Crown Perth · Great Eastern Hwy & Bolton Ave, Burswood WA · Perth
Ballroom Wedding · Urban City Wedding · City: Perth · Venue: Crown Perth
A lace gown hanging on a balcony above the Swan River, vows in the open air with the river glittering behind, and heart-shaped balloons flying across the dance floor. Trinh and Matt kept their whole wedding inside Crown Perth in Burswood, from a morning in the suite to golden-hour portraits in the parkland by the water and a last kiss with the city lights sparkling across the river. We loved every minute of it.
Getting ready above the Swan · Balcony ceremony · Drinks in the suite · Golden-hour portraits by the river · Paper-flower wall and speeches · Dancing and city lights
Our day started with the best view in the building. Trinh’s lace gown was hanging on the balcony of the suite, framed by the glass balustrade with the Swan River and the Perth skyline stretched out behind it. We always hang a dress where it can catch open sky, because the light falls evenly down the lace and the setting tells the story before anyone is even dressed. Hair and makeup happened right beside the glass, and two loved ones stepped out onto the balcony for a portrait together, the river bright and blue behind them.
Inside, the details came together fast. A loved one knelt to fasten the sparkling buckle on Trinh’s shoe while we moved in close on her hands. Then the gown went on, and a helper spread the long lace train across the carpet as Trinh stepped forward to see it move. We sat her by the sheer curtains with her white bouquet for a quiet moment, then brought in two loved ones for a portrait on either side of her. The veil came last, long enough to trail across the floor behind her, and a little girl watched every step.
Matt’s side was all crisp lines. We laid out his white tie with its silver clip beside a pair of dark sunglasses on a dark textured leather tabletop, then photographed a watch being lifted from its leather case. Groom details are quick, so we shoot them on the darkest surface in the room, which makes white and silver stand out without any fuss. Matt waited in his navy suit by a mirror and railing, calm and smiling. It is a good habit for any groom: be dressed fifteen minutes early, and those portraits happen in good light instead of in a rush.
The ceremony happened outdoors on a high balcony, with the river and the city spread out behind the couple. Trinh came out on the arm of a loved one, and Matt met her with a hand on her shoulder and a grin he could not hide. Guests filled wicker armchairs and stood along the glass, and the celebrant read from her folder while Trinh laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. We worked from the side as well as straight down the aisle, so the river stays in the frame behind their faces instead of a blank wall.
A few guests wiped away happy tears in the front row, and then the rings went on, with the celebrant holding the microphone close so everyone could hear Matt’s words. The kiss came with the sun right behind them, and we let it flare across the frame on purpose, because a bright sky over the river is part of this day. Then came the signing at a glass table, half hidden behind a bank of pink and white roses. Trinh and Matt sat side by side with the river behind them, laughing as the pens moved.
Our favourite moment after the ceremony was a simple one. Trinh and Matt leant in from either side and kissed an older loved one on both cheeks at once, and her face lit up. Inside the suite, drinks came out and the room relaxed: a tall guest raised a glass, friends squeezed onto the cream sofa for a group photo, and two little ones in their smart outfits stood at the window looking out over the river. Then we took the family portraits out onto the balcony, where a boy and a girl stood proudly in front of the couple.
For portraits we walked into the parkland by the river as the sun dropped low. Family groups stood in front of a clipped hedge, then Trinh and Matt kissed on a brick path under the trees, her veil curling across the paving. We stepped right back for a wide frame of the two of them on a bench under a huge old tree, then brought Trinh down to the water beside a fountain sculpture. Late afternoon in autumn gives warm, low light that wraps around faces, and walking a couple slowly towards the sun is the easiest way to use it.
On the walk back, the light turned gold on the road and Trinh’s veil lifted in the breeze as they headed towards the hotel. Inside the reception, a wall of white and gold paper flowers became the backdrop for photos with nearly every guest, one happy group after another. Speeches came from the lectern, friends raised their glasses around the round tables, and Matt laughed through every story. Our favourite frame of the night: Trinh down on the carpet in her lace gown, playing a board game with a little boy as if nothing else was happening.
Then the games began. Heart-shaped balloons appeared, guests squeezed them between partners and chased them across the floor, and loved ones of every age ended up laughing at their tables. The dance floor filled in front of giant light-up letters spelling out love, and a little girl in mint green danced beside a guest in a red gown. We finished outside after dark with Trinh and Matt wrapped up together, the city lights shimmering across the river behind them. It was the perfect last frame of our Crown Perth wedding photos, and a lovely way to end a big day.
Trinh and Matt never needed a car. The morning happened in a suite whose balcony looked over the river, the ceremony moved outdoors to a high balcony with wicker armchairs and a curved glass wall, and drinks and family groups came back to the suite afterwards. For portraits we walked across to the parkland by the water, then strolled back along the street towards the hotel, past a terrace of palms and a plant-hung stone wall, and down a corridor of hoop chandeliers into the ballroom.
The ceremony ran in bright afternoon sun with the river glittering behind the couple, and a steady breeze kept lifting Trinh's veil and loose strands of her hair. Rather than fight the glare, we welcomed the flare over the kiss and used the balcony glass for reflections of Matt waiting. By the time we reached the park the light was low and warm and filtering through the leaves, and after dark the city lights shimmered across the water for one last frame on the balcony.
The clipped hedge made a tidy, neutral wall for family groups, and the brick path under the trees gave us leading lines for a slow walk with the veil trailing across the pavers. A bench beneath a huge old tree let us step right back and show how small the two of them looked in all that green. Our favourite stop was the lake, where the winged bronze fountain threw a fine mist into the light behind Trinh, and a small footbridge gave them something to laugh their way across.
Keep the walk to the park in mind when choosing shoes and veil length; Trinh's long veil was stunning but needed a helping hand on the street and in the breeze. Plan a short drinks break in the suite after the vows, so older loved ones can sit down before family groups begin. And leave room after dinner for one quick trip outside once night falls, because the lights across the river make a closing portrait that takes only a couple of minutes.