Wedding Photography 2013

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.”

Mary-Anne & Ed