Clarendon House wedding photos: Rosie and Sam share a kiss on the sunlit lawn beneath a spreading tree beside the historic homestead.
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Real heritage wedding · Nile, Tasmania

Clarendon House Wedding Photos: Rosie & Sam

Clarendon House · 234 Clarendon Station Rd, Nile TAS

Garden Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · Venue: Clarendon House

Groomsmen hoisting Sam upside down among sandstone boulders, Rosie at a tall shuttered window with a bouquet of dried flowers, and vows under a spreading tree with paddocks running away to the horizon. Rosie and Sam’s wedding at Clarendon House near Evandale, in Tasmania’s Northern Midlands, ended with a veil sweeping around them below the grand columned portico and a long dinner on the estate. We loved every bit of it, from the first burgundy tie to the last walk across the paddock.

The gallery
In black and white, Sam sits by a window in his jacket, bow tie and dried flower buttonhole, looking out with a half smile.
Close black and white portrait of Sam grinning sideways, a buttonhole of dried white blooms pinned to his lapel.
Groomsmen in white shirts, burgundy ties and cream chinos climb the sandstone boulders of a home garden, drinks in hand.
Sam in his burgundy bow tie stands on a sandstone step with four groomsmen posed on the boulders behind him.
Sam grins on a flat sandstone rock while his groomsmen stand on the boulders around him under a cloud flecked sky.
Sam and a groomsman in a burgundy tie stand arm in arm among the sandstone boulders, both smiling.
A groomsman lifts Sam off his feet in a bear hug among the boulders, both laughing under a bright blue sky.
Sam and a tall groomsman laugh side by side on the sandstone steps, a dark fence behind them.
Sam and a groomsman cup each other's faces in their hands and burst out laughing beside the boulders.
Sam throws his head back laughing, his arm round a groomsman in a burgundy tie on a sandstone step.
Sam and a smiling groomsman hug side on, arms around each other, with boulders and young shrubs behind.
Sam stands with a tall groomsman in dark boots, one hand on his hip, among the sandstone rocks.
Four laughing groomsmen hold Sam horizontally across their arms in front of the boulders and black fence.
The groomsmen hoist Sam upside down by his legs, everyone howling with laughter on the gravel beside the rocks.
Sam holds a beer beside a smiling man in a blue linen shirt on a timber deck at the family home.
Sam stands between a woman in a pink smocked dress and a groomsman holding a baby in navy overalls.
Sam in his olive jacket and dried flower buttonhole poses with a smiling woman in a royal blue dress.
The woman in royal blue pats Sam's cheek fondly as he screws up his eyes and grins among the boulders.
Sam stands with the woman in royal blue and the man in the blue linen shirt in front of the sandstone boulders.
A family group of six with a baby gathers around Sam among the boulders and black fence of the home garden.
A little boy in a blue bow tie stands very still while his navy braces are clipped on inside the historic house.
A little girl in a green lace dress gives a long, solemn stare while someone brushes her hair in a heritage room.
A small jewelled tiara is set gently into the flower girl's hair as she gazes up from her green lace dress.
The flower girl and page boy share an antique button back armchair on a patterned rug beneath an old portrait at Clarendon House.
Lipstick is brushed on with a fine brush in soft window light, the makeup artist's gold bangles in the foreground.
In black and white, Rosie swirls her long skirt across the old floorboards beside a tall shuttered window at Clarendon Estate.
Rosie smiles back over her shoulder at us as her pearl dotted veil is set into her hair inside the historic homestead.
The same smile over her shoulder in black and white, Rosie's veil being fixed into her low bun by the window.
Rosie stands side on to a tall sash window with deep timber shutters at Clarendon House, Nile, holding her dried flower bouquet.
In black and white, Rosie looks down at her bouquet of dried grasses, her long veil falling to the heritage floorboards.
Rosie and her dad in a mustard bow tie stand together in front of the tall window, the gardens blurred through the glass.
Her dad leans in to kiss Rosie's cheek as she closes her eyes and smiles in the window light of the historic house.
Rosie looks up at her dad in the deep window bay, timber shutters folded back and her long train on the floor.
Four bridesmaids in forest green gowns and Rosie raise their bouquets high in a window bay at Clarendon House.
Rosie and a blonde bridesmaid in forest green beam side by side, dried bouquets and eucalyptus in hand, in a heritage room.
Rosie stands cheek to cheek with a dark haired bridesmaid holding eucalyptus and pale dried flowers, the gardens through the glass.
Rosie and a bridesmaid with long wavy hair laugh at something just out of shot beside the old timber shutters.
Rosie stands with a bridesmaid in a one shoulder green gown, both holding dried flower posies in the historic window bay.
Rosie twirls her pearl dotted veil out across the floorboards in front of a tall window at Clarendon Estate near Evandale.
In black and white, Rosie's sheer veil sweeps out in an arc as she turns and laughs before the tall heritage window.
Rosie sits on an old timber bench in the historic window bay with the flower girl and her little basket beside her.
The flower girl sits on Rosie's lap with her basket while the page boy perches alongside holding the dried bouquet.
Rosie holds a baby in an olive smock on her lap as the flower girl reaches up to touch her bouquet at Clarendon Estate.
Rosie smiles from the window seat before the garden wedding, the baby in khaki on her knee and her strawflower bouquet in hand.
The flower girl swings her basket along the clipped box hedges of the walled garden at Clarendon House in Tasmania's Northern Midlands.
The flower girl and page boy walk hand in hand across the flagstones for the garden ceremony, bridesmaids waiting in the brick doorway.
The little ones wander down the lawn aisle towards Sam and the groomsmen waiting under a huge spreading tree in the heritage gardens.
Rosie walks out of the old brick doorway of the walled garden at Clarendon House on her dad's arm, flowers spilling over the beds.
Rosie and her dad cross the flagstones below the pale walls and green door of the historic house on the way to the garden wedding.
Sam grins under the dappled shade of the big tree as Rosie and her dad reach the end of the aisle.
Her dad wraps Rosie in a hug and kisses her hair before handing her over at the garden ceremony, her pearl veil catching the sun.
Her dad in his mustard bow tie sits with guests on white chairs in front of the old outbuildings at Clarendon Estate, Nile.
Guests in sunglasses watch the garden wedding from white chairs on the lawn, the woman in royal blue among them.
Rosie and Sam hold hands under the spreading tree as the little ones play on the lawn of the historic estate and bridesmaids look on.
Wide view of the garden ceremony under the great tree at Clarendon House, Nile, with four bridesmaids in green fanned out on the lawn.
Rosie and Sam hold hands for their vows beneath the leafy branches, heritage gardens and a distant ridge behind them.
Sam and Rosie share their first kiss under the spreading tree, her long train fanned across the garden lawn.
Guests clap from white chairs on the lawn in front of the long, low outbuildings of Clarendon Estate as the vows end.
An older guest holds a camera and grins as guests applaud below the pale walls and steps of the historic house.
Guests in sunglasses applaud the garden wedding from white chairs, a little boy on a lap, beside the verandah of the old outbuildings.
A guest in a wide brimmed hat claps and smiles among the rows of seated guests on the sunlit lawn of the historic estate.
Rosie and Sam rest their hands with new wedding bands on the signing table beside the certificate and a dried posy.
The bridal party lines up behind Rosie and Sam at the signing table in front of an old brick wall at Clarendon House.
Rosie and Sam kiss at the signing table after their garden ceremony, the bridesmaids and groomsmen grinning behind them by the heritage brick wall.
Rosie and Sam kiss as they walk back up the aisle past clapping guests and white chairs beneath the great tree in the gardens.
A big group of guests gathers on the lawn around Rosie and Sam by the brick wall and pale side of Clarendon Estate near Evandale.
Family group of eight with Rosie and Sam in front of the rose covered brick wall in the historic gardens beside the house.
A closer family portrait of Rosie and Sam with six loved ones on the lawn, climbing roses on the heritage brick behind.
Rosie and Sam stand with her dad and a woman in cream lace before the weathered brick wall of Clarendon House in Tasmania's Northern Midlands.
Rosie and Sam pose with a man in a navy shirt and a woman in a floral blouse by the rose covered garden wall.
Rosie and Sam with the woman in royal blue and the man in the blue linen shirt in front of the historic brick wall.
Rosie and Sam stand with five friends in floral and green dresses and waistcoats along the brick wall of Clarendon Estate.
A lively family group with three little ones in arms gathers around Rosie and Sam against the heritage brick of the garden wall.
Rosie and Sam stand with a young family, two small boys in blue shirts at the front, before the climbing roses of the gardens.
A wide family group of thirteen with a baby lines up across the lawn with Rosie and Sam at Clarendon Estate, Nile.
Rosie and Sam pose with four older loved ones, one in a straw hat, in front of the weathered historic brick and pink roses.
Sam laughs as the flower girl tumbles upside down from his hand at the garden wedding, Rosie holding the baby on her hip.
Sam lifts the flower girl and Rosie holds the baby in olive as all four smile in front of the old heritage brick wall.
Rosie and Sam stand with an older man in a waistcoat and a woman in a patterned blouse by the historic gardens.
Groomsmen in burgundy ties and bridesmaids in green flank Rosie and Sam, bouquets raised, along the old brick wall at Clarendon House.
The bridal party links arms and walks towards us across the heritage lawn as Rosie and Sam steal a kiss.
Rosie glances back over her shoulder, holding Sam's hand on the old brick path for their garden portraits, her long train trailing behind.
Rosie and Sam kiss on the lawn under overhanging branches at Clarendon House, Nile, her sheer veil pooling on the grass.
Sam wraps an arm around a smiling Rosie on their garden wedding portrait walk past clipped hedges in the late sun.
In black and white, a gust lifts Rosie's veil sideways as she and Sam walk the gravel drive under tall historic trees.
Rosie and Sam kiss under an avenue of old trees at Clarendon Estate near Evandale as the wind lifts her veil over the rustic fence.
In black and white, Sam presses a kiss to Rosie's forehead during their garden portraits, both with eyes closed in bright sunlight.
In black and white, Rosie gazes up at Sam with a soft smile, backlit by the afternoon sun in the gardens.
Rosie and Sam stand forehead to forehead on the gravel forecourt, the white columned portico of Clarendon Estate behind them.
Sam dips Rosie into a kiss on the gravel drive below the grand heritage portico, her long veil and train sweeping out.
In black and white, Rosie and Sam stand close as her veil streams out in front of Clarendon House in Tasmania's Northern Midlands.
Rosie and Sam rest forehead to forehead, eyes closed and smiling, her pearl dotted veil drifting across them at the heritage homestead.
In black and white, Rosie smiles with her eyes closed as Sam leans his forehead to hers under the sheer veil.
Sam kisses Rosie's forehead as her veil wraps around them both below the columned portico of Clarendon House.
In black and white, the veil wraps around Rosie and Sam as he kisses her forehead beside the clipped hedges of the historic house.
Rosie and Sam walk hand in hand down a shady avenue of old trees for their garden portraits, her skirt swinging.
Rosie and Sam walk away hand in hand across the dry golden paddock towards the old farm buildings of Clarendon Estate, Nile.
The wedding story

Our Clarendon House wedding photos: little ones on an antique chair, vows under a big tree and a veil below the portico

Groomsmen among the sandstone boulders · Getting ready inside Clarendon House · Through the walled garden gate · Vows under the tree · Family groups by the brick wall · Portraits at the portico and the paddock

Read the full story

Burgundy ties among the boulders

We started with Sam at a family home, sitting by a window in his olive jacket with a little dried-flower buttonhole, a frame we kept in black and white. Outside, a garden of big sandstone boulders became our set: the groomsmen in white shirts, burgundy ties and cream chinos climbed all over it, then grabbed Sam, tipped him upside down and held him there while everyone howled. Then came the quieter frames with loved ones and a baby in arms. Warm sandstone under a bright, cloud-flecked sky is kind to skin and makes every shirt glow.

Little ones on an antique chair

At Clarendon House the bridal party had been inside most of the day. A little boy stood very seriously while someone clipped his braces and straightened his blue bow tie, and a little girl in a green lace dress gave us a long, solemn stare. We sat the two of them together on an antique button-back armchair, on a patterned rug beneath an old portrait, her basket on her knee and his grin wide. Period rooms like these give us colour and texture for free, so we use them for the small people as well as the bride.

Tall shutters and a long veil

Rosie’s lipstick went on beside the window, then her veil was set into her hair while she smiled straight at us. The house has tall sash windows with deep timber shutters, and we stood Rosie side-on to one so the daylight fell softly across her face and down the long veil, her bouquet of dried grasses and strawflowers in her hands. In black and white we let the veil swirl out across the floorboards. Then her dad came in, and she leant into him for a kiss on the cheek right there in the window light.

Bouquets in the air

The four bridesmaids came in wearing deep forest green, and on the count of three every bouquet went up into the air, Rosie’s in the middle. We followed with pairs, each bridesmaid beside Rosie in the window bay, all of them laughing at something one of them said just out of shot. Then the little ones climbed up beside her on the window seat, the baby in her lap and the flower girl holding a posy of dried flowers. Green against cream panelling and soft daylight was a lovely palette, and the dried bouquets matched it beautifully.

Through the walled garden gate

The ceremony was outside on the lawn. The flower girl went first, swinging her basket along the clipped box hedges, then she and the page boy wandered hand in hand down the aisle beneath a huge tree. Rosie came through an old brick doorway in the walled garden on her dad’s arm, with flowers spilling over the beds on both sides. That doorway frames a bride perfectly, so we stood well back and waited for them to step into it. At the end of the aisle Sam watched them arrive, and her dad wrapped Rosie in a hug before handing her over.

Vows with the paddocks behind

Rosie and Sam stood beneath the big tree with the bridal party fanned out on the grass, and the view behind them ran across a rolling paddock to the horizon. We shot the vows from low and to one side to keep that open country in the frame. Guests in sunglasses clapped from white chairs in front of the long, low outbuildings, a reminder that this is a working farm estate as well as a grand house. The register was signed at a table in front of an old brick wall, with the whole bridal party lined up behind.

Roses and old brick

For the family photos we kept everyone in front of that brick wall, with roses and greenery climbing it and the pale side of the house beside it. Old brick is a perfect group backdrop: warm, textured and the same in every frame, so a whole run of family groups hangs together beautifully. We started with everyone on the lawn, then worked through the families one by one. In one frame Rosie held a baby on her hip while the flower girl tumbled over at her feet, and nobody kept a straight face. Then the bridal party linked arms and walked towards us.

Gravel paths and a flying veil

Our portrait walk took Rosie and Sam along the gravel paths and past the garden beds, her long train trailing behind. Under the big trees a gust caught the veil and lifted it right out sideways while they kissed, so we kept shooting. In black and white, Sam pressed a kiss to Rosie’s forehead, eyes closed. These Clarendon House wedding photos needed the house too, so we brought them round to the front, where the tall white columns of the double-storey portico rose behind them and the veil wrapped itself around them both.

A walk across the paddock

Our last portrait was a wide one. Rosie and Sam walked away from us between two trees, out across the dry golden paddock towards the old farm buildings, holding hands, her veil and train trailing over the grass. We like to finish a portrait session with a frame like that, because it gives the couple a quiet minute alone and shows the whole estate in a single picture. Then they turned back towards the house, where dinner with their family and friends was waiting on the estate.

Photographer's venue notes

Clarendon House, Nile: window light indoors, vows beneath the big tree and a veil lifting on the breeze

Read the venue notes

House, garden and paddock

Rosie and Sam kept almost everything on foot. The bridesmaids and little ones were inside the house all morning, using the tall shuttered windows and the deep window bay. From there Rosie stepped out through the brick doorway of the walled garden and crossed the flagstones to the lawn, where the aisle ran under one huge spreading tree. Signing and family groups happened along the old brick wall a few steps away, and the portrait walk wandered from gravel paths and an avenue of trees to the portico and finally the paddock.

Sun, shade and a gusty afternoon

It was a bright, cloud flecked day, the sort where every guest reaches for sunglasses. The canopy of that big tree saved us: its dappled shade sat right over Rosie and Sam for the vows, while the paddock and distant ridge behind stayed bright and open. As the afternoon wore on, the sun dropped behind the old trees and gave us lovely backlight on hair and veil. A steady breeze kept catching the tulle, so rather than fight it we kept shooting and let it fly.

Where we stood them

Inside, we placed Rosie side on to a shuttered window so the daylight wrapped around her face and ran down the veil, and the window seat gave the little ones a comfortable perch beside her. In the garden, we waited well back from the brick doorway so she and her dad stepped into it like a picture frame. The rose covered brick wall kept every family group consistent, and the gravel forecourt let us fit the whole columned portico behind them with the veil streaming out.

Tips for a day like theirs

Choose a ceremony spot with real shade overhead if your vows fall in the middle of a sunny afternoon; nobody looks relaxed squinting. If your veil is long and sheer, expect it to move on open farmland and treat that as a gift, since some of Rosie’s best portraits came from a sudden gust. With young children in the bridal party, give them a seat inside before the ceremony; an antique armchair kept them settled and smiling.

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