours.
Sunset in Himeji gardens
Couple dancing in the Himeji Gardens
Couple in the Himeji gardens doorway
North Terrace
The old buildings along North Terrace, coupled with some of the nice trees and art installations along the road make North terrace one of my go to wedding photo locations in Adelaide. Many of the old buildings along here belong to the Adelaide University campus, but I felt as though the campus itself deserved it’s own mention on this list.
Under a tree on North Terrace
Bonython Hall
Wedding couple under flowers
The egg
Under an archway on North Terrace
Adelaide University
The Adelaide University campus itself has some wonderful spots hidden around the place as it’s such an old campus. One such spot has romenesque columns lining a walkway towards a door. This one spot – quite close to the Torrens footbridge – has become a huge hot spot for wedding photography often having to queue up behind other wedding couples wanting to have photos done there on a Saturday.
Adelaide University
Bride and Groom in Adelaide University
bride and groom at Adelaide University
Adelaide University
Old Police Barracks and Migration museum
The old Police barracks are located right behind the South Australian Museum and library. It’s a beautiful old building which is very much hidden from view and you’d be forgiven for not knowing it was there unless you had specially sought it out. It is public space, however can also be booked for wedding ceremonies so it would be best to enquire before your wedding day if it was being used or not before heading down there to have photos done.
Adelaide Museum
Adelaide Museum engagement
Adelaide Museum
Adelaide museum wedding photography
Behind the Adelaide Museum
Rymill Park
Rymill Park is one of the main venues used for the famous Adelaide Fringe festival held each year in February and March so if you want to have photos in Rymill Park during that period of time, it may be tricky. Rymill Park has a wonderful pond and beautiful trees and path ways meandering about the area which makes the spot one of the popular wedding photo locations in Adelaide.
On the bridge
Rymill Park wedding photo
Together under a tree
Next to the horse and carriage
Rundle Mall
Rundle Mall is the home of Adelaide’s defacto mascot of the Mall’s Balls art installation. Everyone from Adelaide knows the spot in Rundle Mall as an easy point of reference within the city. As a wedding photo location, it’s better suited at night, as there will not be as many random people in your photos, and it allows for the pretty lights that line the area to be used in your photos.
Rundle Mall Wedding
Walking down Rundle Mall
End of Rundle Mall
Rundle Mall Wedding by SvenStudios
Adelaide Arcade
When thinking of wedding photo locations in Adelaide, the oldest shopping precinct in the city fits the bill nicely, with centry old architecture, and the ability to explore above the main shops a bit, it makes for a nicely unique spot to have your photos done.
Wedding
Wedding by Svenstudios
Wedding by Svenstudios
Adelaide Arcade
Old Adelaide Market Area
One of the lesser known wedding photo locations in Adelaide is the old market area on East Terrace. The lane ways off Charlick cct and Vardon ave have some great scenes available for a wedding photographer – particularly during the autumn months as the trees are starting to turn some nice shades of yellow and red.
Kisses
Looking back
Wilson Parking Hindley St
Bit of an odd place to think about having your wedding photos done is in a car park, but the Wilson Park on Hindley street actually opens up onto it’s roof enabling your wedding photographer to get a unique perspective on the Adelaide skyline if that’s you’re thing. Sorry I only have some shots of batman to demonstrate what I’m talking about 🙂
Batman looking around
Batman cosplay looking out over the city of Adelaide
Elder Park
Elder park is the area where every postcard of Adelaide is shot from. The park is surrounded by a lovely stretch of the river Torrens, Adelaide oval, the Festival theater and convention center. One of the main draw cards as one of the best wedding photo locations in Adelaide is the huge rotunda sitting surrounded by beautifully manicured lawn. There is also the King William street bridge and of course the river itself.
Adelaide Botanic Park
Leading straight next door to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens though is the Adelaide Botanic Park. A popular spot to hold wedding ceremonies and have photos taken with the multitude of pretty Moreton Bay Fig trees. The area is often used for live music events so some of the park may be cordoned off, and is a nice spot to hold a family picnic so if it’s a nice day, expect a lot of other people using the area while you’re taking photos.
The fig trees scattered throughout the park have amazing roots that lend themselves well to wedding photos and at certain times of day the sunlight will seep through the foliage nicely.
bride and groom in Botanic Park
Adelaide Botanic Park wedding photos
bride and groom walking between the trees of Darwin’s Botanic Park
Torrens foreshore & footbridge
The Torrens meanders throughout the northern part of the Adelaide CBD and winds past the northern entrance to Adelaide University. At that point there is a pretty footbridge that traverses the Torrens river. You can use the footbridge itself as one of the great wedding photo locations in Adelaide, but there are also some hidden spots nearby like weeping willow trees and some nice footpaths.
Couple on Torrens footbridge
On the footbridge
Next to the torrens bridge
Near the Torrens
Adelaide is a very pretty city, and it was designed to be so! This list is therefore not an exhaustive list of wedding photo locations in Adelaide, but more of a guide to give you an idea of some of the more popular, and in some cases lesser known spots to head to with your wedding photographer!
As an Adelaide Hills wedding photographer, capturing Alice and Dion’s Lot 100 Wedding in Hay Valley was an absolute blast! The day was filled with so much fun and excitement that it seemed to fly by in a flash. Even though I started early in the morning in Myponga and didn’t finish until late at Lot 100, every moment was filled with joy and celebration.
From the exhilarating clay pigeon shooting to the lively German folk dancing, the entire day was a thrill to be a part of. As a wedding photographer, I was able to capture some amazing scenes that truly showcased the love and happiness of the couple. Overall, Alice and Dion’s wedding was an unforgettable experience that I was honored to be a part of as their photographer.
Preparation
Dion and a group of his friends all congregated in the early morning at Myponga to go Clay Pidgeon shooting together on a nearby farm. I had never even been present when this sport was going on, so I was quite excited for it – certainly made for a different change in pace to what I’d usually be taking photos of while the boys were getting ready! Dion even gave me a turn at trying my hand at shooting, and it turned out I was pretty good at it! Gave a new meaning to the phrase ‘out shooting a wedding’. 🙂
Groom shooting before his wedding
Groom with headphones on
Chatting amongst the guys
Out shooting before the wedding
Safety watcher looking on
Groom taking it easy
Shooting in Myponga
Clay pidgeon shooting
Alice and her bridal party were being prepared at a bed and breakfast in Stirling. It was a delightful little cottage with an intimate green garden full of little nooks to have details shots done of the rings, shoes, etc. The inside of the house was also well set up to take photos as there was some like windows around on plainly painted walls that just work very well for this kind of thing. Along with Alice’s bridal party there was also Alice’s brother there making sure everything ran well, but also there to provide some friendly, brotherly fun. 🙂
Smiling bride with bouquet
wedding dress hanging in tree
group having a chat in the garden
Bride standing in room
Engagement ring in roses
Bride about to leave for wedding ceremony
Wedding dress hanging in window
Having fun with the champaigne
Bride looking out window
Mum helping out
Bride looking in mirror
Bridesmaids helping put on dress
Wedding rings in boxes
Bridesmaids dresses
Helping put on wedding dress
Engagement ring in between wedding shoes
Lot 100 Wedding Ceremony
The location where Alice and Dion chose to set up their Lot 100 Wedding ceremony was on the sloped grass behind the main restaurant on site. It has a bit of a slope to it, but not so much that people could not stand straight. It was also great as there was a wonderful backdrop of tall gumtrees in each shot. The only unfortunate thing was that because it was set up that way, the sun was directly in Alice, Dion’s and the celebrant’s face – but the guests were more comfortable!
The ceremony itself was nice and simple, with a reading from a friend and a bit of laughter all round as the celebrant retold small bits of Alice and Dion’s relationship up to now.
Groom waiting patiently
Alice and Dion’s wedding sign
Bridal approach at Lot 100
Groom’s first lok of bride
Laughing groom
Set up for a Lot 100 wedding ceremony
Behind the celebrant
Celebrant
Lot 100 Hay Valley Wedding Ceremony
Speaker
Celebrant running things
Smiling bride during ceremony
Lot 100 Wedding
Groom looking at his bride
Exchanging wedding rings
Wedding at Lot 100 Hay Valley
First Kiss under the gum trees
Just married couple
Glamour Photos
A rather unique part of Alice and Dion’s day was the after effects of the large bushfires that were raging on the nearby Kangaroo Island, causing smoke to waft up through the valley and cause the backdrop of most of their photos to be quite hazy. It made it very easy for me to create a beautiful set of wedding photos that really isolate Alice and Dion, but also incorporate the stunning surrounds of their Lot 100 wedding day.
We began their glamour photos using the trees nearby where they had the wedding ceremony set up. I wanted to use the valley as a bit of a backdrop with the bridal party and also use the sun shining through the trees a bit to create an ethreal feel to the shots. We then moved up the hill a bit with the bridal party and took a few more shots on a giant felled tree trunk, which was pretty enat to arrange a group shot like that.
Finally we hopped into their 4 wheel drive and drove around the huge paddock on site, towards a magnificently huge gum treeright in the middle of it all. While doing this I also had the drone flying about as the scenery was absolutely epic from the sky. We finished off by using the small forrest of gum trees situated at the top of a nearby hill, where I was looking forward to again taking shots looking through the trees.
Bride and Groom under the Lot 100 Gum Tree
Standing together under a tree
Bride and groom sillouette
Walking together at their Lot 100 wedding
Bride and groom with the bridal party
Bride and groom standing in front of bridal party
Bridal Party
Bride and Groom together on their Lot 100 Wedding day
The whole bridal party
Bridal couple in front of bridal party
Bride and groom against a gum tree
Bride and groom kissing on hill
Bride and groom under a fallen tree
Silly bridal party photo
Walking together on the grass
Kisses amongst the gum trees
Laughing bride as she’s carried
Giving each other hugs
Under a fallen tree
Groom carrying bride
Bride and groom walking through paddock
Bride and groom between the trees
Lot 100 Wedding Reception
The Lot 100 wedding reception area is a beautifully set out restaurant enclosed within a modernly built structure lined with windows all around. The center of the restaurant is the bar where they serve a huge amount of different craft beers and wines. Alice and Dion had their dance floor set up at one end of the area.
A huge standout of their night was the German dancers Alice and Dion had organised to come in and perform for their guests. The dancers made a bit of a mockery of Dion in good spirits while they also demonstrated their skill with some highly complicated dancing and music! Was a sight to see!
Another stand out for me was the fact that their night happened to be on a night with a super full moon, so we made sure to get out and make use of the moon while it wasnt hiding behind clouds. The smoke from the fires also made it a rusty orange colour! Really quite pretty!
Dancing guests
Table number
Wedding Favours
Full Moon at Lot 100 wedding
Groom speech
Cutting the wedding cake together
Bride and Groom under full moon
First dance closeup
That’s a knife
German dancers
Table setting
Groom lifting the German dancer
Wedding Cake on top of barrel
Bride listening to grooms speech
First dance at Lot 100 wedding
Groom doing some German dancing
Bride’s speech
First dance twirl
Beers
Bride and groom entrance
Guests joining in on the German dancing
Wedding invite
Holding one another on the dance floor
I’d like to thank Alice and Dion for having me do their Adelaide wedding photography! Was a great day and I hope you enjoy your photos! 😀
Ekhidna Wines, or Ekhidna Winery in Mclaren Vale was the stunning backdrop to Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding amongst a wonderful bunch of people who had travelled from far and wide to attend their big day. A big difference between their wedding and many others however was the fact that they opted to do their glamour shoot a few days prior to their wedding day. They instead got dressed up 2 days before their wedding day in mid Januray and had a bit of a ‘first look’ and glamour shoot using optimal light later in the day.
Pre Wedding Shoot
The great thing about what Sarah and Ricardo decided to do was that they were able to dedicate their whole wedding day soley to their friends and family, without leaving everyone at their Ekhidna wines reception while they went off to have their glamour photos taken. As their glamour photos had already been done a few day prior they were able to just party all day! It was also great to me as we were able to make use of the best light during the day, without worrying about getting back inside for speeches or cake cutting. It was a wonderful idea and I can’t believe more pople don’t opt to do this!
Our glamour shoot began as a simple little ‘first look’ between Sarah adn Ricardo in the garden of the bed and breakfast they were staying at that night. It was a very small little garden, but it worked out beautifully as the sun was in a great spot for it to shine in through the leaves of the trees lining the road. Then we head out to the main street of Mclaren Vale where there is a stunning little grove of Olive Trees that are free to walk through as a tribute to the regions large Olive business.
I like using this spot later in the day as the sun shines through the canopy of this little grove quite nicely. The next spot we head to was the ‘story bench’ in Willunga which I learnt about back when I was a teacher at the nearby Willunga Primary School. Its a simple little park with large gum trees, a big open grassy area and some nifty, whispy trees I’m not sure what their names are. 😀 We then finished the day back at Ekhidna Wines where Saraha and Ricardo’s dog came to visit for a bit of a shoot throughout the vineyards.
First Look Photo
First look with the sun in the background
Bride looking pretty in Mclaren Vale
Kisses in the MClaren vale Olive Grove
Walking through the Mclaren Vale Olive Grove
Standing together amongst the trees
Holding one another
Close up of Engagement ring
Passion amongst the trees
Walking through the trees
Sitting on the Willunga Story bench
Looking through the tree at his bride
Having fun together
Amongst the wispy trees in WIllunga
Holding each other under the winspy trees
Fun in the sun
Kisses in the sun
Together in the Ekhidna Wines Vineyard
Dog running in the Ekhidna WInes vineyards
Bride and Groom together in the vineyard
Ekhidna wines wedding
Above the Ekhidna Winery vineyard
Bride and groom throught the vineyards
Kisses under the veil
Wispy veil
Dog portrait
Ekhidna winery wedding
Preparation
On the actual day of the wedding, Sarah and her bridal aprty were being prepared at the Ekhidna Wines on-site bed and breakfast which is always convenient as it’s right next door to the wedding venue. I had a little bit of time with Sarah and everyone there and grab a few shots of them all getting ready!
Flower girl dress
Hanging wedding dress
Looking in mirror
Wedding rings box
Getting flower girl ready
Pinning flower on Dad
bride with kids
Kids
Mum helping bride get ready
bride getting ready on her wedding day
Ekhidna Wines Wedding Ceremony
Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding ceremoyn was full of meaningful readings and heartfelt cameos by friends and family throughout, and was of course backdropped to what I feel to be one of the best backdrops to any wedding venue in Mclaren Vale – that of the Hills behind Ekhidna WInes. When there is a little cloud in the sky, it just makes for a stunning backdrop!
Bride approaching her wedding ceremony
Groom watching his bride walk down aisle
Mum and Dad looking on
Wedding ceremony at Ekhidna wines
little one in the aisle
Priest speech
Family member speech
Ekhidna wines wedding ceremony
Bride looking on
Groom looking on
Ekhidna winery wedding ceremony
Wedding
Wedding ceremony
Holding hands during the Wedding ceremony
Exhcnaging wedding bands
Mclaren Vale wedding ceremony
first kiss at Ekhidna wines
Smiling bride during exit
Bride and groom exit
Ekhidna Wines Wedding Reception
To finish up I was at Sarah and Ricardo’s wedding reception on site at Ekhidna wines for a few hours before my wedding photography coverage was at an end. Can you believe I maaged to grab all these shotswithin 6 hours?! 2 hours on their glamour shoot day, and 4 on their actual wedding day and I managed to pretty much cover it all! It was obvious to me that many of those who made speeches throughout the evening were used to public speaking as the quality of all the speeches were fantastic, and tall the guests got right into each one, making the whole experience that much more intimate and special.
Guest book on table
Bride and her bridal party
Groom and his groomsmen
Talking groomsman
Laughing Mum
Kids running about
Happy groom
Drone group shot at Ekhidna WInes
Wedding cake set up at Ekhidna Wines
Speeches
Giving a speech
Dad giving a speech
laughing groom at speeches
Bride smiling at speech
Interpretor
Giving a heartfelt speech
Cheering being married
Cutting the wedding cake together
Sarah and Ricardo, your wedding was an absolute joy to be a part of and I hope you enjoy your photos!