One estate, no car trips
Holly and Matt kept almost the whole day on one property. Holly got ready in the cottage at Inglewood Estate, so there were no car trips and no clock-watching between the dress and the ceremony. That is one of the quiet advantages of an estate wedding: we can walk from the getting-ready room to the paddocks in a couple of minutes. They had also planned their portraits and bridal party photos for before the ceremony, which meant the afternoon could be built around good light instead of a rush of group shots after the vows.
A kiss under the gums
Our first frames of the two of them together were out in the paddock under the gums. Matt wore a white shirt, brown braces and a navy bow tie, and Holly a fitted gown with a low open back and a long line of covered buttons. They stopped for a kiss, and we stepped back to keep the trees and the soft grey sky in the frame. High, bright cloud is a gift for a white dress: no hot spots, no squinting, and every button reads clearly. Some of our favourite Inglewood Estate wedding photos are simple ones like this.
A veil with a mind of its own
Then we just let them walk. Holly and Matt came across the grass hand in hand, laughing, while the breeze picked up her long veil and threw it out sideways behind her. Matt lifted her hand to his lips mid-stride. Wind can be a nuisance for hair, but for a long veil it is the best styling there is, so we stayed low and let the fabric fill the empty side of the frame. Fallen bark and leaves under their feet, gums overhead and paddocks rolling away behind: it looks like the edge of the Yarra Valley because it is.
A gravel aisle by the willows
The ceremony was outdoors in the gardens near the chapel, with white folding chairs on either side of a gravel aisle, a simple timber arbour and big weeping willows behind. When the vows were done, Matt, now in his blue jacket, walked Holly back down the aisle while guests threw white and blush petals from both sides. The bridesmaids stood by the arbour with their bouquets, beaming. We walk backwards in front of a recessional so we can keep both faces in view, and with petals in the air we kept shooting the whole way.
Petals in her hair
Halfway back along the aisle they stopped for a kiss, and the petals kept coming. They landed in Holly’s hair, caught in her pearl-edged veil and settled on Matt’s shoulder, and the guests in the front row were grinning as widely as the couple. A kiss in the aisle lasts a few seconds, so we pick our spot early and keep the arbour and willows behind them, which lets the moment carry the place with it. Bright, open sky above the gardens kept everything fresh and clean, with no deep shadow across their faces.
Arms up at the chapel
Then we gathered everyone for the big group photo in front of the vine-covered chapel. A crowd that size takes a bit of shepherding, so we brought the front rows in close, put the children at the front and Holly and her bridesmaids, bouquets in hand, in the middle. Matt was back in his braces by then. On the count, everyone threw their arms in the air and the whole group cheered. We chose the chapel on purpose: its leafy gable sits right behind the crowd, with the willows and the trees on the hill framing both sides.
A golden lift among the vines
Late in the day we slipped away with Holly and Matt for sunset portraits among the vines. The sun was low behind them, lighting up Holly’s hair and the edges of the young vine leaves on their wire trellis. Matt scooped her up, her gown spilling over his arm, and they both burst out laughing. Backlight like this is why we plan portraits for the last hour of daylight in summer: everything glows, and with the sun behind the couple nobody has to squint. Then it was back to their guests and the reception.
