Encore St Kilda Beach wedding photos: Sharon and Daniel stand close on a sandy avenue of tall palms, her long veil spread behind, St Kilda
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Real church wedding · St Kilda, Melbourne

Encore St Kilda Beach Wedding Photos: Sharon & Daniel

Encore St Kilda Beach · 10/18 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda VIC · Melbourne

Beach Wedding · Church & Cathedral Wedding · Waterside Wedding · Region: VIC - St Kilda · City: Melbourne · Venues: Encore St Kilda Beach · Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn · St Kilda Botanical Gardens

A soaring Gothic church in Hawthorn, a white stretch limo, bridesmaids in gold satin under tall palms and then every single guest crowded onto the boardwalk with the bay behind them. Sharon and Daniel’s summer wedding ended at Encore St Kilda Beach, where the evening light over the water turned soft and pearly for their portraits before the reception carried on inside. From the first look down the red carpet to that last lift by the sea, we loved every minute.

The gallery
Daniel in a black tuxedo waits at the front of the church with four groomsmen in navy suits on the red carpet.
Sharon walks down the red carpet aisle on her dad's arm at Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn, as guests raise their phones.
Daniel grins as he shakes her dad's hand at the top of the aisle, stained glass glowing behind them in the church.
Daniel smiles across at Sharon under her veil as she holds a round bouquet of white roses during the ceremony.
A loved one in a blue suit and spotted tie reads from the timber lectern during the church ceremony.
A loved one in a floral dress reads at the front of the church between two tall white candles.
A bridesmaid in gold satin reads at the lectern, her dark hair pinned back with a small sparkling clip.
An older guest in a floral dress follows the printed order of service from a timber church pew.
Bridesmaids in gold satin and groomsmen in navy flank Sharon and Daniel on the red steps inside Immaculate Conception Church.
Pointed arches and a pale vaulted ceiling soar above Sharon and Daniel on the red steps of the Gothic church.
Under a sheer veil, Sharon holds Daniel's hands during the vows, the lace of her gown catching the church light.
Four bridesmaids in gold satin slip dresses hold white rose bouquets on the red steps at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Four groomsmen in navy suits stand with hands clasped below the tall organ pipes and stained glass of the church.
Bridesmaids and groomsmen clap as Sharon and Daniel kiss on the red steps at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Hawthorn.
Her dad claps from the front pew beside a woman in a blue dress as the church fills with applause.
Guests film the newlyweds on their phones from church pews tied with sprays of white baby's breath.
The bridal party lines up behind the signing table under the stained glass at Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn.
Sharon and Daniel laugh their way back down the red carpet as guests film them under the church's vaulted ceiling.
Guests clap and film from the pews as Sharon and Daniel walk out along the aisle of Immaculate Conception Church.
Sharon and Daniel kiss in the arched church doorway, her long tulle train spread across the tiled floor.
In black and white, the newlyweds kiss in the bright doorway beneath the leadlight tracery of the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Every guest gathers on the steps and footpath for one big group photo in front of the dark stone church and its tall tower.
Guests throw their hands up for a crowd photo outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Hawthorn.
Sharon and Daniel stand with her dad and family under a white timber pergola draped in vines beside the church.
A man in a maroon tie and a woman in florals join the couple under the vine pergola at Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn.
Four men in dark suits and a woman in a floral dress line up with the newlyweds on the flagstones beside the church.
Little girls in white dresses and a small boy in a white shirt join a big family group under the leafy pergola.
Her dad and a woman in a navy cape dress stand with Sharon and Daniel under the pergola beside Immaculate Conception Church.
Her dad holds his face mask as he poses with the couple and a woman in navy beneath the green vines.
Timber benches frame a family portrait of four under the vine-covered pergola in the church's flagstone courtyard.
A small child in a grey hoodie peeks out beside a woman in gold satin during family photos at the church.
Two young boys in short sleeves join the family line-up with Sharon, Daniel and her dad under the vines.
Friends in navy, grey, green and blush gather with the couple under the pergola at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
The same friends burst out laughing, with thumbs up and pointing fingers, around Sharon and Daniel outside the church.
Older guests in pale pink and mustard stand with the couple and two men in suits beneath the green pergola.
Around thirty guests and little ones gather under the leafy pergola for a wide family photo at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Hawthorn.
Four women in mustard, florals, black and white chevrons and pale pink surround the newlyweds by the church.
A friend in a blue and white swirl print dress and a man in navy smile with the couple under the vines.
A man in a grey suit and blue shirt and a woman in a chevron dress pose with the couple at Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn.
A smiling guest in a navy tuxedo, mask tucked under his chin, stands between Daniel and Sharon at the church.
A woman in a navy dress with embroidered flowers and a man in a pale grey blazer stand with the newlyweds.
A woman holding a baby and a man with a small boy in a bow tie flank Sharon and Daniel beside the church.
A friend in teal satin, a man in a burgundy blazer and a woman in florals stand with the couple at Immaculate Conception Church.
A little boy in a navy blazer pokes out his tongue while a baby with a pink bow joins the family photo.
Two friends in black polka dots and dark florals and a man in blue laugh with the couple by the church.
Daniel rests a hand on a little boy's shoulder as three children in their best outfits pose with the couple.
Groomsmen in navy and bridesmaids in gold satin line up beside a white stretch limo outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Daniel hugs a laughing Sharon on the gravel path between tall palms, her veil sweeping past the lens, in bayside St Kilda.
Sharon and Daniel stand in the middle of the palm avenue at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, a few streets back from the beach.
Her long train fans out across the gravel as the couple pose between towering palms, a stroll from the bayside foreshore.
Hand in hand, Sharon smiles ahead while Daniel watches her on a garden path near the St Kilda shoreline.
In black and white, the couple walk hand in hand under tall palms before heading to their bayside beach reception.
Daniel swings his free arm as he and Sharon stride towards us at St Kilda Botanical Gardens in Port Phillip, close to the bay.
In black and white, Sharon gathers her skirt as she and Daniel walk towards us through a bayside park lined with palms.
Daniel carries Sharon's tulle skirt and her bouquet as they cross the lawn on their St Kilda beach wedding day.
A black and white moment of Daniel gathering her tulle while Sharon smiles to the side, a few blocks from the waterfront.
Four bridesmaids in gold satin surround the couple under the palms of St Kilda Botanical Gardens, Blessington Street, with the beach reception still to come.
Sharon and her bridesmaids hold matching white rose bouquets among the palms of bayside St Kilda.
Bouquets fly high as Sharon and her bridesmaids cheer under the palms at St Kilda Botanical Gardens before their reception by the beach.
Seen from behind, Sharon and her bridesmaids raise their bouquets up the avenue, a short walk from the sand and the bay.
In gold and navy, the bridal party lines up on the palm avenue at St Kilda Botanical Gardens in Port Phillip, near the beach.
Arm in arm, the bridal party strolls towards us while the couple kiss in the middle, a few streets from the bay.
Daniel stands with his four groomsmen in navy under tall palms at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, Blessington Street, a short hop from the sand.
Daniel and his groomsmen link hands in a smiling chain on the gravel avenue in St Kilda, close to the beach.
Daniel carries Sharon along the palm avenue at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, her train hanging low, on the way to the beach.
Daniel lifts Sharon off her feet and they both throw their heads back laughing, tulle billowing, in bayside St Kilda.
Daniel kisses Sharon as he holds her in his arms, bouquet in her lap, ahead of their waterfront reception on the beach.
The couple face each other beneath the low branch of an old tree at St Kilda Botanical Gardens in Port Phillip, near the shoreline.
Sharon lifts her skirt and smiles at us as they cross the lawn under the palms, the bay just a few blocks away.
Daniel strolls down the avenue with one hand in his pocket and a white rose on his lapel, near the St Kilda waterfront.
In black and white, Daniel walks towards us in his tuxedo between rows of tall palms on his bayside beach wedding day.
Sharon glances back over her shoulder as her sparkling tulle train spreads across the lawn, a short stroll from the bayside shoreline.
Daniel kisses Sharon's temple among ferns and palms under the glass roof of the conservatory at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, near the beach.
Sharon looks back along a timber walkway lined with ferns, her long train trailing, before the drive to the waterside reception.
Daniel lifts Sharon on the waterfront boardwalk as waves roll onto the beach behind them and the breeze catches her skirt.
Sharon smiles over Daniel's shoulder as her veil blows across the boardwalk at Encore St Kilda, the sand and bay behind.
Cheek to cheek by the beach, Sharon and Daniel smile as a bayside breeze lifts her veil in the soft evening light.
Every guest joins Sharon and Daniel on the boardwalk at Encore St Kilda Beach, arms raised above the bay shoreline.
The wedding story

Our Encore St Kilda Beach wedding photos: a red carpet aisle, a stretch limo to the palms and a lift by the bay at sunset

Ceremony at Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorn · Family groups under the vine pergola · Stretch limo · Palms and glasshouse at St Kilda Botanical Gardens · Sunset on the boardwalk · Reception at Encore St Kilda Beach

Read the full story

Navy suits on the red carpet

We picked up Sharon and Daniel’s day inside Immaculate Conception Church in Hawthorn, where Daniel stood at the top of the red carpet in a black tuxedo with his groomsmen in navy beside him. The church is all pointed arches, painted columns and stained glass, so we started wide from the back to show the whole height of the nave. Churches this tall can feel dim, but the pale walls bounce plenty of light around, which let us keep the colours true and the faces bright without any flash.

Down the aisle with her dad

Sharon came down the aisle on her dad’s arm, carrying a round bouquet of white roses, past pews tied with baby’s breath and guests with their phones up. We framed the walk from the front, then turned straight to Daniel, and it paid off: as Sharon reached him, Daniel turned with the biggest smile, and she peeked back at him through her veil. A groom’s face in that moment is the one frame couples ask about most, and it lasts all of two seconds.

Readings under the arches

Three loved ones read, one after the other, and in the pews an older guest followed along on the printed order of service. From the back we caught the whole scene in one frame: the bridesmaids in gold satin on one side, the groomsmen in navy on the other, and Sharon and Daniel facing each other on the red steps under the stained glass. Then we moved in close for their hands joined during the vows, with Sharon’s lace and the soft edge of her veil filling the frame.

Applause and the register

The kiss brought the whole church to its feet clapping, groomsmen included. At the signing table, under the stained glass, the bridal party lined up on either side for a symmetrical frame that suits this church perfectly, everything balanced around the centre aisle. Then came the walk back down the red carpet. Recessionals are one of our favourite moments to photograph because nobody is posing: Sharon and Daniel laughed all the way, guests reached out from the pews, and phones went up on both sides.

A kiss in the doorway

At the church door, before stepping outside, Sharon and Daniel stopped for a kiss framed by the arched doorway, and we kept that one in black and white so the white gown and the bright doorway did all the talking. Outside, the dark stone church with its tall spire made a grand backdrop, so we gathered every guest on the footpath and the steps for one big crowd photo, arms in the air. Getting everyone in early, while they are all still there, is the easiest way to make sure nobody is missed.

Families under the vines

For family photos we moved to a timber pergola draped in green vines beside the church, on a flagstone floor. It was an overcast summer day, and the leafy roof softened the light even further, so nobody squinted and the greens stayed rich. We worked through the families in quick succession: big family groups first, then smaller ones, little ones in white dresses and tiny suits, then friends in twos and threes. A good shot list and a loud helper make this part fly.

A stretch limo to the palms

The bridal party lined up beside a white stretch limo in front of the church, then piled in for the drive south to St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The palm avenue there is made for a wedding party: a straight gravel path, tall palms on both sides and enough width for everyone in one row. The bridesmaids in gold satin gathered around Sharon and threw their bouquets high, the groomsmen in navy lined up with Daniel, and then the two groups merged and walked towards us in one long, laughing line.

A lift, a branch and the glasshouse

Daniel swept Sharon off her feet on the path, her tulle train flying, and then we found them a shadier spot under the long, low branch of an old tree, standing on a carpet of fallen leaves. After that it was into the conservatory, where palms and ferns grow right up to the glass roof. Inside, the light is soft and green and the plants frame the couple naturally, so we shot through the leaves to put a little foreground blur at the edge of the frame. Daniel kissed Sharon’s forehead among the ferns.

A big group on the boardwalk

At Encore St Kilda Beach, the evening sky over Port Phillip had turned soft and pearly with a low band of cloud along the horizon. We took Sharon and Daniel out to the timber boardwalk, where Daniel lifted her with the waves rolling in behind and the sea breeze catching her veil. Then every guest came out to join them for one huge group photo on the boardwalk, the bay behind and arms up across the back rows. After that, everyone headed inside for the rest of the reception.

Photographer's venue notes

Encore St Kilda Beach, St Kilda: a lift by the waves and every guest on the boardwalk under a pearly sky

Read the venue notes

The last stop of a long day

Sharon and Daniel’s day began at a church in Hawthorn and moved on to the palms and glasshouse of St Kilda Botanical Gardens, so Encore was the final stop and the place where everyone came together. Once the guests had arrived, we used the timber boardwalk right outside for two things: a short couple portrait beside the waves, then one huge group photo with every guest and the bay behind. After that, the party moved indoors for the rest of the reception.

An overcast summer evening

The whole day stayed overcast, and by evening the sky over the bay was a soft grey with a line of cloud sitting low on the horizon. That worked in our favour. There was no hard sun to squint into, the background stayed calm and pale behind the couple, and skin looked smooth and even in every frame. The breeze off the water was up as well, so Sharon’s veil and tulle kept moving on their own without any help from us.

Making the boardwalk work for everyone

For the lift, we kept Sharon and Daniel square to the water with the waves rolling in behind them, so the frame read as beach and bay. Cheek to cheek frames came next, with the breeze carrying her veil across them. For the group, we asked the back rows to throw their arms up, which lifts the energy and fills the frame edge to edge above the shoreline. A long timber boardwalk suits a crowd because everyone can stand on one level with the bay behind them.

Tips for a church and bay day

If your day starts inland, as Sharon and Daniel’s did, keep the garden portraits for the middle of the afternoon and save the bay for the evening, when the light over the water softens. Ask for the whole guest photo the moment everyone reaches Encore, before people settle at their tables and drift off. And do not worry about a grey sky here: the overcast evening over the water flattered Sharon and Daniel more than bright sun would have.

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