Burnham Grove Estate wedding photos: Yarlini and Simon walk hand in hand, laughing, along a gravel garden path past clipped hedges and a pavilion, Sydney
Home/Weddings/Burnham Grove Estate, Cawdor
Real country wedding · Cawdor, Sydney

Burnham Grove Estate Wedding Photos: Yarlini & Simon

Burnham Grove Estate · 332 Cawdor Rd, Cawdor NSW · Sydney

Country Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · City: Sydney · Venue: Burnham Grove Estate

Groomsmen hoisting the groom off his feet, a sleek white gown with a big bow at the back, and a wedding party leaping into the air above the paddocks. Yarlini and Simon’s Burnham Grove Estate wedding in Cawdor, on Sydney’s rural south-western edge, was all burnt orange, copper and cream against green country. We were with them from the vows under a white canopy to golf carts in the fields, a fountain at sunset and a first dance through clouds of fog in the reception marquee.

The gallery
Simon fastens his watch and cuff by a bright window of the historic homestead, wearing a white shirt, brown braces and bow tie.
In black and white, Simon looks down at his cuff, braces and bow tie sharp against the white window light.
Simon leans back in a dark armchair in his cream suit, a drink in hand and a relaxed grin before his country wedding.
His groomsmen in cream and brown braces hoist Simon sideways off his feet and point at the camera, grinning.
Yarlini smiles in a white satin robe beside her sleek gown hanging on a dark timber door in the heritage homestead.
Yarlini in her robe gathers with four loved ones, two in bright orange and turquoise silk, before the ceremony.
Yarlini looks over her shoulder by sheer white curtains, the big bow at the back of her gown on show.
A loved one fastens Yarlini's earring in soft window light as she smiles toward the curtains.
Seen from above, Yarlini sits on the edge of the bed in her gown, smiling softly toward the window light.
Yarlini admires her orange and blush rose bouquet beside a cast iron fireplace in the historic homestead at Burnham Grove Estate near Camden.
Simon and his groomsmen wait under the scalloped white canopy on the country estate lawn as guests hold their phones high.
Her dad in a burgundy jacket brings Yarlini to Simon at the front, the huge bow on her gown trailing down the aisle.
Bridesmaids in burnt orange and champagne satin and six groomsmen in cream flank the vows under the white canopy at Burnham Grove Estate, Cawdor.
Yarlini and Simon kiss beneath a tall spray of orange roses and dried grasses in the heritage estate garden.
Two loved ones in the front rows watch the vows quietly, one in peach embroidery with a gentle smile.
Her dad sits with arms folded in his burgundy jacket beside a loved one in pale embroidered silk, both watching the country ceremony closely.
Her dad watches the vows with a soft smile as a guest behind him films on her phone.
Simon and Yarlini hold up their signed certificate at a white wire table in the historic estate gardens, a groomsman behind them.
Hand in hand, the couple walk back up the grass aisle of their rural ceremony as bridesmaids and groomsmen applaud.
Every guest crowds onto the gravel in front of the red brick heritage homestead and its striped awnings at Burnham Grove Estate.
Yarlini and Simon stand with her dad and three loved ones before the historic verandah's striped awning and clipped hedges.
A wide family group fills the gravel drive below the gabled brick homestead of Burnham Estate in Cawdor, a big country sky above.
Yarlini stands with a bridesmaid in a burnt orange satin slip dress, both holding rose bouquets before the hedges.
Simon stands between a man in a navy suit and a loved one in peach embroidery beside the circular hedged garden of the heritage homestead.
The couple pose with four loved ones in floral, peach and silver outfits on the drive outside the homestead.
Yarlini and Simon stand between two loved ones in a floral print outfit and silver beading by the historic garden's clipped hedge.
Simon and a man in a navy suit share a warm hug beside a stone urn in the gardens of the country estate.
Two boys in cream suits, a groomsman, a loved one in silver and a man in navy join the couple outside the historic homestead.
A long row of family stretches across the drive, palms and the homestead chimney behind, at Burnham Grove Estate in Cawdor.
Yarlini throws her head back laughing with two friends in an orange floral set and an aqua dress by the verandah.
Yarlini beams with two friends in orange florals and aqua beside the heritage brick homestead and a flowering rose bush.
Yarlini smiles down at her bouquet of orange roses, blush roses and pale orchids in the long paddock grass.
The groomsmen line up with Yarlini and Simon in the open country beyond the gardens at Burnham Grove Estate, hills on the horizon.
Groomsmen leap into the air around the still couple in the paddock under a heavy grey sky.
The groomsmen lift Yarlini across their arms while she laughs, a wide stretch of farmland behind them.
The full bridal party links arms in one long line across the grass at Burnham Grove Estate, Cawdor, with rolling country hills beyond.
Simon kneels in the grass surrounded by bridesmaids in satin, with rural fields and distant ranges behind.
Yarlini and Simon kiss on the back of a golf cart, bridesmaids gathered round on the farm track at Burnham Grove Estate near Camden.
The groomsmen pose on and around a golf cart in sunglasses, spreading old trees behind them on the historic property.
Yarlini and Simon touch foreheads and smile, holding hands in the soft paddock grass.
Cheek to cheek, Yarlini and Simon smile with her bouquet of orange roses and orchids against the rural backdrop.
Yarlini rests her hand on Simon's shoulder as they grin at each other across open country fields.
Hand in hand, the couple face each other on the farm track beneath a huge umbrella-shaped tree at Burnham Estate in Cawdor.
In black and white, the umbrella-shaped tree spreads over the couple as they hold hands on the gravel track of the heritage estate.
Yarlini and Simon walk small beneath the great umbrella tree on the country track at Burnham Grove Estate.
In black and white, the couple stroll down the gravel track with the wide spreading tree towering over the historic grounds.
Simon hangs off the side of the golf cart laughing as his groomsmen ride along across the paddocks.
Simon dips Yarlini for a kiss on the gravel track, her bouquet flung out to the side and her bow trailing.
Two groomsmen walk a bridesmaid in orange satin across the brick courtyard past garden umbrellas at Burnham Grove Estate in Cawdor.
A bridesmaid in champagne satin links arms with a groomsman in braces, walking in past the umbrellas and the heritage verandah.
A bridesmaid in copper satin and a groomsman stride arm in arm along the herringbone brick path, palms behind.
A groomsman raises his fist as he and a bridesmaid in copper burst through the marquee doors, a pale blue vintage van outside.
A bridesmaid in champagne and a groomsman dance in with a high knee lift through the doors of the Garden Marquee.
A bridesmaid in burnt orange and a cheering groomsman stride through the glass doors from the brick courtyard.
Yarlini and Simon laugh as they walk hand in hand up the garden path past the homestead verandah at Burnham Grove Estate, Cawdor.
Arms raised high, Yarlini and Simon make their grand entrance to their country reception through the glass doors to cheers.
Yarlini and Simon touch foreheads by a stone fountain as low sun flares through the historic garden at Burnham Grove Estate.
Simon wraps Yarlini in a slow dance beside the trickling fountain in the heritage gardens, warm light catching her hair.
Yarlini and Simon begin their first dance in a cloud of low fog beside giant glowing LOVE letters in the Garden Marquee.
Sparkler fountains rise on either side as the couple dance through thick fog under the festoon lights of their country marquee.
Yarlini laughs mid spin with Simon as sparks shower and fog drifts across the floor at Burnham Grove Estate near Camden.
Simon and Yarlini finish their first dance in a tight hug by the glowing letters, the night still young at the historic estate.
The wedding story

Our Burnham Grove Estate wedding photos: a bow-backed gown, golf carts in the paddocks and a first dance in the fog

Getting ready at the homestead · Vows under a white canopy · Big group at the Victorian homestead · Golf carts and paddock portraits · Sunset by the fountain · First dance in the marquee

Read the full story

Lifted off his feet

We started with Simon in a bright room with tall windows: crisp white shirt, brown braces, a brown bow tie and a watch being fastened at the cuff, a frame we kept in black and white. Then he sat back in a dark armchair in his cream suit with a drink in hand, looking every bit the relaxed groom. That lasted about a minute. His groomsmen, all in cream and braces, scooped him up horizontally and pointed at the camera, grinning. When a crew is this playful, we stay wide and let them run the show.

A bow at the back

Yarlini’s gown hung on a dark timber door, simple and sleek, and she stood beside it in a white robe smiling at us. Once she was dressed we saw the best part: a huge bow at the back that turned every walking frame into a moment. A loved one fastened her earrings in soft window light through white curtains, and she settled on the edge of the bed with a bouquet of orange and blush roses. Loved ones in bright silk dresses and suits crowded in for a family photo before the ceremony.

Phones up for the walk in

The ceremony sat under a white canopy with a scalloped edge, a grass aisle and a tall arrangement of orange and peach flowers with dried grasses on top. Simon waited at the front with his groomsmen while guests pressed in with their phones held high. Then Yarlini came down the aisle with her dad in a burgundy jacket at her side, the bow on her gown swaying with every step. We stood behind them for that frame, because the bow told the story better than any front-on shot could.

Orange, copper and cream

Under the canopy the bridal party fanned out on both sides: bridesmaids in burnt orange, copper and champagne satin, and six groomsmen in cream. A canopy like this is lovely to photograph under, because it softens the afternoon light into one even glow across every face. Yarlini and Simon held hands through the vows, then kissed in front of the flowers while a bridesmaid cheered beside them. Loved ones in the front rows watched with quiet smiles, and they signed the certificate at a little white table, holding it up proudly before walking back up the aisle together.

Everyone at the homestead

For the big group we gathered everyone on the gravel in front of the Victorian homestead, with its red brick walls, striped awnings and circular hedged garden. With a crowd this size, we climbed up high and went wide, so every face could see the camera and the homestead’s gables still showed at the back. Then came the family groups, one after another, between the clipped hedges. A written list of groups, with one confident helper calling names, keeps this part of the day quick and painless for everybody involved.

Jumping in the paddocks

Then the fun really started. The groomsmen lined up in the open paddock under a huge cloudy sky and jumped as high as they could, then lifted Yarlini across their arms while she laughed. The bridesmaids gathered around Simon, who knelt in the middle of them. Big skies and open fields are perfect for wedding party energy, because there is nothing to crop around. Then everyone piled onto golf carts for a ride across the estate, the bridesmaids hanging off the sides with their bouquets.

A tree like an umbrella

Out in the long grass we slowed things right down. Yarlini and Simon touched foreheads with the paddocks soft behind them, then Simon pulled her in for a hug while she laughed. Further along the farm track, a huge umbrella-shaped tree stood over the gravel, and we stepped right back with a long lens so they became small figures walking hand in hand beneath it, one of our favourite Burnham Grove Estate wedding photos of the day. Then Simon dipped Yarlini for a kiss on the track, her bouquet flying out to the side.

Dancing through the doors

The reception entrance was pure joy. The wedding party danced in pairs across the brick courtyard, past garden umbrellas, palms and a pale blue vintage van, then through the glass doors of the marquee with arms in the air and moves to match. One groomsman nearly stole the show with a full knee-lift dance. Yarlini and Simon came in last, both arms raised, to a roar from inside. We shot from just inside the doors so the courtyard and garden still showed behind every pair.

Fountain light and fog

During dinner we slipped outside with Yarlini and Simon for a short sunset session by a stone fountain in the garden. The light was low and warm, so we put it behind them and let it glow through her hair while they touched foreheads, then moved in close as Simon held her in a slow dance by the water. Back in the marquee, their first dance happened in a cloud of low fog, with sparkler fountains on either side and giant LOVE letters glowing behind them. They finished wrapped in a hug.

Photographer's venue notes

Burnham Grove Estate, Cawdor: a canopy ceremony, golf carts in the paddocks and a sunset fountain session

Read the venue notes

How Yarlini and Simon moved around the estate

Yarlini and Simon kept their whole day on the estate, so the plan ran in a neat loop. Both got ready inside the homestead, Simon by tall bright windows and Yarlini in a bedroom with sheer curtains and a cast iron fireplace. The vows were on the lawn under the white canopy, the groups moved onto the gravel drive out the front, and golf carts carried the wedding party out to the paddocks and the farm track. Dinner and dancing happened in the Garden Marquee, which opens onto the brick courtyard.

Grey cloud, then warm sun

The paddock portraits happened under a heavy grey sky, and we were thrilled about it. Thick cloud spreads light evenly, so the jumping frames came out with clean faces, no squinting and plenty of detail left in the hills on the horizon. By dinner, low warm sun was reaching the gardens, and that changed the feel completely for the fountain session. We could finally put a bright light behind the couple and let it glow through Yarlini’s hair while the water sparkled beside them.

Where we stood and why

For the big group we wanted height, so we shot down onto the gravel with the red brick and striped awnings filling the top of the frame. In the paddocks we went wide and let the hills sit along the bottom edge, so every jump had open sky above it. The umbrella-shaped tree called for the opposite: we walked a long way back down the track, which let its canopy spread over the two of them like a roof. The brick courtyard, with its umbrellas, palms and a pale blue vintage van, gave the entrance frames colour before anyone reached the doors.

Tips from this day

Make the golf cart ride part of the plan rather than just transport. It got the wedding party out to the far paddocks quickly, and the bridesmaids hanging off the sides with their bouquets gave us some of the happiest candids of the day. Our other tip is to step away from dinner for a few minutes when the sun drops. Yarlini and Simon came back to the marquee relaxed, with their warmest portraits already done, just in time for fog, sparklers and their first dance.

Keep exploring

Burnham Grove Estate weddings

Every Veri wedding at this venue

Sydney weddings

More real weddings across the city