Casa de Playa wedding photos: Steff and Nathan stand close on a clifftop among coastal scrub as the sunset glows over the bay, Mornington Peninsula
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Real wedding · Mornington, Mornington Peninsula

Casa de Playa Wedding Photos: Steff & Nathan

Casa de Playa · 39 Main St, Mornington VIC · Melbourne

Region: VIC - Mornington Peninsula · City: Melbourne · Venue: Casa de Playa

A welcome sign on old red brick, a hug from her dad for Steff at the front and vows under a glass roof with the town’s rooftops outside the windows. Steff and Nathan’s Casa de Playa wedding was a town wedding in the best sense: a champagne spray in a car park, a twirl against a terracotta wall and a clifftop above the bay at dusk, then back up the street for the party. We loved every minute of it on the Mornington Peninsula.

The gallery
Welcome sign for Nathan and Steffie on a timber easel, crowned with trailing greenery against old red brick at Casa de Playa
A loved one in a floral dress touches up Steff's lipstick as friends fuss over her hair and off-shoulder gown
Steff's white bouquet of soft ruffled blooms and silvery foliage resting on a dark glossy table before the ceremony
Steff cheek to cheek with a loved one in a navy silk top, both beaming at a Mornington Peninsula wedding
His mum in a teal pleated dress pins a white buttonhole onto Nathan's sage green textured jacket
Nathan and his mum in a teal pleated dress pose side by side under the glass roof at Casa de Playa on Main Street
Steff and her dad in a dark suit and red tie smile together against a pale rendered wall
Her dad kisses Steff's hand as she throws her head back laughing, bouquet of white blooms in her other arm
Laughing together, Steff and her dad share a playful hand kiss beside a weathered wall on the Mornington Peninsula
His mum in teal laughs in the front row with guests in navy and grey beside a bright painted mural
Nathan waits at the front by the tall industrial windows of El Atrio, hands clasped, as guests turn towards the aisle
Her dad walks Steff in through a whitewashed doorway, her bouquet of white blooms held close to her side
Steff and her dad walk the short aisle past white bentwood chairs and guests standing along the brick wall
Steff and her dad reach Nathan beneath tall industrial windows at Casa de Playa, Mornington, town rooftops beyond the glass
Steff hugs her dad at the front of the aisle while Nathan wipes a tear from his eye
Nathan wipes away happy tears with a grin, standing alone by the windows as Steff comes down the aisle
Guests with beers and champagne stand smiling along the old red brick wall at Casa de Playa on the Mornington Peninsula
A bearded guest in glasses and a woman in a floral dress clap beside a bright painted mural
Steff and Nathan hold hands and grin at each other in front of tall windows, a Mornington Peninsula wedding ceremony
Wide view of the ceremony beneath the glass conservatory roof and festoon lights of El Atrio
Guests seated and standing beneath a painted mural of a face and old brick walls, watching the vows
Guests burst out laughing during the vows at Casa de Playa, a grandfather with his walking cane beside a toddler on a lap
Steff speaks into the microphone while Nathan waves a hand and grins beside the bar
His mum in a teal off-shoulder dress and white corsage watches the Mornington Peninsula ceremony with a soft smile
A loved one in navy chiffon with a white corsage watches the ceremony, hands resting on her clutch
Nathan reads his vows into a microphone, holding Steff's hand by the tall windows of Casa de Playa on Main Street
A grandmother in a blush blouse laughs out loud beside a grandfather in a dotted shirt
A grandfather in a dotted shirt leans on his timber walking cane, smiling as the vows go on
Close up of Nathan sliding the ring onto Steff's finger above trailing greenery, a Mornington Peninsula wedding detail
Steff smiles up at Nathan as he places her ring, candles glowing on the window ledge of El Atrio
Her dad cuddles a toddler in a blue dress on his lap as she watches the ceremony, fingers in her mouth
Steff and Nathan embrace after their first kiss beneath the glass roof of Casa de Playa as the celebrant laughs
Guests clap and cheer around the bar, both grandparents in the front row beaming at the newlyweds
The front row smiles and applauds beside a vivid painted mural at Casa de Playa, Mornington, his mum in teal at the end
Nathan signs the certificate at a little round table as Steff watches, her bouquet resting beside them
A grandmother in a blush blouse leans over the little round table to sign the certificate, pen in hand
A grandfather in glasses and a dotted shirt concentrates hard as he signs the marriage certificate
Steff signs the certificate beside a painted mural at Casa de Playa on the Mornington Peninsula while Nathan looks on
Nathan signs with his head down, a white flower and eucalyptus buttonhole on his sage green lapel
Close up of Steff's and Nathan's hands and new rings resting on the signed certificate beside a silver pen
Steff and Nathan kiss across the little round table after signing at Casa de Playa on Main Street
Steff comes back up the aisle half dancing, Nathan grinning behind her as guests clap from both sides
Every guest throws their arms in the air for a big group photo beneath the glass roof of El Atrio
Steff and Nathan with a grandfather on his cane and a grandmother in blush, Mornington Peninsula wedding family photos
Steff and Nathan stand with both grandparents and her dad in the brick courtyard at Casa de Playa
Family lined up with Steff and Nathan against the old brick wall, his mum in teal and a loved one in navy at either end
A bigger family group with toddlers and a baby in arms gathers around the couple at Casa de Playa, Mornington
Family group in front of red brick and hanging greenery on the Mornington Peninsula, a little boy held up high
Her dad holds a toddler in blue as Nathan laughs beside a man carrying a little boy and a baby in pink
Steff and Nathan with her dad and a loved one in navy chiffon at Casa de Playa on the Mornington Peninsula
Steff and Nathan with his mum in teal, a loved one in navy and her dad in a red tie, all smiling
Steff stands between her dad and a loved one in navy against the weathered red brick of Casa de Playa
Closer portrait of Steff with her dad and a loved one in navy, an open window frame behind them
Steff beams between her dad and a loved one in navy, her bouquet of white blooms and eucalyptus up front
Nathan leans his head against his mum's in the brick courtyard at Casa de Playa on Main Street, both smiling
Eyes closed, Nathan rests his cheek on his mum's head as she smiles in her tiered teal dress on the Mornington Peninsula
Nathan and his mum share a big laugh in front of the brick wall, her white corsage pinned at her shoulder
Steff and Nathan pose with his mum in tiered teal beneath a wrought iron planter at Casa de Playa, Mornington
Nathan plants a kiss on a baby in a pink headband, a little boy tucked under his other arm
Steff holds a little boy on her hip and Nathan a baby in pink at Casa de Playa on the Mornington Peninsula
Steff and Nathan with a loved one in navy who cradles a baby in a pink headband and frilled romper
A loved one in red fixes Steff's hair into loose waves before they leave Casa de Playa for portraits
Steff smiles with her hair down in long copper waves as a loved one in red adds a final spritz of hairspray
Nathan twirls Steff against a warm terracotta wall on a Mornington Peninsula side street
Steff and Nathan hold hands at arm's length, laughing in front of a textured terracotta wall
Nathan dips Steff back and they both burst out laughing against the terracotta wall
Steff gazes up at Nathan, smiling close, her bouquet of white blooms and long eucalyptus hanging low
Steff smiles at the camera, long copper waves over her shoulder, leaning into Nathan on the Mornington Peninsula
Nathan sprays champagne into the air in a car park beside old brick arched windows as Steff laughs
Steff's skirt swings out as she looks back laughing, crossing a Mornington Peninsula laneway hand in hand with Nathan
Walking away down the laneway hand in hand, Steff lifts her train as festoon lights glow at the far end
Nathan carries the bouquet as he and Steff stroll a tree-lined footpath hand in hand, both grinning
Steff laughs as her skirt flies up mid-stride, walking past an old cottage and timber fence with Nathan
Steff and Nathan lean against a big old tree trunk on a grassy verge on the Mornington Peninsula
Steff looks up at Nathan with a sly smile, her back to the rough bark of the old tree
Steff and Nathan walk hand in hand under a soft pink evening sky, Mornington Peninsula wedding portraits
Steff rests her head on Nathan's shoulder against a plain silver panelled wall cut by a long diagonal of evening light
Steff and Nathan on the clifftop above Port Phillip Bay, coastal scrub and a red headland behind them
Close up of a kiss, Nathan's white flower buttonhole and folded pocket square in sharp focus
Nathan holds Steff close on the clifftop path, the bay glowing softly beyond the coastal scrub
Steff and Nathan almost nose to nose, smiling, her long copper waves catching the soft evening light
Nathan sweeps Steff up into his arms on a gravel path beneath old cypresses near the water on the Mornington Peninsula
Still carrying her, Nathan kisses Steff under the spreading cypress branches, her bouquet trailing low
Nathan in his sage green jacket, hand in pocket, looks out across the park as dusk settles under the cypresses
Steff lifts her skirt and turns on the gravel beneath a cypress, a Mornington Peninsula foreshore portrait
Steff glances back over her shoulder with a smile, gathering her train as she crosses the park
Steff swishes her skirt as a loved one in a red fringed dress kicks up a heel beside a leaning tree
A loved one in a red fringed dress hugs Steff tight and lifts one foot in a high kick on the grass
Steff and Nathan walk hand in hand across a clover lawn ringed with old cypresses as dusk turns the sky pink
Steff looks back over her shoulder as she and Nathan stroll the foreshore lawn on the Mornington Peninsula
Walking away across the clover, Steff and Nathan turn their heads in for a kiss as her skirt swings
Nathan kisses Steff's temple on the lawn at dusk, lights glowing in the buildings behind, a Mornington Peninsula evening
Nathan follows Steff across the lawn hand in hand, her bouquet swinging and a big old cypress behind
A heart of light glows around Steff and Nathan on the lawn against the dusk sky, the final frame of the night
The wedding story

Our Casa de Playa wedding photos: a hug at the aisle, grandparents with the pen and a heart of light at dusk

Arrivals upstairs at Casa de Playa · Ceremony under the glass roof · Family in the brick courtyard · Painted walls and champagne · Clifftop above the bay · Cypresses at dusk

Read the full story

Brick, greenery and peonies

Our evening at Casa de Playa began upstairs, before the guests had found their seats. A welcome sign with Nathan and Steffie’s names stood on a timber easel against the old red brick, crowned with a trail of greenery, and Steff’s bouquet of white peonies, roses and soft foliage rested on a dark table nearby. We photograph details like these first, while the room is quiet and nothing has been moved. Then Steff arrived, all smiles in an off-shoulder gown with a beaded bodice and sheer puffed sleeves, and a loved one in navy pulled her in close for the first photo of the night.

Hellos before the aisle

Nathan, in a sage green textured jacket, got a proud hug from his mum before the ceremony, one of the moments on the couple’s must-have list. Steff’s dad met her on arrival in a dark suit and red tie, and when he lifted her hand to kiss it she beamed. We kept a little distance for both greetings. A longer lens from across the room lets a family moment happen naturally, without anyone feeling they are on stage, and the expressions stay real. Those first hellos often end up being the frames families ask us about years later.

Down the aisle under glass

The ceremony started early in the evening under the glass roof, with tall industrial windows and the rooftops of Mornington beyond them. Steff’s dad walked her in through a whitewashed doorway and down a short aisle between white bentwood chairs, past the bar and a crowd of guests standing along the brick wall with drinks in hand. At the front he wrapped Steff in a big hug while Nathan wiped away a tear, then handed her over. A glass roof is a gift on a grey evening: soft light falls evenly from above, so faces glow and nobody squints.

Microphones and laughter

Steff and Nathan said their own words into a microphone, and the room kept cracking up. Nathan waved a hand mid-sentence and grinned, and Steff could not stop smiling. We moved along the side wall so we could watch the guests as well as the couple: an older guest with a walking cane laughing with his whole body, a row of loved ones clapping in navy and teal, a little one on a lap with her fingers in her mouth. Small rooms make reaction shots easy, because everyone is close enough to fill the frame.

Two grandparents with the pen

Rings went on, and then came one of our favourite parts of this ceremony. Steff and Nathan had asked two of their grandparents to sign the certificates, so a grandmother leant over the little round table with her pen, and a grandfather in glasses took his turn after her, concentrating hard. Nathan signed with his head down and a white flower on his lapel. We shot the paperwork close and low, with the couple’s hands and new rings resting on the certificate, because those small, textured frames sit beautifully beside the wide ones in an album.

A dance back up the aisle

Married, Steff came back up the aisle half dancing, while the guests clapped from both sides. Then the family gathered in the brick courtyard. We set the groups against the old brick wall under hanging planters, working from the biggest group down to pairs so nobody waited long, and the textured brick kept every combination warm and simple. Nathan scooped up a baby in a pink headband and planted a kiss on her head, with a little boy tucked under his other arm, and that frame stole the show. Steff’s dad and Nathan’s mum each had their turn beside the couple.

Painted walls and champagne

Casa de Playa wedding photos rarely need a car, so we left the venue on foot. A loved one in red fixed Steff’s hair on the way out, and then we were on the street. Mornington’s side streets are full of painted walls, and a warm terracotta one gave us a clean backdrop for a twirl and a kiss. Around the corner, in a car park beside an old brick building with arched church-style windows, Nathan shook up a bottle of champagne and sprayed it into the air while Steff laughed beside him.

Footpaths, trees and the bay

We walked them across the road, Steff’s skirt swinging out behind her, and along the footpath hand in hand. A big old tree on a grassy verge gave us shade and texture, and a plain silver wall caught a long diagonal of evening sun that framed them like a stage set. Then we headed for the water. On the clifftop, the coastal scrub, the bay and a headland lined up behind them as the sky softened to pink. Evening walks like this are why we love a town wedding: several backdrops in under an hour.

A heart of light at dusk

The last stop was a grassy park near the water, ringed with old cypresses. Nathan swept Steff up off her feet beneath the branches, then she spun her skirt out on the gravel and laughed as it settled. A loved one in a red fringed dress ran in for a hug and a high kick. As the light faded we walked them across the lawn for a kiss, and for the final frame a heart of light glowed around them against the dusk sky. Then it was back to Casa de Playa, where the party was waiting.

Photographer's venue notes

Casa de Playa, Mornington: vows under a glass roof and an evening walk to the clifftop above the bay

Read the venue notes

Upstairs, the courtyard and out on foot

Steff and Nathan held their ceremony upstairs in El Atrio, with the bar along one side and guests standing against the brick wall with drinks in hand. Once they were married, the families came down to the brick courtyard for groups, and then we simply walked out the door with the two of them. Our loop took in a terracotta side street, a car park beside an old brick building, a laneway, a couple of tree-lined footpaths, the clifftop and a park ringed with cypresses near the water, before everyone headed back to the party.

Evening light from glass roof to dusk

The vows ran early in the evening, and the glass overhead did the heavy lifting: light fell evenly from above, with the town’s rooftops showing through the tall windows. Outside, the sun was low enough to slip between buildings, which gave us one long diagonal of light across a plain silver wall. By the time we reached the clifftop, the sky over the bay was turning pink. In the cypress park the light faded right down to dusk, and that blue hour was the moment we saved for the final frame of the walk.

The backdrops that worked for Steff and Nathan

The old brick in the courtyard, with planters hanging above, gave every family group the same warm, simple background. The terracotta wall was our colour moment: Steff’s white gown and Nathan’s sage jacket both looked brilliant against it, so we gave them room to twirl and dip. On the clifftop we placed the couple in front of the coastal scrub and the headland, so the bay sat just behind their shoulders. Under the cypresses, the spreading branches made a natural ceiling, and the gravel underfoot was perfect for a skirt spin.

Ideas for a town wedding like this

Pick shoes you can walk in, because a town portrait loop covers footpaths, gravel and grass in a short stretch. Steff had a loved one refresh her hair into loose waves before we left the venue, and those long copper waves looked wonderful moving in the evening air. If you fancy a champagne spray, bring a spare bottle and choose an open spot well away from the guests. Most of all, aim to reach the water just as the colour arrives in the sky, then wander back up the hill for the celebrations.

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