Kirks Reservoir Park wedding photos: Justin and Jodie walk hand in hand down stone garden steps beneath tall trees and red blossoms in Ballarat
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Real garden wedding · Gong Gong, Melbourne

Kirks Reservoir Park Wedding Photos: Justin & Jodie

Kirks Reservoir Park · Gong Gong VIC · Melbourne

Garden Wedding · City: Melbourne · Venue: Kirks Reservoir Park

A white classic car among tall red-trunked conifers, a timber arbour under a giant weeping willow and a dad who could not stop grinning. Jodie and Justin’s wedding at Kirks Reservoir Park in Gong Gong, just outside Ballarat, kept the vows, the family hugs and the portraits inside one leafy reservoir garden, then finished with a twirl and a lift under festoon lights. We were with them from the first cufflink to the last dance, and we loved every minute.

The gallery
Two wedding rings rest on Jodie and Justin's invitation beside a white rose and little Mr and Mrs ring boxes.
Justin fastens a cufflink in a doorway, wearing a crisp white shirt and dark waistcoat on the wedding morning.
Justin, in his suit, pauses in a doorway beside a timber dining table set with pink flowers under pendant lights.
Justin in a navy three piece suit waits on a teal couch by a big window as a tabby cat inspects his shoes.
Justin smiles down and strokes the tabby cat at his feet in soft side light from the window.
Justin takes a swig of beer between two loved ones holding bottles under a leafy backyard tree.
Justin and two loved ones with beers stand on the backyard lawn beneath a big tree hung with red bottlebrush flowers.
Justin and an older loved one in a blue shirt share a grin and a beer by the black backyard fence.
Justin and a young man in a bow tie and braces raise their beers on the grass before the ceremony.
Justin in his navy suit stands with a hand in his pocket beside a tree fern in the backyard.
White pointed heels rest on tulle beside a bouquet of white roses, peony style blooms and eucalyptus.
A lace garter, ring box, perfume bottle and ribboned gift lie on tulle beside Jodie's white bouquet.
Jodie brushes on her make-up, her freckled face caught in a small blue handheld mirror.
A loved one in navy lace settles the veil over Jodie's shoulders, a string of pearls at her collarbone.
Jodie holds her bouquet beside a beaming older loved one in a black cardigan and blue floral dress.
Jodie and a loved one in a navy lace gown smile by the window, each holding white roses and eucalyptus.
Jodie stands between two tall windows with a bearded loved one in a maroon shirt before leaving for the ceremony.
Jodie's engagement ring catches the window light as her hand rests on her bouquet of white roses.
Jodie sits on the arm of a couch beside a tall window, her gown's train pooled on the carpet.
Jodie smiles softly with her bouquet in her lap, wearing pearls and a lace bodice with little sleeves.
Jodie laughs straight down the lens, her veil falling over one shoulder in the window light.
A clear acrylic welcome sign with Jodie and Justin's names leans in the grass for their garden ceremony.
Justin waits under the weeping willow fronds at Kirks Reservoir Park, the white signing table set on the lawn.
Her dad grins as Jodie takes his arm beside the white classic car, tall conifers rising over the gardens.
Her dad walks Jodie down the grass aisle towards a red timber arbour beneath the giant willow at Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong.
A guest in a cream jacket beams from her seat during the garden ceremony under the willow.
Guests fill the pale metal café chairs on the lawn at Kirks Reservoir Park near Ballarat, a little one on a lap.
An older guest in bright pink leans forward with a smile among guests seated beside the gardens.
A giant weeping willow pours over the garden wedding at Kirks Reservoir Park, guests seated beneath it facing the arbour.
A guest in a maroon shirt and sunglasses watches the vows from a metal chair, garden beds and cypress behind.
Guests listen closely in rows on the lawn, flowering shrubs and a timber fence behind them.
Guests in rows on the Kirks Reservoir lawn watch the vows, a young man in a bow tie at the end.
Her dad sits in the front row beside an older loved one and a loved one in navy lace holding a toddler.
Jodie and Justin hold hands and face each other as the celebrant speaks into a microphone during their garden ceremony.
Justin cups Jodie's cheek for their first kiss under the red timber arbour at Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong.
Her dad smiles in the front row with loved ones and a toddler beside the bouquet, the gardens stretching behind.
Jodie signs the register at a little white table on the lawn as Justin smiles and the celebrant guides her.
Jodie and Justin smile from the white signing table at Kirks Reservoir Park near Ballarat, willow fronds arching overhead.
A young man in a bow tie and a loved one in navy lace stand behind the couple at the garden wedding signing table.
Justin smiles down at Jodie at the signing table under the willows of Kirks Reservoir Park as the two behind them laugh.
Jodie throws her arms around her dad in a laughing bear hug after the garden ceremony.
The whole crowd gathers under the big trees on the Kirks Reservoir lawn, kids lined up at the front.
Every guest throws their arms in the air on our call for a joyful garden wedding crowd shot under the trees.
Jodie and Justin stand with her dad and loved ones on the lawn, willow fronds and gardens all around.
Jodie and Justin pose with her dad and an older loved one beneath the willow at Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong.
Family garden portraits continue with a loved one in a cream jacket and a man in a black jacket by the willow trunk.
Jodie and Justin line up with four loved ones in cream and navy beneath the drooping willow.
A man in a cream blazer and a woman in a floral skirt join the couple under the willow at Kirks Reservoir Park near Ballarat.
Jodie and Justin stand with a bald man in a black jacket and a woman in navy lace, the gardens soft behind.
Six loved ones and the couple line up by the old willow trunk and a clipped hedge for family garden portraits.
A closer family group of six beams under the willow, a young woman in mint beside Jodie.
Jodie and Justin stand with three loved ones in maroon, navy lace and black florals beneath the willow canopy in the gardens.
Her dad joins a big family group with four boys at the front beside the willow at Kirks Reservoir Park.
Jodie and Justin pose on the lawn with a smiling woman in black florals and a man in a blue shirt.
An older loved one in bright pink laughs skyward beside the couple and a loved one in purple during the garden portraits.
The couple stand between two older loved ones in purple and pink beside the willow on the Kirks Reservoir lawn.
An older loved one in purple and pearls leans in close to Justin and Jodie under the willow fronds.
An older loved one in a bright pink suit stands with Jodie and Justin beside the gardens.
A dozen loved ones gather around the couple by the big willow trunk at Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong.
Jodie and Justin hold hands at the ribboned bonnet of the white classic car under towering red-trunked conifers.
The white classic car sits beneath a stand of tall red-trunked conifers at Kirks Reservoir Park near Ballarat, the couple beside it.
A guest in a maroon shirt and sunglasses leans on the long white classic car beneath the conifers in the gardens.
Jodie and Justin stand with a young man in a bow tie and braces in the dappled shade of the conifer grove.
Jodie, Justin and a loved one in navy lace hold white bouquets beside a red-barked conifer trunk for garden portraits.
The couple and the two who stood behind them at the signing line up on the mulch under the conifers.
Laughing, the four stroll through the conifer grove at Kirks Reservoir Park on a carpet of mulch.
Jodie throws her head back laughing at Justin as a loved one in navy lace looks on among the conifers.
An older guest in a blue shirt kisses Jodie's hand beside a rustic stone wall in the gardens.
Jodie laughs hand in hand with the older guest in the blue shirt by the rustic stone garden wall.
Jodie and Justin walk hand in hand down the stone steps with green handrails at Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong.
Jodie wraps her arms around Justin's neck at the foot of the garden steps, red blooms glowing behind.
Justin kisses Jodie's cheek in a garden wedding hug, the green handrail and stone steps soft behind them.
Jodie smiles up at Justin through her veil, pearls and lace bright against his navy shoulder.
Jodie and Justin stand together on a mulched path by the hedges of Kirks Reservoir, sunlight filtering through the trees.
Justin dips Jodie for a kiss on a mulched garden path, her veil swinging free in the sunlight.
Jodie and Justin stroll across the lawn past the gardens and towering conifers at Kirks Reservoir Park near Ballarat.
Jodie and Justin rest forehead to forehead under the hanging willow fronds for a soft garden portrait.
Willow fronds soften the foreground as Jodie and Justin embrace in the shade at Kirks Reservoir Park.
Justin and Jodie share their first dance under festoon lights beside a little light box spelling out their names.
Justin spins Jodie under his arm on the dance floor while guests watch from long timber tables under festoon bulbs.
Justin scoops Jodie off the floor in a lift under festoon lights as a videographer films from a tripod.
The wedding story

Our Kirks Reservoir Park wedding photos: vows under a weeping willow, a white classic car in the conifers and a twirl under festoon lights

Getting ready at home · Vows under the willow at Kirks Reservoir Park · Family hugs and groups on the lawn · Classic car and conifer portraits · Stone stairs and willow curtains · First dance under festoon lights

Read the full story

A cufflink and a curious cat

Our morning started small: two rings resting on Jodie and Justin’s invitation beside little Mr and Mrs boxes, a frame we always make before the paper gets moved. Then we found Justin in a three-piece navy suit, fastening a cufflink in a doorway. He settled on a teal couch beside a big window to wait, and the household cat wandered over to inspect his shoes. A window like that is our favourite groom light: soft, from the side, no flash needed. Out in the backyard, a couple of loved ones handed round beers under a leafy tree, and Justin joined them with a bottle of his own.

Peonies, pearls and a veil

Meanwhile, Jodie’s details were waiting on a sheet of tulle: white pointed heels, a bouquet of white roses and peony-style blooms with eucalyptus, a lace garter, a ring box and a bottle of perfume. We caught her make-up in the reflection of a small mirror, then a loved one in navy lace settled the veil over her shoulders. Her gown had a lace bodice with little sleeves, and a string of pearls sat at her collarbone. We sat her on the arm of a couch beside a tall window, let the train pool on the carpet, and she laughed straight down the lens.

Her dad and the white classic

At the park, a clear acrylic welcome sign leant in the grass and Justin waited at the end of the aisle with willow fronds hanging behind him. Then Jodie arrived in a white classic car and stood beside it on her dad’s arm, the two of them grinning while someone gathered her train off the drive. Arrivals happen fast, so we stand back a little with a slightly wider view: it keeps the car, the dress and both faces in one frame, and there is still time to step in close before they start walking.

A lawn aisle to the willow

Jodie’s dad walked her down a grass aisle between green metal café chairs, straight towards a red timber arbour dressed with foliage under an enormous weeping willow. We stepped right back for one wide frame of the whole scene: the willow pouring down like a green curtain, the guests tucked beneath it and the garden beds around the edge. Then we turned to the chairs. A guest in a cream jacket beamed, an older guest in bright pink leant forward, and a little one watched from a lap.

Vows with a microphone

The celebrant held the microphone while Jodie and Justin held hands and faced each other, and the willow did the lighting for us. A big tree canopy works as open shade: no squinting, no hard shadows across the eyes, just even light on two happy faces. The first kiss came under the arbour, his hand at her cheek. They signed the register at a little white table set on the lawn, with two of their closest people standing behind, and Justin smiled down at Jodie while she wrote.

Bear hugs and waving arms

Jodie’s dad got the first big hug once the paperwork was done, and it was a proper bear hug, both of them laughing. Then we gathered everyone under the willows for the whole crowd, kids at the front, and on our call every arm went up in the air. From there we worked through the family groups on the lawn, one combination after another, with the tree trunks framing each side. A tip from us: write the family list before the day and give it to someone loud. Ten minutes of groups goes quickly when someone else is calling the names.

Classic car in the conifers

For portraits we moved deeper into the park, where a stand of tall, red-trunked conifers lines the drive. The white classic car was parked beneath them, and we used it as a long, low shape across the frame with Jodie and Justin beside it and the trees rising behind. The two who had stood behind them at the signing joined in for a few frames in the shade of the grove. Then an older guest in a blue shirt came over and kissed Jodie’s hand, and her laugh in that moment is one of our favourites from the day.

Stone steps and willow curtains

Kirks Reservoir Park wedding photos are all about texture, so we went looking for it. A flight of stone steps with green handrails climbs past a red flowering shrub, and Jodie and Justin walked down them hand in hand before Justin pulled her into a hug at the bottom. In a garden bed he dipped her for a kiss. Then we went back to the willows and shot through the hanging fronds, letting a few leaves soften the foreground. It is a simple trick, and it makes a portrait feel like a moment we stumbled upon.

A twirl under festoon lights

By nightfall the party had moved under strings of festoon bulbs, with white curtains hanging behind long timber tables and a little light box spelling out Justin and Jodie. For the first dance we set a light behind the couple so the bulbs and the edges of Jodie’s veil would glow against the dark. Justin spun her under his arm while everyone watched from the tables, then scooped her clean off the floor with her gown swinging out behind her. It felt like exactly the right way to finish the day.

Photographer's venue notes

Kirks Reservoir Park, Gong Gong: an arbour under the willow and a classic car among the conifers

Read the venue notes

Ceremony, groups and portraits in one garden

Jodie and Justin used the lower lawn for everything that happened in daylight. Their red timber arbour sat beneath an enormous weeping willow, with green metal café chairs either side of a grass aisle and a little white signing table set on the lawn. Family groups stayed right there under the willow, so nobody had to move far. For portraits we walked deeper into the park to the stand of red trunked conifers where the white classic car waited, then on to the stone steps and mulched paths, and finally back to the willows.

Shade that did the work

The willow acted as our lighting rig for the vows, giving Jodie and Justin even shade while the garden beyond stayed bright and green. In the conifer grove the light came through in dappled patches, so we placed the couple where it fell evenly across their faces and let the sunlit mulch glow behind them. On the path beside the hedges, sunlight filtering through the trees gave Jodie’s veil a lovely shine as Justin dipped her. Garden light changes quickly between spots like these, so we checked faces every time we moved.

Textures we went looking for

The red bark of the conifers gave a warm backdrop that suited Justin’s navy suit and Jodie’s white gown. A rustic stone wall made a quiet corner for an older guest to kiss Jodie’s hand, and we stayed back so the moment stayed theirs. The green handrails on the stone steps and a red flowering shrub beside them added colour to the walking frames. Back at the willow, we held the lens close to the hanging fronds so a few leaves blurred across the foreground, which makes a posed portrait feel candid.

Tips for a park garden wedding

If you are arriving in a classic car, ask for it to be parked where we can use it, because that long, low white shape looked beautiful beneath the tall trunks. Choose chairs that add to the scene; the green café chairs sat happily on the lawn and looked good in every wide frame. Keep your two closest people nearby after the signing, as Jodie and Justin did, so they can join a few portraits in the grove. A clear acrylic welcome sign is a smart choice in a garden, since it lets the planting show through.

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