The Fernbank Farm wedding of Emily & Rhys was an epic wedding on one of the hottest days this summer.
Located on the Central Coast of NSW, Fernbank Farm is an absolutely stunning place to have your wedding. Everything on this day happened onsite, so there was no travelling what-so-ever. The boys got ready in ‘The Cottage’ while the girls got ready in the ‘Main House’. The ceremony happened under the beautiful Steel Arbour and the reception was in a beautiful and elegant marquee.
It was a hot & humid night and it took a while for people to get on the dance floor… but when they did they went crazy! I have seen a lot of crazy dance floors, but this was a first for me. When AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ was played every guy in the place took their shirts off and fist pumped like crazy. The photos are pretty cool and the experience was awesome!
So check out this amazing Fernbank Farm wedding and I can’t wait to go back there to photograph more awesome weddings. :)
The Leaves and Fishes wedding of Andrea and Mitchell in the Hunter Valley was a beautiful and intimate wedding with some really lovely moments. I love shooting weddings in the Hunter Valley and I particularly love shooting at wedding venues that I have never been to before. So I was really excited to photograph this wedding as I have heard so many good things about this amazing venue.
Leaves and Fishes
Leaves and Fishes is located in Lovedale, right in the heart of Wine Country in the Hunter Valley. It is just two hours from Sydney and just forty-five minutes from Newcastle.
This beautiful property is set overlooking a gorgeous lake and has a luscious natural Australian bush surrounding it. The restaurant and the reception venue have an almost Tropical North Queensland feel to it with some of the huge palm trees and ferns surrounding it.
It first opened in 2004 and has become known for its luxury accommodation and delicious and innovative food. What I also love about this venue is that the whole day from start to finish can happen here. There is accommodation available, and you can do the ceremony the photos and the reception all onsite. So it makes it much easier for you and for your wedding guests.
Wedding Preparation
The bride and groom both got ready in separate properties. The boys got ready at a private property just around the corner from Leaves and Fishes, while the girls did their wedding preparation onsite at Leaves and Fishes.
Leaves and Fishes offers some beautiful and luxurious wedding accommodation called ‘the boathouse accommodation’. There are only four of these private boathouses available. They have their own deck and they overlook a lovely pond. And they are perfect for wedding preparation. This is where Andrea and the girls got ready.
Leaves and Fishes wedding ceremony & photos
The wedding ceremony took place just out the back from the wedding reception in a beautiful garden area surrounded by trees.
After the ceremony, we took some family photos before taking a few relaxed photos around the pond. We chased the setting sun and got some lovely golden light through the trees.
The Wedding Reception
The wedding reception took place at “The House”, which is separate from the main Leaves and Fishes restaurant. There were heaps of laughs, just the right amount of tears and some crazy dancing!
So enjoy this beautiful Leaves and Fishes wedding and I can’t wait to go back there to photograph more weddings at this gorgeous venue.
The Uluru elopement Mary-Anne & Edward was an amazing experience and one that has been on my elopement bucket list for a long time. We actually honeymooned at Uluru and had thought of doing our elopement at Uluru ourselves. So I am so grateful that they trusted me with this really special Uluru elopement.
Uluru is located right in the centre of Australia in the Northern Territory and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also known as Ayers Rock, a name given by the Europeans in 1873. But Uluru is the Aboriginal name and its official name. It is probably Australia’s most famous and iconic landmark. People come from all over the world to see this amazing, giant stone monolith. Which at 348 metres tall is higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is 600 million years old and is an incredibly spiritual place, particularly to Australia’s indigenous people. And it can be said that Uluru is Australia’s heart.
And it absolutely blows my mind that more people, and yes I mean Aussies, aren’t getting married and eloping in this magical destination.
Uluru is only a three-hour flight from most state capitals. It has heaps of accommodation options, ranging from camping grounds, apartments to five-star luxury and more. It is a great central destination to have your wedding or elopement. So if you are planning a destination wedding, I strongly recommend you short-list Uluru. If you don’t mind a little red dirt on your wedding dress, then Uluru is the ultimate location to have a truly Australian wedding.
Longitude 131 Elopement
Mary-Anne & Edward decided to have their elopement at the luxury desert resort called Longitude 131. It is the premier place to stay at Uluru and is the ultimate in glamping if you can even call it that. Luxury tented pavilions with the most amazing views of Uluru from every room.
I met up with them the day before the elopement at Uluru to have a chat, meet them in person, meet their amazing kids and take a couple of casual photos of them.
The elopement day itself was a beautiful relaxed day at Longitude 131 and was all about their two families coming together as one. A sunset ceremony at ‘The Dune Top’ with 360° panoramic views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It doesn’t get any better than that. And it was so wonderful to witness them say their personal vows to each other.
After the ceremony, we popped some champagne and did a few photos around the property. And as the sun fully set they were whisked off to a secluded private dinner just for Longitude 131 guests.
They had travelled from Cairns and I had travelled from Sydney. So we arranged to meet up the following morning for a few photos before we caught our flights back to our home cities. Uluru is a truly amazingly beautiful and spiritual place. I feel so privileged that have been chosen by these guys to photograph their elopement. And I can’t wait to return and explore more of this amazing region of Australia.
Uluru Milky Way
I really wanted to get a night shot of Uluru under the stars. On the night of the elopement, there was actually clouds in the sky… I know it never rains in Uluru and I got clouds. So on the final night, before I left to return home to Sydney, I headed out to a sand dune in the dark and took this panorama photo below. I was just hoping for a clear sky so that I could see the stars. I wasn’t expecting to see the Milky Way like this!
It is actually about 30+ photos, stitched together because you just can’t fit the whole milky way in, in one shot. And the milky way actually went over Uluru like this. It was incredible to witness in person and this photo really doesn’t do it justice. I haven’t photoshopped the milky way from somewhere else and put it in this photo.
And while taking this photo in the pitch black, I swear I could hear a Dingo sniffing around in the bushes not too far from me… but it was totally worth it for this Uluru elopement!
“In one word, amazing! We love them all and the variety and quality of the shots is just what we were hoping for. You truly have a wonderful eye and superb skills.”
2017 has been another awesome year for us and there have been so many wedding photography highlights . I have shot weddings in some of the most scenic places, met some beautiful people, and photographed some amazing moments in their lives. It is such an privilege to photograph every wedding and I am reminded just how special it is every time I witness the vows and when I listen to heartfelt speeches from friends and family.
Over the last year I have photographed weddings in temperatures from zero degrees to forty plus degrees. I have been absolutely soaked to the bone from rain and a lot of times from sweat ;) I have seen wedding rings forgotten, had bridesmaids fainting, weddings with cute puppies and an exotic bird, swords at two different weddings, heard Daryl Braithwaite’s ‘Horses’ way too many times and have dodged a lot of kangaroo, cow and sheep poo while walking through paddocks. I have seen a lot of tears and a lot of laughter and some amazing relationships between couples and their family & friends.
On a personal note our two little girls and puppy are keeping us on our toes. We have a “threenager”… yes that is a three year old that acts like a teenager, and a one year old that is determined to put e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in her mouth. And our “Fur Child” Beau is as cheeky as ever! But they are so awesome and we are so lucky.
We have been so so happy to see the laws in Australia change to give everyone to right to get married. We totally support marriage equally and I can’t wait to photograph weddings from LGBTQI couples. ?
Thanks to the couples who have trusted me to capture your special day, who climbed over or under fences and walked to places where no one should walk in a pair of high heels. Thanks to the couples who have let any insecurities go, forgot I was there and just let themselves be in the moment. Thanks to the families who have been so welcoming and let me in to photograph these amazing weddings. And thank you to all the wedding vendors, photographers and our past couples who have referred weddings us. It means a lot and is one of the best compliments you can give us :)
So here are some of our personal favourite wedding photography highlights from 2017. I hope you enjoy!
The stunning Chateau Elan Hunter Valley wedding of Rebecca & Kahn was an absolute honour and privilege to photograph.
Everything happen onsite at one place… the beautiful beautiful Chateau Elan. The wedding ceremony was held at The Carriage House and I got to witness Rebecca’s Mum & Dad walk her down the aisle.
Enjoy this beautiful Chateau Elan Hunter Valley wedding… and feel free to leave a comment for the Bride & Groom or us ;)
The Wandin Valley Estate wedding of Kellie & Jarrod was an awesome day to be a part of. Kellie & Jarrod are the most relaxed, down-to-earth, funny people and Wandin Valley Estate was a venue that I’ve wanted to shoot at for a while now.
Wandin Valley has massive grounds, 100 acres I believe, so there are so many opportunities for photos that we barely scratched the surface. There are lots of Kangaroos and we even had a massive male Kangaroo approach us after the ceremony. But he just flexed his muscles and hopped away.
So enjoy the story of Kellie & Jarrod’s Wandin Valley Estate wedding and I hope I am back there very soon as it’s a beautiful venue.
I recently shot Kylie & Mark’s beautiful Margan Hunter Valley wedding. They both got ready at this beautiful property in Broke called Lavender Ridge, which I highlight recommend if you are looking for a place to stay in the Broke area.
The wedding ceremony was held at Peppers Creek Chapel and the wedding reception was at Margan Estate Broke. Check out the wedding rubber ducks, which they used as a replacement to throwing the bouquet and garter.
So enjoy this beautiful Margan Hunter Valley wedding and I can’t wait to return to shoot there again :)
