Frances Holds Her Bouquet at Home Before Her Gardens House Wedding
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Frances & Tim – Gardens House, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Gardens House · Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne · Morell Bridge · The Terrace

Garden Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · Region: VIC - Melbourne CBD · City: Melbourne · Venues: Gardens House · Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne · The Terrace

At Gardens House, we photographed Frances making her way down the red carpet towards Tim as guests looked on from the lawn. Their garden ceremony sat beneath big trees in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, with the heritage house close by. After the applause, we walked with them through the Gardens and out to Morell Bridge, then caught the last light on a punt across the Ornamental Lake. Paper lanterns marked the way into The Terrace, where the cupcake tower, speeches and live band kept the evening moving.

Frances waits as bridesmaids fasten her gown while a guest watches from behind the kitchen bench.
In profile, Frances smiles while the back of her lace gown is fastened before the ceremony.
Close view of a woman in navy lace concentrating on the final fastening of Frances's gown.
Two bridesmaids in dusty blue flank Frances as she settles the lace straps on her shoulders.
Bridesmaids adjust the straps of the gown in front of a bright window during the morning preparations.
Dotted tulle catches the window light as Frances looks down at her folded hands.
Frances smiles through a glazed door that reflects sky, trees and festoon lights, holding her bouquet.
Seated on the arm of a navy sofa, Frances holds her pastel bouquet beside an open doorway.
Tim and his groomsmen walk across a wide sunlit oval under a bright blue sky.
Guests gather beneath market umbrellas on the lawn in front of Gardens House before the ceremony.
A boutonniere is pinned on at left while Frances fixes her hair against a green wall.
Black and white photo of Tim waiting at the ceremony, hands clasped, framed by guests.
Black and white photo of a groomsman watching the ceremony through a blur of guests.
Guests raise phones as Frances walks the red carpet aisle at Gardens House, Royal Botanic Gardens.
Frances laughs mid-ceremony under a market umbrella while the bridesmaids hold their dahlia posies.
Wide view of the standing ceremony on the lawn at Gardens House with two market umbrellas.
The ring goes onto Tim's finger as the celebrant looks on in the garden.
The ceremony sits small beneath the towering trees and clear sky of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Hand in hand, Frances and Tim walk back down the red carpet as guests applaud.
Guests crowd the sunlit lawn to congratulate Frances and Tim after the ceremony.
The wedding party lines a heritage verandah trimmed in plum-painted timber, spaced along the rail.
Low sun flares through a huge tree as Frances and Tim stand together at a verandah rail.
Frances and Tim in dappled shade beneath an oak branch at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Tiny on a curving path, the couple stands beneath mature trees in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Frances leads Tim by the hand through garden beds, lifting her skirt and smiling to herself.
Tim carries the bouquet along a mulched path in golden light at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Black and white photo of the couple inside the Temple of the Winds at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Frances and Tim lean together at an ornate wrought iron gate in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The wedding party leans on the cast iron rail of Morell Bridge beneath a vast blue Melbourne sky.
Frances laughs at the rail of Morell Bridge while Tim watches her from further along in golden light.
At opposite ends of Morell Bridge, Frances and Tim look out with the Melbourne skyline behind.
Frances and Tim sit hand in hand on a park bench in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Black and white silhouette of Frances and Tim by the lake at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Frances sips champagne beside Tim in a punt at sunset on the Ornamental Lake, Royal Botanic Gardens.
Black and white photo of a punter poling the couple across the Ornamental Lake, Royal Botanic Gardens.
Wide black and white view of the punt crossing the Ornamental Lake at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Paper lanterns hang above Frances and Tim as they walk hand in hand into The Terrace at dusk.
Frances and Tim laugh as they cut a cupcake tower at The Terrace, Royal Botanic Gardens.
The bridal table listens to a speech, seen past the speaker's shoulder at the lectern.
A guest delivers a speech from the lectern while the bridal table looks on.
Frances throws her head back laughing at the reception table beside Tim.
Black and white photo of a guest smiling warmly while listening to the reception speeches.
Quiet at the bridal table, Frances sits beside a tall arrangement of dahlias and succulents.
Frances and Tim share their first dance as a live band plays behind a rope of orange lights.
Tim laughs mid-dance holding Frances's hand as guests join them on the floor.
Black and white photo of Frances and Tim dancing cheek to cheek as the room fills.
Night falls over the Royal Botanic Gardens as Frances and Tim hold each other beneath a lit tower.
The story

From the Gardens House lawn to the lake at sunset

Ceremony: Gardens House · Portraits: Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne & Morell Bridge · Reception: The Terrace.

At the ceremony, we kept an eye on the little things: Frances laughing under the umbrella, the ring going on Tim's finger, guests coming across the lawn to congratulate them. Then we gave the scene some room. We photographed the wedding party along the heritage verandah, took Frances and Tim beneath the trees, and let the pair become tiny in a wide frame of the garden path. Morell Bridge brought the skyline into view; the punt slowed the pace, with Frances sipping champagne as the sun sank over the lake. At The Terrace, they walked in under lanterns, laughed over the cupcake tower and danced to the band.

Photographer's venue notes

A Gardens House wedding near Melbourne CBD

Gardens House and The Terrace gave us two different views of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. On the lawn by the heritage house, we could get close to Frances and Tim during the ceremony, then step back to include the guests and the trees. The walk to the Temple of the Winds and Morell Bridge changed the backdrop from garden shade to the city skyline. We photographed their Ornamental Lake punt ride in the low sun before following them to The Terrace. It's worth leaving room between the ceremony and reception for a portrait walk like theirs.

Planning a Gardens House or Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne wedding? Tell us which corners of the Gardens matter to you. We'll plan the portrait walk around the light and leave you time to get back to your guests.

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