Immerse Winery wedding photos: Vanessa and Michael walk hand in hand across a wide green paddock under soft cloud, rolling vineyard hills behind, Yarra Valley
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Real garden wedding · Dixons Creek, Melbourne

Immerse Winery Wedding Photos: Vanessa & Michael

Immerse Winery · Dixons Creek VIC · Melbourne

Garden Wedding · Winery & Vineyard Wedding · Region: VIC - Yarra Valley · City: Melbourne · Venue: Immerse Winery

A letter read in a tufted armchair, a dad pressing a handkerchief to his eyes on a timber bench and petals raining over the whole crowd in front of a tall glass gable. Vanessa and Michael’s wedding at Immerse Winery in Dixons Creek, in the Yarra Valley, moved from the Garden Chapel out into the vines, past a swing among the roses and onto a packed dance floor that night. We were there for every hug, every happy tear and every cheer.

The gallery
Wedding invitation naming Immerse in the Yarra Valley, propped against a bouquet of red protea, blush roses and a white orchid.
Michael grinning as he straightens his pale tie by the window, dressed in a navy three piece suit for his winery wedding.
Michael and his groomsman laughing together among tall rose bushes beside a grey weatherboard veranda in the gardens.
Michael and his groomsman in matching navy suits smiling among the roses at Immerse Winery ahead of the garden ceremony.
A loved one in a lace trimmed robe touches up Vanessa's makeup beside tall glass doors before her Yarra Valley wedding.
Vanessa laughing as a fine brush adds a final touch of rosy lipstick, her dark hair swept back.
Vanessa's hands folded on her knee, her engagement ring beside the floral lace cuff of her white robe on her garden wedding day.
Vanessa in her white lace trimmed robe gazing out the glass door, the lit makeup mirror reflecting her room at the winery.
Vanessa in a white robe and tulle between two loved ones in pink robes and white slippers on the deck at Immerse.
Over the shoulder view of Michael opening a wedding day card, two cartoon dogs beneath a flowered arch, before his garden ceremony.
Michael smiling at his card in a carved timber armchair, a white rose buttonhole on his lapel as his Yarra Valley wedding day begins.
Michael reading a handwritten letter in a tufted armchair by the window, in black and white.
Michael between two older loved ones against grey weatherboards and climbing roses in the estate gardens.
Michael with four loved ones, two in a blue floral and a black dress, along a grey weatherboard wall at the winery.
Michael with his groomsman and seven loved ones against the grey weatherboards at Immerse Winery, Dixons Creek.
A loved one in a bright floral dress smoothing the lace straps of Vanessa's gown as she dresses for the garden wedding.
Vanessa fastening a sparkling drop earring, a fine tennis bracelet on her wrist, as she gets ready at the winery.
Her bridesmaid in burgundy kneeling to fasten Vanessa's white heels beside the bed before the garden ceremony.
Her dad in a dark suit and floral tie walking in through the front door at Immerse Yarra Valley, her bouquet soft in the foreground.
Her dad wrapping Vanessa in a long hug, her eyes closed and her bouquet tucked at his side.
Her dad's face softening as he sees Vanessa in her gown for the first time, her protea and rose bouquet in the foreground.
Vanessa between her dad and the loved one in the bright floral dress, smiling by the window before the winery ceremony.
Vanessa looking down at her burgundy and blush bouquet in her room, the lace hem of her gown pooling on the timber floor.
Her dad walking Vanessa down the pale stone aisle of the Garden Chapel, guests turning from the timber benches.
From behind, Vanessa's veil trails over the stone as her dad leads her to Michael for their garden ceremony, florals on wine barrels.
Her dad shaking Michael's hand at the end of the aisle, a guitarist playing behind them in the open sided garden pavilion.
Her dad pressing a handkerchief to his eyes on a timber bench beside the loved one in the floral dress, the gardens green beyond.
Two older guests watching quietly from a timber bench during the Yarra Valley ceremony, more loved ones seated behind.
Her dad and the loved one in the floral dress smiling from the front bench, a guitarist playing beside the gardens.
Wide view of Vanessa and Michael holding hands under the weathered timber gable at Immerse Winery, guests filling the benches.
Guests on the front benches laughing and clapping beneath the timber roof during the garden ceremony.
A row of guests further back bursting into laughter and applause at the winery wedding ceremony.
Vanessa and Michael walking back down the aisle beneath the white rafters of the Garden Chapel, guests beaming either side.
Vanessa holding her bouquet high and Michael punching the air on the garden path outside the chapel.
Vanessa and Michael kissing on the path in front of the weathered timber chapel, his fist still in the air.
Every guest gathered on the lawn with Vanessa and Michael in front of the tall glass gable of the Vineyard Chapel.
Petals flying in every colour as arms go up across the crowd before the white chapel at this Yarra Valley winery.
Vanessa and Michael with her dad, the loved one in the floral dress and two older loved ones on the petal strewn lawn.
A big group of loved ones around the couple outside the white chapel at Immerse Winery in the Yarra Valley.
Vanessa and Michael with eight loved ones in front of the tall chapel window, her lace train fanned over the winery lawn.
Vanessa and Michael with four loved ones under the arched windows, petals scattered over the grass on their garden wedding day.
Vanessa and Michael beneath the soaring window of the white chapel at Immerse Winery with two older loved ones.
Vanessa and Michael with his groomsman, a loved one in black lace and two teenage boys on the petal covered winery lawn.
Vanessa and Michael with a loved one in a grey floral dress and a grinning young boy in a black waistcoat in the Yarra Valley.
Her dad and the loved one in the bright floral dress either side of the couple, petals dotting the lawn after the garden ceremony.
A six person group portrait under the chapel's tall gable on a soft grey Yarra Valley afternoon.
Vanessa and Michael with a man in a floral shirt and a loved one in an off shoulder green dress at Immerse.
Vanessa and Michael beside an older loved one in a purple check tie, petals at their feet on the vineyard lawn.
Vanessa and Michael with four loved ones, one in a red off shoulder dress with a red flower in her hair, in the gardens.
Vanessa and Michael with four Yarra Valley wedding guests, a girl in a pink floral dress and a boy in a printed shirt among them.
Vanessa and Michael with a loved one in a spotted dress and two men in pink and grey ties at the winery.
Vanessa and Michael with a loved one in black lace sleeves and a man in grey trousers at Immerse Winery, Dixons Creek.
Vanessa and Michael with a man holding a toddler in white and a loved one in a bright geometric print dress at their garden wedding.
Vanessa and Michael with her bridesmaid in burgundy and his groomsman in navy before the white chapel at the Yarra Valley winery.
Vanessa and Michael with four loved ones in check, burgundy and floral outfits, petals strewn over the lawn by the gardens.
Vanessa and Michael with six loved ones in pink, blue and navy lined up before the white chapel at the vineyard.
Vanessa and Michael alone on the petal scattered lawn below the huge window of the white chapel at Immerse Winery.
Garden portrait of Vanessa and Michael kissing beneath the towering glass gable, her protea and rose bouquet pressed between them.
Vanessa and Michael laughing as they walk along the grass beside the vine rows, her veil gathered in her arm.
Michael kissing Vanessa beneath the iron chandelier inside the Vineyard Chapel as her bridesmaid waves a bouquet in the air.
The same chandelier kiss inside the chapel in black and white, its tall window looking out over the vineyard.
Garden portrait of Vanessa, Michael, her bridesmaid and his groomsman under the timber portico of the white chapel, white roses beside them.
The bridal party of four lined up in front of the vine rows at Immerse in the Yarra Valley, tall trees behind.
Vanessa and her bridesmaid in burgundy smiling at each other with their bouquets between the vines.
Vanessa and her bridesmaid laughing cheek to cheek, their bouquets of protea and roses held together against the Yarra Valley vines.
Michael's arm around Vanessa's waist as they walk away along the grass beside the vineyard, her long veil spilling out behind.
A low view of Vanessa and Michael walking hand in hand beneath the vine canopy at the winery, clouds drifting overhead.
Vanessa and Michael leaning together on the grassy track between two vine rows at Immerse Winery.
Shot through soft vine leaves, Vanessa and Michael holding hands as they share a smile in the Yarra Valley vineyard.
Michael kissing Vanessa's forehead among the vines, her eyes closed and her hand resting on his chest.
Vanessa beaming up at Michael with her hand on his chest, framed by blurred vine leaves on a Yarra Valley afternoon.
Vanessa and Michael holding hands in the open paddock at Immerse, the valley's folded hills and a long grey sky beyond them.
In black and white, Vanessa and Michael hold hands and look opposite ways across the rolling Yarra Valley hills.
Vanessa and Michael small against the wide open paddock and distant ridges of Immerse Winery in the Yarra Valley.
Vanessa glancing over her shoulder in the winery paddock, her protea, rose and orchid bouquet held at her waist.
Michael with his hands in his pockets, smiling off to the side in the open paddock between the vineyard and the hills.
Vanessa and Michael kissing beneath a leafy covered walkway in the gardens, her lace train spread over the gravel.
Michael grinning at Vanessa as they pass a weeping tree in a round stone bed, garden portraits on the way back.
Vanessa hugging Michael from behind on a path lined with red and white roses at Immerse Winery, her bouquet set down.
Vanessa wrapping her arms around Michael as they smile on the rose path through the gardens, petals on the concrete.
Close up of Vanessa's ringed hand resting in Michael's palm against his navy suit on their Yarra Valley wedding day.
Michael kissing Vanessa's temple on a swing beneath the timber pergola at Immerse, her veil pooling across the garden deck.
Vanessa and Michael running hand in hand across the lawn past the rose gardens, pink blooms soft in the foreground.
Vanessa and Michael's first dance in the winery reception, guests circling the floor beside a wine barrel and timber walls.
Vanessa beaming over Michael's shoulder in their first dance at the Yarra Valley reception, loved ones watching with phones raised.
Wide view of the first dance under festoon lights and lantern chandeliers in the reception room at Immerse Winery, Dixons Creek.
Michael spinning Vanessa as hands go up all around them on the dance floor of their garden wedding reception.
A packed dance floor with Vanessa and Michael in the middle, hands raised and loved ones singing along at the winery.
Vanessa sharing a dance with her dad under the festoon lights as guests gather in the doorways beside a wine barrel.
A slow dance under festoon lights by the Immerse Yarra Valley sign on corrugated iron, three tall urns around them.
The wedding story

Our Immerse Winery wedding photos: a dad’s happy tears, a shower of petals and a swing among the roses

Getting ready at Immerse · Garden Chapel ceremony · Petal toss at the Vineyard Chapel · Vines, paddock and rose path portraits · Swing on the garden deck · First dance and the Immerse sign at night

Read the full story

A card, a letter and a tufted chair

Our day at Immerse began with the small things: the invitation propped against a bunch of red protea, pale garden roses and a white orchid, photographed before anyone could move it. Michael and his groomsman stood among the rose bushes by the veranda in matching navy suits. Back inside, Michael opened a card made for the wedding day, then settled into a tufted armchair with a handwritten letter and a grin he couldn’t hide. We kept that frame in black and white, the window glowing behind him. Outside again, loved ones gathered against the grey weatherboards for the first group photo of the day.

Pink robes on the deck

Vanessa’s room had timber floors and big, soft window light, which is all we ever ask for. She laughed through a final touch of lipstick, and we moved in close on her hands, her ring and the lace edge of her robe. Out on the deck she stood between two loved ones in pink robes and white slippers. Then the gown went on: a loved one in a bright floral dress smoothed it at her shoulders while her bridesmaid, in burgundy, knelt to fasten her shoes. For that frame we stay low and to one side, so the window light falls across the lace.

Her dad at the door

Then came a moment we had been waiting for. Vanessa’s dad walked in through the front door in a dark suit and floral tie, and we framed him in the doorway with her bouquet soft in the foreground, so you can feel exactly where she was standing. He saw her for the first time and his whole face softened. We gave them a minute before the three of them, Vanessa between her dad and the loved one in the floral dress, lined up for a portrait by the window. First looks with family are worth planning: five quiet minutes before the ceremony is plenty.

Down the Garden Chapel aisle

The ceremony was in the Garden Chapel, an open-sided pavilion under a pitched roof of weathered timber boards, with trees and garden just beyond its edges. Vanessa’s dad walked her down the pale stone aisle past rows of timber benches, her veil trailing far behind her. Tall burgundy and blush florals framed the front, and a guitarist played from the side. Once he sat down, her dad pressed a handkerchief to his eyes, and we were glad we were watching. A covered chapel with open sides is kind to faces: the roof blocks harsh light from above while soft light pours in from the garden.

Laughter along the benches

Vanessa and Michael held hands under the timber gable while we worked the edges of the chapel, from the back for the wide view and along the side for the guests. Older guests on the front benches watched quietly, and a row of loved ones further back burst out laughing and clapping at just the right moment. Then it was done. They came back down the aisle through a crowd of happy faces, and outside the chapel Vanessa raised her bouquet high in the air while Michael punched the sky beside her. Recessionals move fast, so we always walk backwards ahead of the couple.

A shower of petals

Next stop was the lawn in front of the Vineyard Chapel, a white weatherboard building with one enormous window filling its gable. We gathered every guest there, and petals flew in every colour while arms went up across the front row. The tall window makes a clean, symmetrical backdrop for big groups, and the petals left on the grass dressed up every family photo that followed, with Vanessa’s train fanned out on the lawn each time. Before we left, we slipped inside the chapel, where Michael kissed her beneath the iron chandelier and her bridesmaid waved a bouquet in the air.

Through the vine leaves

The vines were only a short walk away. Vanessa, Michael, her bridesmaid and his groomsman lined up between the rows, then we sent the couple wandering down the grass with her veil spilling out behind her. Some of our favourite Immerse Winery wedding photos come from shooting through the leaves: we pushed the lens right into the canopy so the foreground turned into a soft green frame around them. Michael kissed Vanessa’s forehead among the vines, and the grey sky worked in our favour, giving even, gentle light on skin and lace with no squinting at all.

Rolling hills and a rose path

Beyond the vines, an open paddock looks across rolling hills towards the edge of the valley. We gave Vanessa and Michael room to walk there and shot wide, so they read small against all that green, then came in for a single portrait of each of them. On the way back we passed a weeping tree beside a bed of lavender and a path lined with red and white roses, where Michael leant in close and made her laugh. A tight frame of their hands, her ring resting in his palm against his navy suit, rounded off the walk.

A swing, a dance floor and a sign

Our last stop before the reception was a swing hanging from a timber pergola on the garden deck, with roses in bloom behind it. Michael kissed Vanessa’s temple while her veil pooled across the boards. Inside, guests circled the dance floor for the first dance, and soon the whole room was in the middle of it, with Michael spinning Vanessa and hands in the air everywhere. We finished outside under festoon lights, at the Immerse Yarra Valley sign on corrugated iron between three tall urns, for a slow dance of their own.

Photographer's venue notes

Immerse Winery, Dixons Creek: a Garden Chapel ceremony, petals by the white chapel and grey sky vines

Read the venue notes

How the day moved around Immerse

Everything for Vanessa and Michael happened on the one estate. They got ready in rooms with timber floors and big windows, with family groups along the grey weatherboards and roses by the veranda. The ceremony was in the Garden Chapel, then everyone walked across to the lawn in front of the Vineyard Chapel for the petals and the family groups. From there we took the couple and their two attendants into the vines and the paddock, back past the rose path and the swing, and on to the reception and the sign outside at night.

A soft grey afternoon

A blanket of cloud sat over the valley all afternoon, and it made our job easy. The open sided Garden Chapel let gentle light in from the garden, so faces along the benches stayed even. Out by the white chapel, the overcast sky kept the lace and the white weatherboards full of detail, and in the vines nobody had to squint, even looking straight up at us. When the sky is this even we can face a couple any way we like, which frees us to choose the background first.

The frames we chased

The tall glass gable of the Vineyard Chapel was our anchor for groups because it centres a crowd and stays clean behind every row. Inside, the iron chandelier gave us a quieter kiss. In the vines we pressed the lens into the leaves for a green blur at the edges, and the open paddock gave us scale, with the couple small under that long grey sky. The swing on the deck and the festoon lit sign made two easy closing frames close to the reception room.

Planning a long list of family groups

Vanessa and Michael had a generous list of family combinations, and the lawn in front of the Vineyard Chapel handled it well because everyone could wait nearby on the grass. Give us the list ahead of time with the biggest groups first, so older guests can sit down sooner. For the walk out to the vines and paddock, a long veil can be gathered over one arm, which is exactly what Vanessa did, and it kept the lace off the grass and gravel.

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