Sandstone, glass and orchids
Our day at Longview Vineyard started with Ashleigh in a bright room of pale sandstone and tall glass, her lace gown spread across the timber floor. Her bouquet was a riot of rust and coral: orchids, a dahlia, protea and silvery eucalyptus. We moved in close as she looked down at it, because a big window to one side gives soft, even light on a face with no flash at all. Then we stepped outside, where she stood among the roses beside one of the vineyard’s buildings, the bouquet glowing against the white of her dress and a clear blue sky overhead.
A tap on the shoulder
Fraser waited alone on the lawn in his blue suit and rust tie, a stack of wine barrels and the vine-covered hills in front of him. Ashleigh and Fraser had planned a first look, and the lawn under the big gums was made for it: dappled shade, a long open approach and plenty of room for us to stay back and out of the way. Ashleigh crossed the grass with her train trailing, tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned. Her hand went straight to her mouth. Then came the hug, a long one, with her veil spilling down her back.
Up the hill to the palms
Ashleigh had asked for three spots on the property, and the top of the hill came first. We sent them up a dirt track towards two old palms on the crest and stood well back, so they became two small figures against a huge blue sky. On top, a lone gum framed the rolling country behind them, and Fraser kept making Ashleigh laugh. Then we dropped down into the vine rows, thick and green, for a kiss between the leaves. A narrow vine row is a natural frame: it leads the eye straight to the couple and hides everything else.
Rust silk and a best man
Under a big gum at the edge of the vines, the small bridal party joined in. Ashleigh’s maid of honour wore rust silk to match the bouquets, and the two of them dissolved into giggles, cheek to cheek. Fraser and his best man stood shoulder to shoulder in matching blue suits, then loosened up with an arm around each other and wide grins. We love a small bridal party for exactly this reason: there is time to make every pairing count. Ashleigh gave her skirt a swish over the dry grass, and the light through the gum leaves did the rest.
Two dachshunds in the gum avenue
Next we walked to the bushland near the entrance, where a gravel track runs between two rows of tall gums. It is one of our favourite settings for Longview Vineyard wedding photos, because the trunks line up and pull your eye down the track to the couple. Ashleigh and Fraser kissed halfway along, and then the stars of the afternoon arrived: their two dachshunds in little tuxedo harnesses. We got down low on the gravel, at dog height, while Ashleigh and Fraser crouched with one each. One leant in for a cuddle, the other stared down the camera, and everyone cracked up.
Flower crowns on the veranda
Back near the buildings, Ashleigh scooped up one of the flower girls, who wore a crown of tiny orange blooms, on a shady brick veranda with a polished red floor. Her train looked beautiful against the old brick, so we turned her and let it run across the floor behind her. Inside, beside the sandstone wall, her dad and a loved one in blue lace had their moment with her, and her dad kissed her hand while they both laughed. Then the two flower girls set off down the path in their white dresses, with Ashleigh’s dad waiting by the door.
Vows under the copper hoop
The ceremony sat on the lawn: white chairs, wine barrels, a huge old gum behind the guests and a copper hoop arbour dressed with pampas and rust blooms, the vines rolling away beyond it. Ashleigh walked across the grass on her dad’s arm, and he handed her over with a hug for Fraser. We stayed on Fraser’s face as she reached him, because that look lasts a few seconds. In the front row, a loved one held a tissue ready. Fraser laughed through the vows, his best man clapped along, and they signed at a little round timber table with glasses of bubbles in hand.
Petals, Jenga and a lifted groom
Petals flew as they came back down the aisle, and the hugs started before they reached the end. Everyone squeezed in under the big gum for a cheering group photo, then we worked through the family groups in front of the building while the shade held. Then the friends took over. Ashleigh’s girlfriends lined up against the vines, sunglasses on, and lifted Fraser flat like a plank, shrieking with laughter. He got his own back by grabbing a phone to snap Ashleigh with a friend at the arbour, and a game of giant Jenga on the lawn had everyone holding their breath.
Golden light above the dam
Inside, Ashleigh twirled across the timber floor by the bar, and a flower girl spun right beside her, skirts flying. We set the rings on a piece of dried palm beside orange orchids for a quiet detail. Later, with the reception under way in the barn, we took Ashleigh and Fraser back out to the lawn above the dam as the sun dropped towards the hills. Backlight through a veil is a favourite of ours in early autumn: the tulle glows and faces stay soft. They walked hand in hand across the grass, the vines turning gold behind them, and finished with a kiss.
