Glen Derwent wedding photos: Steph and Kane walk hand in hand down a dirt farm track between young trees, Steph glancing back, near Hobart
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Real heritage wedding · New Norfolk, Tasmania

Glen Derwent Wedding Photos: Steph & Kane

Glen Derwent · New Norfolk TAS

Country Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · Venue: Glen Derwent

Low cloud on the hills above the Derwent River, a tulle aisle through the rose garden and a high kick in front of five bridesmaids in blush. Steph and Kane’s wedding at Glen Derwent in New Norfolk had a Georgian farmhouse for a backdrop and a courtyard full of fire pits, fairy lights and an acoustic duo playing from an old stone doorway once the reception got going. We were right there with them, from the first walk down the aisle to the last kiss by the fire.

The gallery
Low cloud hangs over the hills above the Derwent River at New Norfolk on a still, grey country morning.
Two early guests walk up the rain-wet gravel drive towards the white Georgian homestead, wooded hills rising behind it.
An older guest waits on the verandah of the historic farmhouse at Glen Derwent, New Norfolk, a climbing vine beside the red posts.
Muscovy ducks forage on the wet lawn beneath tall dark hedges as the country garden waits for the wedding.
Timber benches wait among the rose beds in front of the heritage Georgian farmhouse at Glen Derwent before the ceremony.
A grass aisle edged with white tulle and woven hearts runs through the roses towards a gate in the tall cypress hedge.
Woven wire hearts and swags of white tulle line the rose garden aisle at Glen Derwent in the Derwent Valley.
Steph walks down the staircase past a tall sash window inside the historic homestead, seen from above in black and white.
Steph poses in lace beside tall paned windows and white timber panelling, her train spread over the heritage homestead's floorboards.
Kane waits on the lawn with his two groomsmen in grey waistcoats beside the celebrant, the white homestead rising behind the roses.
Kane, in a grey waistcoat and blush pink tie, stands with his groomsmen at the top of the tulle aisle near the historic arched porch.
Steph steps out from the arched porch on the arm of a loved one in white lace, with Kane waiting soft in the foreground.
Five bridesmaids in blush stand among the roses as Steph and Kane face the celebrant at Glen Derwent, the heritage farmhouse behind them.
A teenage guest and three boys in white shirts grin and clap from the front bench during the country garden ceremony.
Guests standing among the rose beds of the historic garden clap and cheer in front of tall cypress hedges.
Kane throws a high kick between Steph and her five bridesmaids in blush beside an old green farm shed, wooded hills behind.
Steph and Kane walk hand in hand across the lawn below the red verandah posts of Glen Derwent, New Norfolk.
Steph and Kane stroll up a rutted country track, houses dotted over the wooded hillside behind them.
Steph glances back over her shoulder as Kane leads her along the track between rows of young trees on the farm.
A wide view of Steph and Kane kissing between the wheel ruts of a rural track lined with young trees turning yellow.
Steph and Kane crouch together on the track for a quick fix at her feet beside a paddock fence, yellow trees behind.
Looking down as Kane helps Steph with a quick fix at her feet, her white bouquet resting in the dirt.
Steph lifts the hem of her lace gown on the dirt track, young yellow trees and farmland stretching out behind her.
Kane in his grey waistcoat, blush tie and white buttonhole, looking off to the side on the tree-lined track.
Houses dot a dry wooded hillside across the country valley, tall golden grasses in the foreground.
Guests settle on folding chairs in the courtyard behind the main house at Glen Derwent in the Derwent Valley, beside the outdoor staircase.
A white easel sign against the historic sandstone wall says come as you are, we are all family, so no seating plan.
A LOVE sign leans beside a tulle curtain under cotton ball lights at the foot of the timber stairs in the heritage barn.
White flowers spill from an old timber crate under cotton ball lights against the rough sandstone wall.
A Happy Ever After sign hangs on the sandstone wall above long white tables inside the historic stone outbuilding at Glen Derwent.
Guests mingle under the white marquees in the heritage courtyard, a woman in red lace and a man in a brown hat among them.
Guests gather around a white marquee in the courtyard, the old sandstone barn framed by leafy branches overhead.
Looking down at dusk on fire pits, white marquees and the historic hop kiln with its pyramid roof at Glen Derwent, New Norfolk.
An acoustic duo plays guitars inside an arched stone doorway lit in blue and pink as night falls.
Guests pull their chairs close to the glowing fire pits beside the marquee after dark at Glen Derwent in the Derwent Valley.
Kane in a red jumper and Steph in a cream knit cardigan kiss beside a fire pit under the vine and fairy lights.
Gold light breaks through heavy cloud above the Derwent River and its country hills at dusk.
The wedding story

Our Glen Derwent wedding photos: a tulle aisle through the roses, a high kick with the bridesmaids and a kiss by the fire pit

Getting ready in the farmhouse · Rose garden ceremony · Bridal party on the lawn · Portraits on the tree-lined track · Courtyard reception · Fire pits and an acoustic duo

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Mist on the Derwent

We drove into New Norfolk under low cloud, the Derwent River lying flat and silver below hills wrapped in mist. At Glen Derwent the gravel drive was still shining from a shower as the first arrivals walked up towards the white Georgian farmhouse, with its long verandah and rose beds out front. Muscovy ducks pottered across the wet lawn beneath the tall hedges. A grey start is no bad thing for a garden wedding: cloud works like one enormous soft light, roses hold their colour and nobody squints. We spent the early part of the afternoon on the house, the garden and the details.

A tulle aisle through the roses

The ceremony was set in the rose garden right in front of the house: a grass aisle edged with white tulle, little woven hearts on wire stakes, and timber benches tucked among the roses. We photograph a setting like this before anyone sits down, once from the front porch looking out and once from the far end looking back at the verandah, so the couple can see the whole picture later. By then the cloud had broken up into big white clouds and patches of blue sky, and the old house glowed cream against it.

Steph on the stairs

Inside, Steph came down the staircase in her lace gown, and we leant over the banister to shoot straight down on her as she passed the tall sash window, a frame we kept in black and white. Then we stood her beside a wall of big paned windows, white timber panelling below and trees outside, with her lace train spread across the floorboards and a posy of white blooms in her hand. Window light from one side is the kindest light there is for lace: it picks out every flower in the pattern without a flash in sight.

Waiting by the verandah

Out on the lawn, Kane waited with his two groomsmen in grey waistcoats and blush pink ties, the celebrant beside them in red and black. Guests gathered behind the rose beds and the youngest ones claimed the front bench. Then Steph stepped out from under the arched porch, past the weathered timber front doors, on the arm of a loved one in white lace. We kept a long lens on the aisle with Kane soft in the foreground, so the frame tells the story from both ends: Steph walking towards him, and Kane waiting.

Five in blush

Steph’s five bridesmaids stood in a row of floor-length blush dresses on one side, the groomsmen on the other, and the farmhouse rose up behind the whole ceremony like a stage set. On the front bench a teenage guest and three boys in white shirts could not stop grinning and clapping, and the guests standing among the roses soon joined in. With about sixty guests, a garden ceremony stays close and easy. We worked the edges, crouching low in the garden beds so roses and petunias filled the foreground of our wide frames.

A high kick on the lawn

Glen Derwent wedding photos do not need a car. Straight after the ceremony we walked everyone out to the open grass beyond the garden, with the wooded hills of the valley behind. Steph and Kane strode through the middle of the five bridesmaids, who gathered up their blush skirts and laughed, and Kane threw in a high kick that nobody had planned. Then it was just the two of them, hand in hand across the lawn in front of the red verandah posts. Walking is our favourite way to start portraits, because people forget the camera when they have somewhere to go.

The track through young trees

A dirt track ran between rows of young trees, a few already turning yellow, with houses dotted over the hillside behind. We stood well back and let the wheel ruts lead the eye straight to them, Steph glancing back over her shoulder as Kane led the way. Halfway along, both of them crouched down in the dirt for a quick fix at Steph’s feet, bouquet left on the ground, and that small moment became one of our favourite frames of the day. Soft late summer cloud kept the light even, so we gave each of them a quiet solo portrait on the track as well.

Come as you are

Back at the house, the reception spread through the courtyard behind the farmhouse, between the sandstone outbuildings and the white rear wing with its outdoor staircase. A sign on a white easel under the vine said it all: come as you are, stay as long as you can, we are all family, so no seating plan. Inside a stone outbuilding, cotton ball lights looped along the walls, a LOVE sign leant beside a tulle curtain by the stairs, white flowers spilled from a timber crate and a Happy Ever After sign hung above the long tables. Outside, guests mingled under white marquees.

Fire pits and a stone stage

As dusk came on we climbed up for a view over the courtyard: white marquees, fire pits glowing and the old sandstone hop kiln with its pyramid roof standing over it all. An acoustic duo played from inside an arched stone doorway lit in blue and pink, and guests pulled their chairs in close to the flames. By then Kane was in a red jumper and Steph had a cream knit cardigan over her lace, and we photographed them kissing beside a fire pit under the vine and fairy lights. Our last frame was the sky over the Derwent, clouds breaking gold above the hills.

Photographer's venue notes

Glen Derwent, New Norfolk: rose garden vows after the rain and a fire pit evening in the courtyard

Read the venue notes

Garden, lawn, track and courtyard

Steph and Kane used the property in a neat loop. Steph got ready inside the farmhouse, came down the stairs and stepped out through the arched front porch straight into the rose garden ceremony. From there we walked out to the open lawn beyond the garden for the bridal party, then on to a dirt track between rows of young trees for couple portraits, all on foot. The reception sat in the courtyard behind the house, with long tables inside a stone outbuilding, marquees and fire pits outside, and the duo playing from a stone doorway.

Showers, then big clouds

The day opened grey and damp, with low cloud on the hills and the drive still wet from a shower. By ceremony time the weather had cleared to sunshine between large clouds, so the cream house had bright, clean light without the hard contrast of a cloudless sky. Cloud drifted back over the track for the portraits, which kept skin and lace gentle. At dusk the gold light finally broke through above the hills, just as the fire pits and fairy lights began to glow in the courtyard.

Photo spots for Steph and Kane

The best wide frame of the ceremony came from inside the rose beds, with flowers close to the lens and the verandah and red posts behind the couple. For the bridal party, the old green farm shed and the wooded hills made a relaxed rural backdrop for Kane’s high kick. On the track, the wheel ruts pointed straight at the couple and the yellowing young trees added late season colour. After dark, a high spot over the courtyard showed the marquees, the fire pits and the pyramid roof of the hop kiln together in one frame.

Tips for a valley wedding like this one

Do not give up on the garden plan at the first shower: Steph and Kane’s grey start cleared well before the vows. Pack a warm layer for the evening, because the valley cools quickly; Kane changed into a red jumper and Steph pulled on a cream knit cardigan by the fire. A sign telling guests to sit anywhere, as theirs did, keeps a courtyard reception relaxed and mixes the families. And give the musicians the stone doorway: lit in colour, it became a little stage everyone could see from the fire.

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