Camden Valley Inn wedding photos: Stephanie and David stand close together on a white timber staircase framed by lush tropical garden, Sydney
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Real country wedding · Cawdor, Sydney

Camden Valley Inn Wedding Photos: Stephanie & David

Camden Valley Inn · 290 Remembrance Drive, Cawdor NSW · Sydney

Country Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · City: Sydney · Venue: Camden Valley Inn

Groomsmen hoisting two little boys into the air, a bride in a sweetheart gown walking in between long dinner tables, and a dusk kiss lit by a lawn full of festoon lights. Stephanie and David’s Camden Valley Inn wedding in Cawdor, just south of Camden, kept everything in one place, from getting ready in the suites to the vows, the portraits and a big country reception. We were there for every laugh, and there were plenty.

The gallery
David relaxes in a tufted armchair with a beer in hand, pale jacket on, settling in before his country wedding.
The groomsmen hoist two little boys in matching jackets high into the air beside a white wing at Camden Valley Inn.
Laughing groomsmen in pale jackets hold the little boys up against the vine covered white brick of the historic inn.
One little boy sits high on a groomsman's shoulder while the others laugh on the lawn of the heritage country hotel.
David and a groomsman stand arm in arm and grinning, a young tree and white brick wall behind them.
David throws his head back laughing beside a groomsman holding a drink against the white painted brick.
David rests his hands on the two little boys in their matching pale jackets at Camden Valley Inn in Cawdor.
The two little boys stand arm in arm in pale jackets and dark jeans, grinning on the historic inn's lawn.
David and a groomsman pose by the white painted building with its dark shingled roof at the country inn.
Six groomsmen in pale jackets line up on the brick paving with the two little boys in front at Camden Valley Inn near Camden.
A curly haired groomsman throws an arm around David, both laughing in front of the white brick wall.
David strolls along a brick path under big trees, smiling on the way to his rural wedding ceremony.
In her white robe, Stephanie sits in a tufted armchair with a pink drink in her suite at Camden Valley Inn.
Stephanie's rings sit on a little lilac box among the white roses and eucalyptus of her bouquet at the heritage inn.
Two bridesmaids in sage green hold her skirt out wide by a black framed window at Camden Valley Inn in Cawdor.
A bridesmaid in sage pins the long veil into Stephanie's hair by the window on her country wedding morning.
Smiling down, Stephanie lets her veil fall wide in the window light of her room at the historic inn.
In black and white, Stephanie holds her veil out wide, the floral lace bodice catching the side light.
Stephanie looks down at her bouquet of white roses and eucalyptus, the veil soft around her shoulders on her heritage inn wedding day.
Seated in a tufted chair, Stephanie gazes towards the window with her bouquet on her lap, ready for a country ceremony.
The two little boys lean in either side of Stephanie as she sits by the window at Camden Valley Inn near Camden.
Both little boys kiss Stephanie's cheeks at once, and she laughs with her hand up to her face.
A loved one in glasses and a teal patterned top shares a smile, face to face with Stephanie.
A man in a grey suit, pink shirt and grey tie stands proudly with Stephanie by the window of the heritage country hotel.
A bridesmaid in a sage halter dress poses with Stephanie, both holding white rose bouquets at Camden Valley Inn.
Another bridesmaid in sage beams beside Stephanie, their two bouquets of roses and eucalyptus side by side.
Stephanie kneels to kiss the cheek of a flower girl in rose gold sequins holding her own little posy.
A loved one in a navy spotted tie and teal buttonhole stands with Stephanie by the window at the historic inn.
A loved one in a spotted tie laughs until his eyes crinkle shut, smiling at Stephanie.
Stephanie stands between a man in a spotted tie and a younger man in a charcoal jacket before her country wedding.
A bridesmaid in sage green smiles with Stephanie, both holding bouquets in front of the tall window at the heritage inn.
A bridesmaid in sage hugs Stephanie cheek to cheek, their bouquets of white roses pressed together.
With a little boy at her side, Stephanie walks between the long reception tables in the Valley View room, her veil trailing.
Hand in hand with a little boy, Stephanie walks towards David under the timber arbour, the glass wall looking out to farmland.
David kisses Stephanie under the timber arbour at Camden Valley Inn in Cawdor as a little boy looks on.
Stephanie and David smile behind a wine barrel signing table topped with her bouquet at the country inn.
Leaning over the wine barrel, the newlyweds share a kiss with their hands resting on the signing table at the historic inn.
Four bridesmaids in sage and the groomsmen in pale jackets line up behind the barrel as the certificate is held up.
David pulls Stephanie in for a kiss at the top of the stairs on the covered deck of Camden Valley Inn near Camden.
The couple stands with a woman in black lace and a man in a white shirt and tie at the green hedge wall.
Family gather around the newlyweds at the hedge wall inside the historic inn, the two little boys standing proudly in front.
A woman in a navy floral dress and a man in a white shirt join the newlyweds in front of the green neon wall.
A man in a navy suit and a woman with purple hair in a champagne gown and shawl stand with the couple.
Six loved ones line up at the hedge wall for a family group inside the country inn, the newlyweds in the middle.
A woman in a teal patterned top and a man in a grey suit stand among loved ones around the couple at the neon wall.
A man in a grey suit and a woman in a teal patterned top and black boots flank the couple inside the heritage hotel.
A young man in a burgundy shirt stands with Stephanie and David by the hedge wall at Camden Valley Inn.
A big family group gathers around the couple with a toddler in pink and a little boy held up high at the hedge wall.
Two women, one with a glass in hand, and the older boy join the couple for a family frame at the historic inn.
Side on, the wedding party lines up on the country lawn under big trees as Stephanie and David smile at each other.
The full wedding party lines up on the lawn under tall trees at Camden Valley Inn in Cawdor, bouquets in hand.
Groomsmen point and cheer as Stephanie and David go nose to nose in the middle of the wedding party on the heritage inn's lawn.
Stephanie stands with three bridesmaids in sage green, all holding white rose bouquets under a big old tree on the historic grounds.
Looking back over her shoulder, Stephanie shows off her long veil as the bridesmaids raise their bouquets high.
The groomsmen carry Stephanie sideways as she laughs at Camden Valley Inn near Camden, dry paddocks beyond the trees.
David kisses Stephanie's cheek as she holds her bouquet, her long veil spread across the lawn of the country hotel.
Stephanie and David stand close at the foot of a white timber staircase at Camden Valley Inn, framed by big tropical leaves.
David laughs with her bouquet in hand as Stephanie lifts her skirt past an old red brick cottage in the historic inn grounds.
The couple share a kiss and a hug on the wet path below the raised Valley View building.
Stephanie tips her head into a tight hug with David on the rain darkened path beside a green hedge at the country hotel.
Stephanie wraps her arms around David's neck, her bouquet resting against his pale jacket, in soft focus on the heritage grounds.
David twirls Stephanie on the wet path at Camden Valley Inn in Cawdor, her veil swinging out behind her.
Hand in hand, the couple burst out laughing on the glossy wet path beneath the raised glass building, farmland just beyond.
David spins Stephanie under his arm as she smiles with her bouquet on the path below the modern glass wing.
David hugs Stephanie from behind and she laughs, white timber stairs and tropical leaves around them on the heritage grounds.
David walks across the lawn in his pale jacket, looking off towards the rural edge of the inn.
Stephanie smiles back over her shoulder at Camden Valley Inn near Camden, her train spilling down the path towards distant paddocks.
Stephanie and David stand together on the wet path in front of the raised glass building on a rural afternoon.
At dusk, festoon lights hang over the lawn, picnic tables and umbrellas at Camden Valley Inn as David holds Stephanie close.
David kisses Stephanie's forehead as a festoon bulb flares between them against the deep blue dusk over the country lawn.
Lit warm by the festoon lights, Stephanie and David share a close kiss at the end of their historic inn wedding.
The wedding story

Our Camden Valley Inn wedding photos: little boys in big jackets, vows by the glass wall and a festoon-lit kiss at dusk

Getting ready in the suites · Ceremony in the Valley View room · Signing on a wine barrel · Wedding party on the lawn · Portraits by the white stairs and brick cottage · Festoon lights at dusk

Read the full story

Two little boys and a lot of air

David’s crew got ready in the suites and then spilled out onto the lawn beside a white-painted wing with vines climbing its walls. Everyone wore pale jackets and dark jeans, and two little boys in matching jackets were the stars. The groomsmen hoisted them up into the air, then lined up laughing with the boys out in front. A white wall is a lovely backdrop for a group in pale jackets: it keeps the frame light and fresh, and the climbing plants add just enough texture without stealing focus.

Rings among the roses

In her suite, Stephanie sat back in a velvet armchair in her white robe, glass in hand, next to tall black-framed windows. We set her rings on a little lilac box among the white roses and eucalyptus of her bouquet, the kind of detail frame we always grab before anyone needs the flowers. The bridesmaids in sage green helped with the gown, two of them holding the long skirt out wide while she stood in the window light. Then the veil went in, and the room got very quiet for a moment.

Window light and a kiss on the cheek

Those big black-framed windows did a lot of work for us. We turned Stephanie side-on to the glass so the light ran across the lace flowers on her bodice and down the veil, and we kept one frame in black and white. Then the visitors came in. The two little boys bounded over to kiss her cheek, a flower girl in pink sequins leant in for a hug, and two older loved ones in suits took their turns beside her with smiles from ear to ear. One of them laughed so hard his eyes disappeared.

An aisle between the tables

The ceremony was inside the Valley View room, with the long reception tables already set and the guests standing between them. Stephanie walked in with one of the little boys at her side, her cathedral veil and train trailing down the aisle behind her. We stood well back with a wide lens so the whole room, the white chairs and the place cards all told the story. David waited under a timber arbour in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the other little boy right beside him in his small jacket.

A barrel for a signing table

The kiss happened right there under the timber arbour, with soft light from the glass wall wrapping around them both. The signing table was a wine barrel topped with Stephanie’s bouquet, and the pair leant in for another kiss over it while the wedding party lined up behind: four bridesmaids in sage and the groomsmen in pale jackets. Then they slipped out onto the timber deck, where David pulled Stephanie in close at the top of the stairs. Covered decks are perfect on a damp day, because you keep the green view without the wet.

Neon and family groups

The family photos happened in front of a green hedge wall with a neon sign, inside and dry. That kind of backdrop is a real help for groups: it is flat, even and colourful, so we can move families on and off quickly without fiddling with the light. There were plenty of loved ones to fit in, from little ones in arms to older guests, and everyone was beaming. Then the whole wedding party headed outside onto the damp lawn under a canopy of big trees.

Bouquets in the air

The lawn under the trees turned into a playground. The groomsmen hammed it up with big poses, and the bridesmaids threw their bouquets high in the air around her as she turned her back to us to show the full length of her veil. We like to start wedding party photos with a neat line, then let the group go loose, because the second frame is always the one people remember. By the end, every bridesmaid was laughing and the little boys were back in the middle of it.

White stairs and an old brick cottage

For Camden Valley Inn wedding photos with a bit of variety, we walked the couple around the grounds. Stephanie and David stood at the foot of a white timber staircase, framed by the rails and big tropical leaves, then strolled past an old red brick cottage with white windows. On the wet path below the raised Valley View building, David spun Stephanie in a twirl, her veil swinging out, and they finished with a hug that had her tipping her head back laughing. Wet paving shines softly after rain, which adds a lovely glow.

Festoon lights at dusk

Later, as the sky turned deep blue, we stole them away. Strings of festoon lights hung over the lawn, the picnic tables and the umbrellas, and a big gum tree glowed from a light at its base. We stood David and Stephanie in front of it all for a quiet hold, then moved behind them for a backlit kiss with a light bulb flaring between their faces. Ten minutes at dusk is all it takes: plan it into the reception timeline right after the main course and your favourite frame of the night is almost guaranteed.

Photographer's venue notes

Camden Valley Inn, Cawdor: vows in the Valley View room and a festoon-lit kiss on the lawn at dusk

Read the venue notes

One property from morning to night

Stephanie and David never had to leave the grounds. The groomsmen dressed in the suites and came straight out onto the brick paving beside the vine covered white wing, while Stephanie got ready by the tall windows of her own suite. Vows and dinner shared the Valley View room, so guests stood among the set tables for the ceremony. Family groups moved indoors to the green hedge wall with its neon sign, the wedding party went out to the lawn under the big trees, and the couple portraits were a gentle stroll around the paths.

A damp afternoon that worked in our favour

A shower had been through before the portraits, and we were glad of it. The paths below the raised glass building were dark and glossy, so every step, twirl and laugh picked up a soft sheen and a little reflection of the sky. Up on the covered deck the couple stayed dry at the top of the stairs while the farmland stayed in view. During the vows, the glass wall behind the arbour gave us broad, even light across both faces. By the time we came back outside after dinner, the sky had turned a deep blue.

Where we stood for their portraits

Our first stop was the white timber staircase, with big tropical leaves on either side. We placed Stephanie and David at the foot of the stairs so the rails led the eye straight to them, then came back later for a playful hug from behind. The red brick cottage with its white windows added warmth to a walking frame, and the long path under the glass wing gave us room for a spin with the veil swinging out. For the wedding party, the lawn under the tall trees offered open shade with dry paddocks glowing softly in the distance.

Ideas for a similar country day

If your suite has big windows, ask for the armchair to be turned side on to the glass: it is the kindest light in the building for a bride and her visitors. Keep an indoor backdrop like the hedge wall in mind for the family list, so a passing shower never holds anyone up. And when the lawn has festoon lights strung over it, plan a quick escape once the sky goes blue. We stood the couple in front of the lit gum tree, then moved behind them so a single bulb flared between their faces.

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