This Turon Gates wedding in Capertree was such a beautiful and memorable wedding with one of the nicest couples you could ever meet, Jordy & Lachy
This was a DIY wedding to the extreme. Jordy & Lachy did absolutely everything themselves. Well… them and their small army of family and friends. Everything you see in the photos below was brought in by truck by this couple and I really can’t believe how much work they did. And it paid off because the wedding looked amazing!
This beautiful wedding took place in Turon Gates, which is located in Capetree, just over the Blue Mountains. It basically sits between Mudgee, Bathurst, Lithgow and Katoomba. And this place in breathtakingly beautiful.
The original landowners at Turon Gates were the Wiradjuri people prior to white settlement. From the 1950s Turon Gates was the site of a gold rush. With thousands of miners working in the Turon River searching for gold.
To get there, I drove over the Blue Mountains and down into the Capertree Valley which is stunning in itself. Then I took a long dirt road that led me into Turon Gates and through farmlands and up into the mountains. Turon Gates is a huge area, with over 6000 acres. And there are log cabins located along the mountain top that has some of the best views you can imagine.
The Turon Gates wedding venue was located over the mountains and down in another valley and was situated next to the Turon River. Where there were camping facilities, log cabins, the Pavillion and luxury glamping tents. What a location! This was an Aussie bush wedding at its best.
The wedding ceremony took place down on the river bed itself with the sound of the flowing water and check out the amazing wedding arbour.
After the wedding ceremony the couple hung out with their guests for a while and then we drove back up the mountain for some sunset photos.
The wedding reception was outside under festoon and fairy lights with a mobile wood fire pizza oven, caravan bar and lots of casual seating. The Pavilion Tent was used as a wet weather back up and had the food buffet and the dancefloor.
This Turon Gates wedding was so relaxed, informal and totally joyful. I can see this place becoming very popular with couples in the future because it has everything you need for an amazing country wedding. And the location is absolutely stunning!
Tazzie & Lachlan are such amazing spirits and their Estate Tuscany wedding was such an awesome day to photograph.
Estate Tuscany is situated in one of the most beautiful locations in the Hunter Valley, overlooking acres of vineyards and this is where whole wedding day happened from beginning to end. They both got ready at Estate Tuscany, but just at different ends of the property. Sso they didn’t see each other before the ceremony.
After the ceremony we ran though the vines and even climbed through a barbed wired fence to get to the field we wanted. I also love how they made their daughter an important part of the day. You can see some lovely moments during the ceremony and reception. She even made a speech and joined in one their ‘first dance’.
So please enjoy this beautiful Estate Tuscany wedding in the Hunter Valley.
Any event at The Convent Hunter Valley wedding is bound to be simply amazing. They do lots of weddings and they do weddings really, really well. They have an amazing team, in a beautiful location and they can tailor each wedding to suit your needs and style.
I have photographed countless weddings at this amazing wedding venue. And I can confidently say, that if you have a Convent Hunter Valley wedding, you will most probably have a fantastic wedding and a fantastic experience of planning a wedding.
This is my guide to having your wedding at The Convent and Circa 1876 in the Hunter Valley. Written by a wedding photographer who has photographed many many weddings there over the years.
The famous tree lined road, in Autumn, leading to The Convent.
The Convent Location
The Convent is located 2.5 hours drive from Sydney up the M1 or about 40 minutes from Newcastle. It sits in one of Australia’s best wine regions, Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley.
It has a very unique location and is basically part of a large estate consisting of three main buildings. The Convent, Pepper Tree Winery and Circa 1876. Pepper Tree Winery is a separate business and not associated with the others. The Convent is located at one end, Pepper Tree is in the middle and Circa 1876 is at the other end of the property.
The Convent and Circa 1876 are part of the Escarpment Group, which owns five luxury hotels and resorts. They have properties in the Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains and all of the properties are beautiful wedding venues.
View of Circa 1876. In the background there is Peppertree and then The Convent in the distance.
The Convent Hunter Valley
This beautiful property is a large Hampton property with European luxury interiors and an Australian country house feel. It consists of:
Accommodation Rooms – recommend for wedding preparation.
Restaurant Eighty Eight – hotel restaurant, occasionally used for weddings.
Marquee – rarely used for weddings but available.
Swimming pool & tennis court.
Circa 1876
Circa 1876 is a multi-award winning, hatted restaurant. It is also the main location for most weddings. The majority of weddings at The Convent will have their wedding outside in the gardens, followed by the reception inside Circa 1876.
What I love about the food at Circa 1876 is that there is a true ‘paddock to plate’ philosophy. They have a chicken coop, beehives and gardens onsite which they grow and use for food. There is also a head gardener that looks after it all. And during a wedding ceremony, and during pre-dinner drinks, you can actually see chefs in the garden collecting fresh vegetables and herbs. Which is pretty wonderful to see.
Circa 1876Front of Circa 1876 at night
History
The reason why it is called “The Convent” is because it was once home to the Brigidine order of nuns in Coonamble. It was built in 1909 to house a community of Irish born Catholic nuns who were setting up schools in Australia.
I found out this information while shooting a wedding at Circa and a guy said to me that he is from the town where this building originated from. I naturally thought he was crazy. But it turns out he wasn’t.
In 1980 the building was no longer being used and was in danger of being demolished. A joint project between Peppers Guest House, James Fairfax and Robert and Sally Molines (now running Bistro Molines), they carefully dismantled the building. The building was moved 600 kilometres from Coonamble and reconstructed to where it sits today in the Hunter Valley.
Back then, it was under the Peppers brand, until it was bought by the Escarpment Group in 2016.
Accommodation Options
One of my biggest tips for couples when organising a wedding is to try to get accommodation at the same place where you are having your wedding. By doing this you will reduce any unnecessary travel time, and because you don’t have to travel anywhere, it will definitely reduce your stress and anxiety levels.
There are four neighbouring properties just behind The Convent which offer boutique accommodation, which are good options for you and your family and wedding guests.
My two favourites would have to be The Woods, and Carriages Boutique Hotel & Vineyard. I have done Bride & Groom preparations at both these properties and they both offer great accommodation with lots of room in a country setting.
The good thing about Carriages is that there is also a small walking track that links it to The Convent, which is handy if you have guests or family staying in both.
But if possible I would recommend that you book accommodation at The Convent. It means you will be onsite for your wedding, making it so much easier for yourself.
It features 19 luxury rooms in its boutique accommodation. There are four rooms types:
Deluxe Room – smaller rooms and a little bit darker.
Superior Room – good rooms that open up to the balcony.
Premier Room – These rooms are normally the Bridal suite. They are bigger and open up to the Balcony. I recommend you book this if possible.
Garden Suite – Great rooms with lots of space. A bit further away from the other three room types. So a really good option if you are getting ready separately.
Pro tip – Book Convent accommodation early!
The Convent will hold multiple weddings every weekend. They may have a Friday, Saturday and even a Sunday wedding. So accommodation will book out early. So book it early to avoid disappointment.
And tell your guests to book accommodation early as well. It’s not unusual for the whole of The Convent to be booked out by one wedding. Also note, if there is a concert in the Hunter Valley, accommodation everywhere will book out and also increase in price.
Wedding Preparation at The Convent
I would recommend that couples both get ready at The Convent. It makes it much easier to photograph both of you as I can easily walk between rooms.
You can still get ready at the same place and not see each other.
Generally speaking one of you will get ready in one of the rooms on the top floor, while the other will get ready downstairs or out the back in the garden rooms. It makes it really easy not to see each other.
One of you will also leave for the ceremony before the other, so it is quite easy to avoid seeing each other if that’s what you want.
Groom leaving for the ceremony with Bride watching him.
This couple below actually got ready on the same level with the same adjoining balcony. With rooms at each end of the balcony. One they were dressed, they did a ‘first look’, because they wanted to do some photos before the ceremony.
Wedding Ceremony Options
In their wedding brochure, they say that you can have your ceremony in one of six locations.
Circa 1876 Gardens
Chapel
Grand Marquee
Willow Tree
Wisteria Garden
Convent Fountain
The reality is that every single wedding I have photographed there has had their wedding ceremony at the Circa 1876 Gardens unless it has been moved because of rain.
The Gardens is, without doubt, the best location for your wedding ceremony. It has been designed to have a ceremony here.
The photo below was from my first wedding I photographed there. Back in 2012 when the place was called Roberts. It started getting more and more popular for weddings that the grass dies from wear and tear. It turned into more of a dirt track that they tried to grow back over the off-season. Then in 2016 or 2017, they put a path and paved area in, which looks lovely as well.
This was a ceremony from 2012 on a very overcast day.Today. Trees look a bit different and there is a path and paved area.
The main reason I like the ceremony location so much is because of the light. The sun will be behind the couple and it is filtered through the trees making the light even on faces and much softer overall. The direction of light is perfect!
Wet Weather Ceremony Options
If it does rain on your wedding day, there are a few ceremony options that I know of.
The Chapel would be a good wet weather option but only if your numbers are relatively small. It is a fairly small space inside there.
The Grand Marquee, located towards The Covent end of the property could be another good option. Particularly if you have large numbers.
The only place I have actually photographed a wet weather wedding on the property is on the verandah/deck of Circa 1876. Where the dance floor is normally located. As you can see it’s not too bad an option. It looks onto the vines, but can get pretty tight with a lot of people and photographically speaking… it is quite heavily backlit.
If it is only a really light drizzle on your wedding day, I would be pushing for an outdoor ceremony first. Use this only if you really need to.
Wedding Photos at The Convent Hunter Valley
The wonderful thing about having your wedding here is that you do not need to travel anywhere else to do wedding photos. It is set is such a picturesque location that all you need to do is walk outside and you are ready to take photos. Everything is in walking distance, so no transport is needed.
Here are a few of my favourite images from weddings around The Convent and Circa 1876 in the Hunter Valley.
The Convent Reception Venue Options
There are a few options for your wedding reception at The Convent.
The Chapel
Grand Marquee
Restaurant Eighty Eight
Circa 1876
I have never done a wedding reception in The Chapel or the Grand Marquee. But I have done one wedding at Restaurant Eighty Eight. And I think it was in Restaurant Eighty Eight because there was already a wedding in Circa 1876. Every other wedding at The Convent Hunter Valley has been at Circa 1876.
Restaurant Eighty Eight
Restaurant Eighty Eight is located inside The Convent building itself. It is ideal for up to 50 guests and is a beautiful intimate room that opens up to the Wisteria courtyard.
Circa 1876 Wedding Reception
Circa 1876 is where 99% of wedding receptions happen. It is set up perfectly for weddings. You have the ceremony in the garden, have drinks outside, then enter the French doors into this historic cottage and into this room…
Circa 1876 has been the location for so many beautiful weddings in the Hunter Valley over the years. It is an amazing wedding venue that has seen so incredible moments happen and every single wedding has been totally different but the love and celebration from family and friends is the same.
The ‘First Dance” and party afterwards happens on the deck adjacent to the reception room. So wedding guests can party the night away on the dancefloor or stay inside and drink and mingle.
The Convent Hunter Valley
88 Halls Road, Pokolbin, NSW 2320
www.convent.com.au
I photographed my first wedding at The Convent Hunter Valley back in 2012 when it looked a little more rustic and it was under different owners. But they did beautiful weddings back then and they still do weddings extremely well today. The difference is now, people know how good a wedding venue they are and they are booked out every weekend.
When I look at wedding venues, there are three main factors which, in my opinion, make some better than others
Location – A beautiful location with somewhere nice for a wedding ceremony. That has a decent amount of land so you can get a nice variety of photos.
Accommodation & venue onsite – A wedding venue where you can do the whole day from beginning to end (accommodation, wedding ceremony, photos and reception) is a huge, huge plus in my eyes. It makes the day so much more relaxed for everyone and far less stressful. And it means you spend more time with your family and friends and less time travelling around.
Staff & management – It doesn’t matter how beautiful a wedding venue is if the staff are not helpful or friendly. This includes owners, wedding coordinators and venue staff. It can ruin the whole wedding experience for you. So trust your instincts when looking for your wedding venue. If they are unhelpful when you enquire they are not suddenly going to be amazingly helpful and friendly on your wedding day.
The Convent Hunter Valley ticks all these boxes for weddings and even more. Cassie and her amazing team will make sure you have the wedding of your dreams and I can confidently say that if you have a wedding there, your wedding photos will be beautiful.
Hey, I’m Adam. I’m all about capturing couples in a relaxed, unobtrusive way with a bit of awesome!!
If you love natural, candid moments and hate anything cheesy, then check out more of our work.
The Bistro Molines wedding of Amanda & Tim was a pretty epic and awesome day at one of my favourite wedding venues.
I shot Amanda & Tim’s engagement a few months earlier so I was totally psyched to photograph their big day. They boys got ready in a private house in Rothbury while the girls got ready onsite in a little cottage. The weather was perfect! It threatened to rain all day, so we had nice soft light. And once everyone started dinner the rain really set in.
Big thanks to the Bride & Groom for standing out in the pouring rain for a night shot while I adjusted camera settings etc. Not every couple would be so happy to do that… as it was really raining. So enjoy this beautiful Bistro Molines wedding and be sure to check out the last couple of photos below to see what we created in the rain ☔️
I love a Mindaribba House wedding! It would have to be one of my very favourite Hunter Valley wedding venues. I have been shooting at Mindaribba House for a long time. I photographed my first wedding there in 2013 when it only just started as a wedding venue. And during that time the wonderful owners have continued to upgrade and improve the property with new facilities and buildings. Making it one of the best wedding venues in the Hunter Valley.
There are so many wedding venues in the Hunter Valley so how do you know if Mindaribba weddings is the perfect venue for your wedding? Everyone’s style is different and different couples need different things from y
This is our ultimate guide and review of this awesome wedding venue, Mindaribba weddings in Tocal. It is to help newly engaged couples choose their perfect Hunter Valley wedding venue. And Mindaribba weddings just might be that venue.
The first time I photographed a wedding at Mindaribba House was in 2013. The Bride, Rebecca, used her aunt’s property, which was Mindaribba House. Rebecca also used her other aunt, Helen English to produce her beautiful wedding dress. And Rebecca’s sister had married at Mindaribba House just before her. These were some of the first weddings ever photographed there.
Rebecca & David, the first wedding I photographed at Mindaribba House in 2013.
About Mindaribba Weddings
Mindaribba House is a big beautiful elegant country farm property located two and a bit hours north of Sydney in Tocal, near Maitland. It is situated on 100 acres of beautiful farmland, and this includes 5 acres of gardens and sits along the Paterson River. So it really is a perfect, private country and farm wedding venue.
What I love about Mindaribba Weddings is that the entire wedding from start to finish can happen onsite. There is accommodation onsite. The wedding couple can get ready on the same property in different houses and easily avoid seeing each other if they want. There are numerous ceremony locations available. It is a huge property, so there is no shortage of photo locations. And they also have two wedding reception options.
This is a huge plus for any wedding venue and it makes it so much easier for you and your wedding guests. As a couple, when you arrive at Mindaribba, you are there for the weekend. As a guest, when you arrive you can kick your heels off and enjoy the wedding, knowing that you don’t need to travel anywhere at all.
The property has changed quite a bit over the years. The owners are constantly adding things and refreshing the venue. The property consists of:
The original cottage. Mindaribba House.
A function room attached to the house.
A guest house.
An Indian Tent with polished concrete floors.
A fire pit in winter which changes to a water feature in Summer.
A pool in the middle of the complex.
The entranceMindaribba House on the left, reception room on the right, pool in the middle.
Mindaribba Weddings Accommodation
Mindaribba offers enough accommodation on site for two groups of people with Mindaribba House and the Guest House. This means that as a wedding couple can get ready in either house on the property with your family or bridal party. The houses are far enough apart that you can avoid seeing each other if that’s what you want.
Because it is an exclusive private property, when you book a wedding at Mindaribba Weddings you need to book a minimum of two nights accommodation there as well. Which works perfectly for destination weddings.
Couples both easily get ready onsite which is absolutely awesome. It means there is no travelling involved for either of you and it also makes wedding preparation photos really easy for your photographer as they can just walk between both of you.
Mindaribba House is a beautiful cottage built back in 1872. It consists of four king-size rooms, a dressing room, two bathrooms, kitchen and lounge area. The entire house is styled with antiques and artworks from Morocco, France, India and Indonesia. Mindaribba House and the whole property has been immaculately styled and it looks amazing.
I love doing wedding preparation photos inside the main house because the interior is so well-styled and there is some really cool directional light. It really does feel like somewhere different and special. Not some generic hotel room.
The Groom and his mates swimming on the morning of their wedding.
The Guest House has been added onto the property in recent years and is an excellent addition to the facilities. It allows a wedding couple to get ready on-site in separation accommodation.
It has one large room with a large king-size bed one single bed and a lounge that converts to a bed. So it can sleep three or four people if needed. It also has a bathroom and kitchen. and an outdoor bath.
This guest house could also double as the actual wedding night accommodation. It is a smaller size and maybe a bit more private. Your family and friends could stay in the main house and the two of you can stay here.
Guest HouseOutdoor bath at the smaller guest house
Wedding Guest Accommodation. There is plenty of local accommodation and hotels near Mindaribba House for your wedding guests. The beauty of Mindaribba Weddings is that it is so private that you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. But in reality, you are less than ten minutes from the main town of Maitland where there is plenty of accommodation.
Most wedding couples organise a bus to pick up the majority of guests from town. That way your guests can drink at your wedding without worrying about driving back. At the end of the night the bus will also drive them back into town.
Wedding Ceremony Options
Mindaribba Weddings is on 100 acres of land, so there is no shortage of potential locations for your outdoor wedding ceremony.
Most couples have their ceremony in the gardens, close to Mindaribba House itself. Mainly because there are toilets nearby and it is easier for their older wedding guests.
There are only two garden locations I have shot in. Both are awesome and it really depends on your personal choice.
The first ceremony location is right next to the main house on the Paterson River side of the property. It is really close to all facilities so it is great for all your guests. And it’s a quick, easy walk to the ceremony for you.
Photographically speaking, it is a really good option for your wedding ceremony mainly because of the light. You have the ceremony between a couple of large trees and the wedding couple, most of the time, are in full shade. The shade is beautiful for photos. It creates even light on faces and it will be much cooler for you, particularly on those warmer days.
The guests will be in full sun but at least it will be on their backs so they won’t be squinting too much.
On a sunny day, the couple are in the shade, guests have the sun on their backs.Cloudy day it looks beautiful as well.
The second ceremony location option is right down near the river under a massive Pecan Tree. This is a pretty beautiful location for the ceremony because of the tree.
The Pecan Tree is a deciduous tree, so it will be lush a full of leaves in summer, providing good shade. But in winter it will lose all its leaves. But in winter the sun will be lower in the sky and it won’t be as hot. So it will be fine to have a ceremony there as well.
Logistically, it is a little bit further. It is a short walk down a small hill. Easy enough for most guests. For older guests, I would recommend you just drive them down.
View from the air
My main bit of advice for having an outdoor wedding ceremony at Mindaribba House is to be conscious of how hot the Hunter Valley can get. Particularly in the warmer months. 35°C+ is not unusual for the Hunter Valley in Summer.
Unless you are doing the ceremony in the Indian tent, there is little to no shade for your guests. So I would recommend getting parasols to help shade your guests. They can also help if you get some light rain.
And if you are doing your ceremony down at the Pecan Tree, provide some nice cold drinks for your guests.
Wet Weather Ceremony Back up
The beautiful thing about Mindaribba Weddings is that they now have multiple spaces available to you as a wet weather back up for your wedding ceremony.
The function room just off Mindaribba House itself.
The new Indian Tent.
So either place can act as a wet weather back up for your ceremony. This is a huge plus in a wedding venue.
Here are a few photos from a ceremony that I photographed in the Indian Tent.
As you can see, as far as wet weather backup locations for a country farm wedding venue go, this one is pretty damn good! It is large, spacious and it has plenty of light. The sides of the tent even lift up, so if it is raining heavily you can still see the surrounding countryside and be undercover.
Mindaribba House Wedding Photos
There is no shortage of wedding photo locations at Mindaribba Weddings. The property has 100 acres of land to explore. So there are lots of beautiful rustic country locations for wedding photos and photography.
I love doing photos around the Pecan Tree and down near the Paterson River. The driveway looks lovely and it is often filled with cows and a couple of horses. And there are five acres of gardens.
One of my favourite wedding locations is just exploring some of the land around the back and to the side of the property. Because there are cows in the field, you just have to be careful where you walk, but it is totally worth it.
My advice for any Bride, in particular, is to bring along some flats or even boots to wear for the photo part. The ground can be uneven so high heels really don’t work. High heels on uneven ground will also make you nervous about walking anywhere and also really really slow. High heels will not add to your enjoyment of the day or make your wedding photos more fun. It will just restrict what you are willing to do.
At the very least, Brides to any country wedding venue should wear a thicker heel so they are able to walk on the grass easily.
Mindaribba House wedding
Mindaribba Wedding Reception Venue
There are two locations available for your wedding reception at Mindaribba Weddings. You have the reception room that is attached to the house and there is the Indian Tent. So there is a lot of flexibility available to tailor the venue to suit your style of wedding.
The original reception room started life as a family open plan kitchen and living room. This was when it was a family home, before it became a wedding venue. If you look on one of the door frames in that room, you will still be able to see the high chart of the children that grew up there.
It seats up to 130 guests inside on three long tables.
The Indian Tent was built in 2019 and it really adds another dimension to the property and what it can do. It will seat up to 170 guests and can act as the reception venue, or the dancefloor or whatever you want.
Mindaribba House at night
Pet Friendly Wedding Venue
Mindaribba Wedding is a pet-friendly wedding venue!! I love this and I think more wedding venues should become pet friendly.
So you can bring your pet along to your wedding. You should do this especially if you consider your pet to be a part of your family like I do.
There is even a resident cat on the property
Weddings at Mindaribba House
A Mindaribba House wedding is without a doubt one of my favourite wedding venues in the Hunter Valley. It has everything that I love about country wedding venues.
You get the whole property for the weekend. The entire wedding day from start to finish happens at the one place. They have great locations for the ceremony and photos. The food is always amazing and the staff are also wonderful.
If you are not totally sure about Mindaribba House, you should also check out their sister property Wallalong House. It is located less than fifteen minutes away and is owned by the same people.
You really can’t go wrong with a Mindaribba House wedding. They have great facilities and it is a really popular wedding venue. They are booked out for a year or two in advance. So meet the owners, read the reviews, check out the venue and decide for yourself. But from a wedding photographers point of view, it is a wonderful venue that I highly recommend. You will get beautiful wedding photos and an awesome wedding experience.
Hey, I’m Adam. I’m all about capturing couples in a relaxed, unobtrusive way with a bit of awesome!!
If you love natural, candid moments and hate anything cheesy, then check out more of our work.
Rachel & Brendan are two of the most relaxed and easy going people and their Balmoral Beach wedding was an amazing day to be a part of.
They both got ready in the city in the same apartment block, just in different rooms on different floors. The wedding ceremony was held at Balmoral Beach on Rocky Point Island. After the ceremony we wondered around Balmoral for photos before walking down to their reception venue which was at Public Dining Room.
Enjoy the story of Rachel & Brendan’s Balmoral Beach wedding.
