Maitland Wedding Photographer

The Collits Inn wedding, in the Blue Mountains, of Dave & Inca was such a beautiful and epic wedding day, at one of the most stunning wedding venues in NSW.

Collits Inn is gorgeous, county and rustic wedding venue located just a couple of hours from Sydney in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. It is heritage-listed and is actually just over the mountains, towards Lithgow in a town called Hartley Vale. It is situated on fifty acres of country and bushland, at the base of the breathtaking Mount York. And this is my type of wedding venue!

Collits Inn History

What I love about this venue is that it is has a real history in Australia. And it is not just a place property where they have built a reception venue on. Collits’ Inn has a long history in Australia and the Blue Mountains and is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This former inn was built in 1823 by the Collits family and was originally known as the Golden Fleece. This was the first inn built west of the Blue Mountains and serviced people and their stock who descended Mount York.

It was an important site during colonial times as it linked all the early travellers who ventured west of the Blue Mountains. It provided a rare service to the region and was an important social gathering place.

When you first enter this wedding property, you can immediately tell that this place is steeped in history. From the rustic and rusty Barn and the Woolshed. To Collits’ Inn itself, a single-story old colonial Georgian building with four bedrooms.

The current owners are such lovely, accommodating people who have owned numerous restaurants around NSW and have been in the food & beverage industry for over forty years. And they have done such an amazing job with this wedding venue. As far as venues go, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Collits Inn Blue Mountains

I met Inca & Dave a few months before the wedding for their engagement shoot. They were so relaxed and fun during that session that I just knew that their wedding day was going to be awesome.

The groom and groomsmen got ready about 15 minutes away in a private residential property, while the Bride and her bridesmaids got ready on-site at Collits Inn.

What I also love about Collits Inn is that the whole day from start to finish can happen here. There is accommodation available, there are numerous locations you can have your wedding ceremony. They have lots of land so there is a variety of locations for photos. And they have an awesome Barn for your wedding reception.

By having your entire day in the one location, it means you will spend much more time with you family and friends and less time travelling around from place to place.

Wedding Ceremony

You can have your ceremony anywhere at Collits Inn. The Bride & Groom chose to have their wedding ceremony under a canopy of trees at the front of the property.

I really like this location for this outdoor ceremony, because of the direction of the sun. The sunlight was shining behind them through some trees, which filters the harsh light and ensures the light is even on their face.

The ceremony had a really cool symbolic ritual of ‘hand-fasting’. Inca & Dave stood facing each other and had their hands tied together by their celebrant Arlene McInherny.

This is where the phrase “tying the knot” comes from.

You don’t see this ceremony very often in Australian ceremonies. It is more common with Irish and Scottish weddings. As it is an ancient Celtic tradition dating back over two thousand years.

It symbolises the binding together of their two individual lives. And it shows the commitment they are making to each other as they start this new journey into married life.

Collits Inn Wedding Photos

After the ceremony, we did a few family photos and then did some photos around the property with the couple and their crew. We hung out with the local farm animals in their paddock and ventured into the bushland at the back of the property.

You can see by the photos in the bushland that the scenery is quite different than it normally is. This is because of the devastating Blue Mountains bush fires. You can also get an indication of how close these massive fires came to destroying the historic Collits Inn.

Pierce’s Barn Reception

The wedding reception was held in the Pierce Barn. Which was named after its original owner. It is the original barn that has been fully restored to what you see today. The guest tables are made from actual pine trees that were cut down from the front of the property.

If you are looking for a barn wedding reception, then this is the perfect example of that. You don’t need to do much to the room either. Some flowers and candles and the reception room is perfect for a rustic country wedding.

These guys had some touching and really funny speeches. Speeches should be spoken from the heart and that is exactly what happened here.

Sunset Photos

When you have a wedding in Summer, the sun doesn’t set till around 8 pm or later. So it is a really good idea to schedule some time for a few photos at sunset during your wedding reception.

So we ducked outside together for a few minutes at sunset. Inca & Dave also found it was nice just to be alone together for a few minutes while I got some photos of them together in this spectacular landscape.

This was an absolute dream wedding. This beautiful couple were two amazing, down-to-earth souls that just enjoyed their day and each other. And it reflects in the wedding photos.

I love outdoor country weddings. And I love wedding venues that are unique and different. And that is exactly what this Collits Inn wedding in the Blue Mountains was.

I can’t wait to go back there and photograph another Collits Inn wedding there. It is such an amazing place and I highly recommend it.