Ferguson Valley Escape feels like a tropical plantation hideaway dropped into the West Australian bush. Palms and towering cactus, a resort pool, a stone-walled shed full of vintage finds and tall gums all around, about twenty minutes inland from Bunbury. We pulled in at midday to find the lawn already set for cocktails: white parasols, wine barrels and cane chairs, plus a throw on a chair telling everyone to come for the love and stay for the party. Emma and Dave meant every word.
Dave got ready first, and we kept most of his set in black and white: the crisp shirt, the bow tie in the mirror, a quiet minute on the balcony with the tropical leaves crowding in. Monochrome strips a groom’s prep back to shape and expression, and in a house full of patterned wallpaper and palms it stops the background stealing the show. Then his mates rolled in and it turned into a very different shoot: sunglasses, flat caps, a drink or two and one enormous group photo in front of the old timber shed.
Emma did her own make-up, which we love, because it gives us the real thing: a bride at a table on the deck, brush in hand, palms reflected in the glass. We shot that one through the window so the reflection layered over her like a double exposure. Her gown from Grace Loves Lace was all silky satin, with a cowl neck, a high slit and an open back that dropped almost to the waist, and the four-poster bed was the perfect stage for it. Our favourite spot in the house was the staircase: light spilling in from below and Emma’s train following her down, step by step.
The ceremony was in the garden at four, under a white floral arch in front of a carved timber pergola among the gums. Emma’s brother walked her across the lawn, standing in for their late dad, and at the end of the aisle he wrapped her in a long hug while Dave stood beside them with both hands over his face. You could feel how much that walk meant to all three of them, and it was the first of many happy tears. During the vows Dave reached over to wipe one from Emma’s cheek, and a minute later they were both laughing up at the sky.
Ceremonies under trees are a gift for a photographer: the canopy softens the afternoon sun, so faces stay even and nobody squints through their vows. Then came the kiss, two pairs of arms flung in the air and a bubble exit that went off like a party. Bubbles are one of our favourite confetti alternatives: they catch the light, they drift right in front of the lens and they turn every guest into a kid again. We shot a few frames straight through them, so the bubbles melt into soft circles around the kiss.
Emma and Dave had asked for sunset portraits straight after the ceremony, so we slipped away while guests found their drinks. Our tip for any property wedding: stay close and walk, don’t drive. Ten minutes in the garden gave us a long walk with her train trailing over the grass, a quiet hold at the arch and a dip kiss on the timber dance floor under the chandelier. By the time we reached the pergola walkway the festoon lights were glowing, so we added champagne, a kiss on the hand and a slow dance between the posts.
The reception was in the property’s rustic shed: rusted iron, stone walls, chandeliers, pampas and a grazing table loaded from end to end. Sixty guests, one mate on the decks and two more on the mic kept it relaxed all night. At the head table Emma raised her champagne from a peacock chair while Dave did a proper Aussie shoey behind her, and we got both in one frame. We also made time for photos with Emma’s side of the family, gathered on the cane lounge, because those are the pictures that matter more every year.
And the finale: a black car parked out front with Just Married written across the back window. We lit it with one light behind them so the tail lights glowed and the night stayed black, then let Emma do what she does best: arm in the air, pure celebration. One last kiss on the back of the car, and that was a wrap.
We filmed the day too, so watch Emma and Dave’s wedding film. These Ferguson Valley Escape wedding photos are why we love a South West WA wedding: a whole day in one beautiful place, a garden full of gums and a party that never needed to leave the property. See more of our Dunsborough and Margaret River wedding photography, our Perth wedding photography, our garden wedding photos or our country wedding photography.
