Aldinga Secret Garden wedding photos: Leila and Tamara hold hands on a rug along a leafy garden path beneath festoon lights, near Adelaide
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Aldinga Secret Garden Wedding Photos: Leila & Tamara

Aldinga Secret Garden · 9 Old Coach Road, Aldinga SA · Adelaide

Garden Wedding · City: Adelaide · Venue: Aldinga Secret Garden

A first look by a garden bed, rose petals flying along a gravel aisle and a first dance on old rugs with a chandelier hanging in the trees. Leila and Tamara’s wedding at Aldinga Secret Garden, in the old township of Aldinga on the Fleurieu Peninsula, was blush pink, deep red roses and happy tears from the first hug to the last. We were right beside them all day, from the white robes in the morning to cake in the Chapel and a dusk embrace among the flowers.

The gallery
The short-haired bride in a white satin robe leans in a sunlit doorway as a loved one reaches to her ear on the wedding morning.
In black and white, the short-haired bride stands in the bright doorway in her robe, hands clasped, while a loved one touches her ear.
The blonde bride sits in a white robe by the window as long straight lengths of her hair are combed out.
In black and white, soft window light falls across the blonde bride as her long hair is brushed through before the ceremony.
The short-haired bride and a loved one in matching white robes pose side by side in a bright living room.
The blonde bride smiles in her strapless lace gown as two helpers in white robes fasten the back, one kissing her cheek.
A helper in a white robe kneels to buckle a white heeled sandal onto the blonde bride while two others hold up her skirt.
Close up of hands buckling a white strappy sandal onto the bride's foot on a woven rug, her tulle skirt gathered above.
Framed through a doorway, a loved one fastens a crystal necklace at the nape of the blonde bride in her lace bodice.
The blonde bride smiles down at her hands in a strapless beaded lace gown, turned side-on to soft window light.
Seen from behind, the short-haired bride buttons a crisp white shirt at a bright window, an empty hanger above her.
A loved one with long dark curls straightens the collar of the short-haired bride's blush pink suit jacket by the window.
A loved one with a dark bob and a white robe presses her hands to her lips, moved as she watches the brides get ready.
Two hands pin a deep red and white rose boutonniere with eucalyptus leaves onto the lapel of the blush pink suit.
The short-haired bride looks into the light as a loved one wearing a bangle settles the red and white rose on her lapel.
In black and white, a close profile of the short-haired bride from behind, a small tattoo below her ear and the suit collar up.
Hands lace up white perforated sneakers on a chunky knitted rug, blush suit trousers cuffed above the ankle.
In black and white, the bride in the suit sits on the edge of a sofa with hands clasped, gazing calmly towards the window.
In colour, the short-haired bride in her blush suit and white rose boutonniere sits on a grey sofa, looking away calmly.
The blonde bride in her gown steps carefully down a black iron staircase as a loved one in dusty pink waits on the landing.
In black and white, the blonde bride sits on a sofa with her bouquet in her lap, eyes lowered in soft window light.
The blonde bride sits quietly on the sofa in her beaded gown, a bouquet of deep red roses and eucalyptus resting on her lap.
Close up of the bouquet of deep red roses, blush blooms, white roses and silver eucalyptus held against the lace gown.
Detail of a gold and crystal drop necklace and matching earring on the blonde bride, her hair pinned in a soft low bun.
For the first look, the bride in the blush suit waits facing away while the bride in the gown walks up the path behind her.
The bride in the gown comes closer along the path, hands clasped, as the bride in the suit stands with eyes lowered.
The bride in the gown taps the bride in the suit on the shoulder, smiling as she turns around beside the flowering hedge.
The bride in the suit covers her face with both hands at the first look under a gnarled tree as a bridesmaid in pink films.
Hands still over her mouth, the bride in the suit laughs through tears as her bride holds her arm beneath the old tree.
Eyes closed and chin on a shoulder, the blonde bride hugs the bride in the suit tightly after their first look.
Leila and Tamara sit on a red velvet sofa with five bridesmaids in dusty pink at Aldinga Secret Garden as a tabby cat wanders past.
The brides share a kiss on the red velvet sofa before their garden wedding, bridesmaids lounging on the armchairs either side.
Bridesmaids in dusty pink throw their bouquets in the air and stretch across the red armchairs, the brides laughing in the middle.
The bride in the gown and a bridesmaid in dusty pink point at each other and laugh in front of dark purple garden foliage.
The blonde bride stands cheek to cheek with a smiling bridesmaid on a red rug by the gravel path at Secret Garden Aldinga.
A bridesmaid in dusty pink rests her head against the blonde bride during their garden portraits, red and white bouquets held together.
The blonde bride and a fair-haired bridesmaid smile side by side beside an old rusty milk can in the gardens.
A bridesmaid with long brown hair kisses the blonde bride on the cheek under dark plum leaves at Aldinga Secret Garden on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Before the garden ceremony, the blonde bride and a brown-haired bridesmaid turn to each other laughing, bouquets of red and blush roses in hand.
The blonde bride and a brown-haired bridesmaid smile to camera beneath the dark-leafed tree among the gardens.
The blonde bride poses with a bridesmaid with long silver-blonde waves, both holding red, white and blush bouquets.
The bride in the blush suit stands beside a brown-haired bridesmaid, serious and composed, before deep purple foliage at Aldinga Secret Garden.
A brown-haired bridesmaid plants a kiss on the cheek of the bride in the blush suit during garden portraits under dark plum leaves.
A bridesmaid with a dark side-swept crop laughs out loud beside the bride in the blush suit at Aldinga Secret Garden, south of Adelaide.
A laughing bridesmaid throws her arm around the bride in the suit for a big squeeze in the gardens, bouquet raised behind her.
The bride in the blush suit poses with a silver-haired bridesmaid on the gravel path at Secret Garden Aldinga, a red rug at their feet.
Arm in arm with the bride in the suit, the silver-haired bridesmaid holds her bouquet and smiles softly for a garden portrait.
A fair-haired bridesmaid hugs the bride in the blush suit tightly beside a clipped hedge at Aldinga Secret Garden, bouquet squashed between them.
A fair-haired bridesmaid leans in close to the bride in the blush suit for a smiling portrait in the shady gardens.
Leila and Tamara gaze at each other on the verandah steps at Aldinga Secret Garden on the Fleurieu Peninsula, pink climbing roses overhead.
The brides stand on the rose-covered verandah steps with four bridesmaids in dusty pink around them for a garden wedding group photo.
The blonde bride reclines on a mustard velvet sofa against corrugated iron in the Chapel at Aldinga Secret Garden, her tulle skirt spread wide.
Leila and Tamara share a carved armchair beneath a glowing stained-glass window, legs draped across laps.
The brides kiss on the carved gold sofa under the coloured stained-glass window at Aldinga Secret Garden, a blue patterned rug at their feet.
In black and white, Leila and Tamara kiss on the carved sofa, the leadlight window glowing behind them against corrugated iron.
Close up of the brides' hands resting together on a knee, rings and white-tipped manicures over blush suit trousers.
Just before the garden ceremony, the blonde bride smiles over her shoulder with her bouquet of red and white roses.
Her dad in a cream jacket walks the bride in the blush suit down the rug-lined aisle of the Laneway at Aldinga Secret Garden.
The bride in the gown walks the gravel aisle between her dad and a loved one as guests at the garden ceremony raise phones.
The bride in the suit waits under the grapevine arbour with the celebrant as her bride arrives, the gardens bright behind them.
Framed by vine leaves and festoon bulbs at Secret Garden Aldinga, the brides stand before the celebrant with bridesmaids either side.
Two bridesmaids in dusty pink watch the garden ceremony from the edge of the grapevine arbour, holding red and white bouquets.
A dark-haired bridesmaid and a fair-haired bridesmaid smile as they listen, bright vine leaves and garden greenery overhead.
Leila and Tamara hold hands with heads bowed as the celebrant reads into a microphone at Aldinga Secret Garden, south of Adelaide.
The blonde bride slides a ring onto the finger of the bride in the suit, sunlight glowing through the gardens behind.
The brides hold up their certificate at a white wrought iron table after the garden ceremony, the celebrant and three bridesmaids behind.
Guests throw handfuls of orange and red petals as Leila and Tamara walk back up the aisle at Aldinga Secret Garden, beaming.
Petal confetti rains down on the brides as they laugh their way through the gardens between rows of cheering guests.
The brides kiss at the end of the aisle by a clipped hedge at Aldinga Secret Garden on the Fleurieu Peninsula as a guitarist plays.
The bride in the blush suit grins as guests crowd in under the vine arbour after the garden wedding, her bride caught in a hug.
A guest in black hugs the blonde bride tightly in the crush of congratulations under the leafy arbour.
The bride in the suit pauses in the crowd to look down at the new ring on her hand, a quiet smile on her face.
The blonde bride gives a double thumbs up and a grin in the gardens after the ceremony, a bridesmaid chatting under a white umbrella.
The blonde bride stands between a man in a striped shirt and a woman in dusty pink under leafy trees at Secret Garden Aldinga.
Garden wedding family portrait by a curved stone wall, the blonde bride between a man in stripes and a woman in pink.
The blonde bride poses with a bearded young man in a dark jacket and a woman in dusty pink by the stone wall.
The blonde bride smiles between a young man in a black jacket and a bridesmaid at Aldinga Secret Garden, south of Adelaide.
The blonde bride and a young man in a dark jacket laugh together under the trees in the gardens during family photos.
The brides sit on the red velvet sofa under the timber pergola at Aldinga Secret Garden as loved ones gather round for a family photo.
Everyone throws their arms up and cheers around the brides on the red sofa, a garden wedding family photo under festoon bulbs.
A second family group fills in around the red velvet sofa on the raised timber deck at Aldinga Secret Garden on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Arms raised and mouths wide open, loved ones celebrate behind Leila and Tamara on the red velvet sofa.
The brides cradle a baby dressed in white lace on their laps, sitting close together on the tufted red sofa.
Friends stand in a row behind the brides on the red velvet sofa for a garden wedding group photo, white drapes behind them.
The blonde bride holds out her hand to show off her new rings to friends, chandeliers glowing in the room behind her.
The bride in the blush suit smiles at guests by the doorway of the Chapel at Aldinga Secret Garden as a guitarist plays inside.
The bride in the suit gazes into the distance while the blonde bride leans on her shoulder by a white marquee in the gardens.
In black and white, the blonde bride smiles as she rests against the shoulder of the bride in the suit, gazing away.
Close up of the bride's hand on her beaded lace bodice, a sparkling engagement ring and wedding band on her finger.
The brides pose with a man in a pale blue shirt and a woman in a navy floral dress at Secret Garden Aldinga.
Leila and Tamara stand in a row of six loved ones beneath a broad leafy canopy for garden portraits with family.
A bearded man in a dark suit and red tie wraps an arm around each bride, laughing under the green branches of the gardens.
The bride in the blush suit stands close to a smiling woman in glasses and a navy jacket on the gravel at Aldinga Secret Garden.
The bride in the suit leans into a red-bearded man in a navy shirt for a garden portrait, orange flowers blooming behind.
The bride in the blush suit looks up at a red-bearded man with a tattooed forearm as he hugs her on the brick garden path.
The dad of the bride in the suit, still in his cream jacket, laughs in a big hug with the blonde bride at dusk.
The blonde bride glances back with a smile as she leads her bride up the timber steps at Aldinga Secret Garden on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
The bride in the suit kisses the blonde bride on the cheek as she laughs, the gardens soft and green behind them.
Holding hands on a red runner, the brides face each other beneath dark-leafed trees at Aldinga Secret Garden, south of Adelaide.
The brides stand hand in hand on a patterned rug between white wicker chairs for evening garden portraits, orange flowers glowing.
The bride in the suit and the blonde bride hold each other by a rusted iron gate under purple-leafed branches in the gardens.
A three-tier semi-naked cake dressed with deep red and white roses stands before the coloured window in the Chapel at Aldinga Secret Garden.
Leila and Tamara cut their rose-topped cake together at the garden reception, corrugated iron walls and velvet chairs around them.
The brides dance close under a glowing chandelier, the blonde bride smiling with her eyes closed.
The bride in the suit twirls the blonde bride on old rugs under a hanging chandelier at Secret Garden Aldinga as guests watch.
First dance at the garden reception, the brides holding hands and laughing on layered rugs while guests film with their phones.
The brides embrace at dusk in the Laneway at Aldinga Secret Garden, festoon lights glowing through the arch of trees behind them.
Leila and Tamara kiss beside the vines in the soft dusk light, rose-filled gardens and a picket fence behind them.
The wedding story

Our Aldinga Secret Garden wedding photos: a first look by the garden bed, petals on the gravel and a first dance under a chandelier

Getting ready in white robes · First look · Chapel and verandah portraits · Ceremony under the grapevine arbour · Family on the red velvet sofa · Cake and first dance at dusk

Read the full story

White robes and window light

Our morning started in white robes. One bride leant in a sunlit doorway while the other sat still for her hair, long blonde lengths brushed out beside the window. A loved one in a matching robe stood in for an easy first portrait, and then the strapless lace gown went on, with two helpers fastening the back and a pair of white sandals buckled at her feet. We turned her side-on to the window, because one soft source of light shows lace texture far better than a ceiling lamp, and she smiled down at the floor for a quiet second.

A blush suit and a red rose

Across the house, the other bride was getting into a blush pink suit. Someone in a robe straightened her collar, a red and white rose boutonniere went onto the lapel, and white perforated sneakers were laced up on a patterned rug. We love a detail like shoes being tied: hands, laces and texture tell the story without anyone needing to pose. She sat back on the sofa with her hands clasped, calm and ready, while in the next room the bouquet of deep red roses, blush blooms and silver eucalyptus rested against the lace.

A first look by the garden bed

Before the ceremony the two of them had a first look outside. The bride in the suit stood facing away beside a garden bed, and we brought her bride up quietly along the path behind her. One tap, one turn, and both hands went straight over her face. A bridesmaid in pink had her phone up to catch it too. Then came the long hug, eyes closed, chin on a shoulder. First looks are worth planning: a few private minutes take the nerves out of the aisle and give us real reactions in calm light.

Red velvet and dusty pink

Next the bridal party headed to the garden while it was still quiet. Under the timber pergola the brides sat on a red velvet sofa with the bridesmaids in dusty pink around them, every bouquet red and white. Out under the dark purple foliage we worked through each bridesmaid in turn: pointing and laughing, cheek to cheek, a kiss on the cheek for the bride in the suit and one hug that nearly squashed the flowers. Doing these portraits before the guests arrive lets the bridal party be silly without an audience watching.

Old glass and a mustard sofa

Aldinga Secret Garden wedding photos come from the little rooms of this place. On the verandah steps, climbing roses framed the pair under a string of bulbs. One bride stretched out on a mustard velvet sofa against corrugated iron, gown spread across the rug, and then the two of them shared a carved armchair in front of the Chapel’s old stained-glass window, legs draped over laps. Coloured glass glows when the room around it is darker than the day outside, so we kept them in the shade and let the window do the work.

Arm in arm with the dads

At ceremony time the guests settled onto mismatched timber chairs along the gravel aisle. The bride in the gown came down it arm in arm with the dads, one on each side, past a row of phones and tablets held high. The vows were said under the grapevine arbour, festoon bulbs hanging in the leaves and the bridesmaids lined up either side. We shot through the vines from the edge of the arbour, so green leaves frame the couple instead of the backs of heads. Their hands stayed joined the whole way through while the celebrant read.

Petals and a ring check

The certificate was signed at a white wrought iron table with the bridesmaids gathered behind, and then the petals flew. Guests lined the aisle and threw handfuls of confetti while the brides walked out through it laughing. In the crush of hugs and congratulations that followed, the bride in the suit stopped for a moment and looked down at the new ring on her hand. That small private glance is the frame we wait for in the middle of the noise, so one of us always stays close to the couple straight after the walk back.

Family on the red sofa

Family photos came next under the timber pergola. With the red velvet sofa set on the rugs, the brides took the seats and loved ones filled in around and behind them, group after group, with the smallest guest, a baby dressed in white, sitting on a lap in the middle. Out among the trees we added smaller groups and pairs, plus a black and white portrait of the two of them cheek to cheek. A sofa is a great trick for big groups: it fixes the couple at the centre and everyone else simply builds around it.

Cake, a chandelier and dusk

As the light softened the brides took one more walk past the rose beds and under the dark-leafed trees. Back in the Chapel they cut a three-tier semi-naked cake dressed with red roses, laughing as the knife went in. Their first dance was on old rugs laid over the paving, with a chandelier hanging in the tree above, festoon lights all round and guests standing in a ring with their phones up. We finished in the garden at dusk, the two of them wrapped together in the last blue light while the party carried on behind.

Photographer's venue notes

Aldinga Secret Garden, Aldinga: a first look on the path, vows under the vines and a chandelier in the trees

Read the venue notes

Moving through the garden rooms

Leila and Tamara’s day moved through the garden one small room at a time. Their first look happened on a quiet path beside a flowering hedge, under a gnarled old tree. The bridal party then gathered on the red velvet sofa beneath the timber pergola, and we wandered on to the rose covered verandah steps and into the Chapel. Vows were said in the Laneway under the grapevine arbour, families came back to the sofa on the raised deck, and the evening finished with cake in the Chapel and a first dance out on rugs in the open.

Late spring light from afternoon to dusk

It was a late spring afternoon with the garden in full flower: pink roses on the verandah, orange blooms along the paths and plenty of fresh green overhead. The trees and vine leaves broke the sun into soft dapples, and during the vows the light came through the leaves from behind the couple, which gave the arbour a gentle glow rather than hard shadows on faces. As the sun dropped we moved out along the paths and onto the rugs, and by dusk the festoon bulbs and the chandelier in the tree had become our main light.

Our favourite spots on the day

The dark plum foliage was the best friend of the bridesmaid portraits: a deep, even backdrop that made the dusty pink dresses and red bouquets pop. A red rug laid on the gravel path turned an ordinary stretch of garden into a little set. In the Chapel, the mustard sofa against corrugated iron gave us texture and colour in one frame, while the carved gold sofa under the leadlight window suited a closer, cosier pose. For the evening portraits, a rusted iron gate and a patterned rug between white wicker chairs gave us two more looks without walking far.

Ideas for a day like this one

Split your portraits into short visits rather than one long session. Leila and Tamara did the bridal party before guests arrived, families straight after the vows and a slow couple walk near sunset, so each round took only a little while and nobody missed the party. Bring a few rugs or a statement sofa if you can: here they made instant portrait sets on gravel and paving. And save a few minutes at dusk, when the bulbs come on and the sky turns blue, for a quiet hug away from the crowd.

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