St Kilda Botanical Gardens Wedding Photos
Six hectares behind Blessington Street: palms, roses, a pond and an 1860 plan
St Kilda Botanical Gardens cover 6.4 hectares between Herbert and Blessington Streets in St Kilda, a short walk back from the beach. The land was fenced in 1859 and Tilman Gloystein’s 1860 layout, a central circle with axial avenues, still sets the bones of the place. The palm avenue, the 1918 cast-iron gates on Blessington Street and the hexagonal Levi Pavilion of 1928 are the older set pieces; the Alister Clark rose garden was planted in 1950, the lake and conservatory in 1983.
Veri has used the gardens for wedding portraits three times: Emmett and Karmen and Sharon and Daniel both came here before receptions at Encore St Kilda, and Georgia and Dennis stopped in on the way from their church ceremony. It is a portrait garden more than a ceremony one, and it pairs well with St Kilda reception venues nearby.
Photographing a wedding at St Kilda Botanical Gardens
The palm avenue and the rose garden are the two places to start; the roses in season and the avenue in any weather. The pond with its fountain gives reflections in soft evening light, and the conservatory and the pavilion are the fallbacks if the weather turns. The paths are shared with locals, so a small portrait group is easier to photograph here. The galleries above are three weddings that came to St Kilda Botanical Gardens for portraits.