Collingwood Children's Farm is one of Melbourne's best wedding secrets: eight hectares of paddocks on a bend of the Yarra, about four kilometres from the CBD, on land that has been farmed since 1836. It is the oldest children’s farm in Australia, so the guest list always includes a few goats, sheep and chickens. For a couple who wanted a relaxed, people-first day, it was perfect.
We started with Emma in a rented house in Parkville, in a navy satin robe, holding up a lace gown with a train that seemed to go on forever. Her mum was right beside her, and the moment she leaned in to kiss Emma’s head is the frame we would hang first. Then the bridal party arrived in pink and red satin, including a bridesman in a matching pink suit, and the room got loud in the best way. A bright window and a white staircase did the rest. When you have light like that, keep it simple and let the dress do the talking.
Over at the farm, George got ready in the farmhouse, cool as anything under a dried floral wreath. Then he headed down to the old oak to wait for Emma.
The ceremony was under the farm’s huge old oak beside the river, which the farm calls one of the oldest and grandest trees in the area. Emma walked in arm in arm with her mum. The bridesmaids and the bridesman lined up on one side, five groomsmen in black tuxedos on the other (no best man, just mates), and the couple’s dog sat front and centre like it owned the place. Halfway through, Emma rested her head on George’s chest, and a minute later George was wiping away a tear while Emma laughed and held on tight. It was one of our favourite moments of the year.
That canopy is a gift for a photographer: deep, even shade, so nobody squints and a white lace gown never blows out. One kiss, one dip and a cheer that probably reached the goats, and they were married.
Emma and George wanted as much of cocktail hour with their guests as they could get, so we worked fast and close: the timber barn doors, a rustic fence, the open paddock and a garden bench, all in well under an hour. Our trick on a farm is to use what is already there. A fence becomes a frame, a long lace train becomes a brushstroke across the grass, and a bench under the trees becomes a quiet minute. Her train deserved room, so we stepped back for a few wide frames in the paddock.
Meanwhile the guests had found the blue vintage Kombi van bar under the pepper trees, the kids had found the animal paddocks and the festoon lights had come on. Very few wedding venues give you a cocktail hour with farm animals next door.
The reception was in the Barn, built in 1895 and still a working barn where the farm’s dairy cows are milked. Long timber tables ran the length of the room under a hanging installation of proteas and natives, each table named after a country with a holiday snap on the card. A pink ombre cake sat on a wine barrel, and five speeches, from Emma’s brother as MC, George’s parents, both of Emma’s parents and George himself, had the room laughing and teary in equal measure.
Then the first dance. Old timber and stone soak up light, so we placed one light behind the couple to rim them in a glow and kept the strings of lights twinkling overhead. A dip, a twirl and a lift that sent Emma’s train flying, then the dance floor opened and Emma threw her arm in the air. That is where we said goodbye, with the ice cream cart still to come.
We filmed the day too, so watch Emma and George’s wedding film. These Collingwood Children's Farm wedding photos are why we love a farm wedding in the middle of Melbourne: a country day without the drive, under an oak, beside the river and among the animals. See more of our Melbourne wedding photography, our garden wedding photos or our country wedding photography.
