Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens Wedding Photos: Amanda & Patrick

Down the floating staircase

Amanda started her wedding day high above Brisbane City, in an apartment with floor-to-ceiling glass and a floating timber staircase that might as well have been built for a bride. We asked her to walk it once, slowly, and she came down grinning. The window light up there is huge and soft at the same time, so we kept her close to the glass while she settled a crystal tiara into her hair. Her bouquet was all burnt orange roses, dried grasses and eucalyptus, and her gown carried a story of its own: it had belonged to her aunt, saved for twenty-two years, and it looked made for her.

From the skyline to the rainforest

Then we swapped the skyline for the rainforest. Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens sits on four acres in Brookfield, about twenty minutes west of the city. By the time we arrived, white silk was hanging from the Jacaranda Tree, Bundaleer’s signature ceremony spot. In late autumn there is no purple to be seen, but that feathery green canopy makes the softest ceiling a ceremony could ask for. Under it, the chairs were lined up in the dappled shade and the arched welcome signs were waiting by the aisle. Patrick strolled up the path in a rust jacket, white trousers and a bow tie, greeting guests all the way to the front.

Here comes the bride

Outdoor ceremonies in Queensland are a light puzzle. Under a canopy like this the sun comes through in patches, so we found the spots where the shade was even and kept faces out of the hot spots. Patrick waited at the front with his hands clasped and a very brave face. Then Amanda came down the path on her dad’s arm, beaming, bouquet up, tiara flashing in the sun, and that brave face lasted about two seconds.

Rust, sage and vows

The groomsmen in rust trousers and braces were grinning before the vows even started, and the bridesmaids in sage satin walked in with flowers to match the bouquet. Patrick read his vows into the microphone while Amanda reached up and touched his cheek. Rust, sage, white silk and green leaves: a colour palette like that does half the job for you, and our job was to keep the frame clean and let it sing.

A cloud of bubbles

The couple had asked for one thing above all: bubbles when the ceremony was done. So the moment they were declared husband and wife, the air filled with them, drifting through the drapes and catching the light like tiny glass balls. Bubbles photograph best with the sun behind them, so we stood facing into the light and let them glow. Then Amanda threw her bouquet high in the air and they walked back up the path as newlyweds, guests cheering on both sides.

Fence lines and driveways

Portraits stayed right on the property, and Bundaleer gave us plenty to play with. We walked them along a grassy track under the trees, then down the long driveway with the bridal party strolling behind. The groomsmen hopped up onto a timber post-and-rail fence, the bridesmaids lined up in front, and for one frame everyone held it together before the jokes started. That fence line is a gift: it gives a group shape and somewhere to put their hands.

The rope swing

Then came the rope swing. Amanda sat first, bouquet on the seat beside her, then Patrick took over pushing duties and she could not stop laughing. In late autumn the Brisbane sun sets around five and slips behind the trees well before that, so we timed the swing for the last golden half hour, shooting into the light for the glow on her hair and a kiss between the ropes. A glass of champagne made an appearance too. Of course it did.

Bouquets in the air

The bridesmaids had their moment as well: Amanda on the swing between them, then the three girls walking away with two bouquets flung in the air. Patrick lifted Amanda clean off her feet for a kiss at the edge of the bush, she twirled her satin skirt across the fallen leaves, and on the driveway they slipped into a slow dance with nobody watching but us. Some of our favourite frames of the day came from those quiet minutes.

LOVE in lights

When the light was gone, the lawn had one more surprise: giant marquee LOVE letters, glowing on the grass. We put a single light behind the couple so they would stand out against the dark trees, and asked them to dance. Patrick spun Amanda between the O and the V, they held each other close in the glow, and that was it, the frame of the night. Back at the reception, eighty guests were settling in for speeches, their first dance and a dance floor that kept going until late.